What is the longest file I can transcribe?
Up to 10 hours per file. A longer recording can be split into two files and transcribed separately.
Transcribe long audio and video, up to 10 hours per file
Upload a multi-hour recording, or paste a link to one, and get it back as a single transcript with speaker labels and timestamps. No need to cut the file into parts first.
- Up to 10 hours per file
- One transcript, not a set of pieces
- Speaker labels and timestamps throughout
- $5 unlocks a whole file, whatever its length
- Uploads up to 5 GB on Pro, or paste a link
Long recordings are the normal case here
Many transcription tools are built around short clips and meetings. Otter, for example, caps a conversation at 30 minutes on its free plan and 90 minutes on Pro (its pricing page, 4 October 2026). Hearings, lectures, podcasts, sermons, conference days and audiobooks do not fit under those caps. WhoScribe accepts a single file or link of up to 10 hours and returns one continuous transcript, with a timestamp on every line so you can jump to any moment, and speaker labels that stay consistent from the first hour to the last. Among the files people have paid to unlock here, 54 of 95 were longer than one hour and 23 were longer than two hours (figures as of 4 October 2026). You can pay for one long file on its own, $5 for the whole recording, or use Pro at $20 a month for unlimited files. Uploads are limited to 1 GB on the free plan and 5 GB on Pro; a link to YouTube, Google Drive or another supported source is not limited by upload size.
Longest file per tool (checked Oct 7, 2026)
| Tool | Longest file | On which plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhoScribe | 10 h per file | Unlimited ($15 a month, campaign price until October 31), or one file unlocked with a single payment of $5. Uploads up to 5 GB on Unlimited and 1 GB on a free account, or paste a link. | Our pricing page |
| TurboScribe | 10 h / 5 GB | Unlimited (Free: 30 min) | turboscribe.ai/pricing checked Oct 7, 2026 |
| Otter.ai | 4 h | Business (Pro: 90 min · Basic (free): 30 min) | otter.ai/pricing checked Oct 7, 2026 |
| Notta | 5 h | Pro (Free: 3 min) | notta.ai/en/pricing checked Oct 7, 2026 |
| FileToText | 20 h | Pay per file | filetotext.ai checked Oct 7, 2026 |
| AllNote | 5 h / 1 GB | Pay per file | allnote.ai/transcribe checked Oct 7, 2026 |
| MacWhisper | Not stated on their page | Runs on your own Mac (Mac only); €64 one-time | macwhisper.com checked Oct 7, 2026 |
For one long recording, one payment of $5 covers the whole file.
How it works
Three steps to your first transcript
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Drop in your file
Audio or video of any length; the free plan transcribes the first 15 minutes of each file. MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, MOV and a dozen more.
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Pick the language
Leave the language on automatic or set it for better accuracy. Turn on speaker recognition if you need to know who said what.
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Read, edit, export
The transcript opens with clickable timestamps — read it and fix a name straight away. A free account keeps it and exports it as TXT; DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT come with the unlimited plan.
FAQ
Questions before you upload
Try it on this pageHow much does a long file cost?
One payment of $5 unlocks one whole file regardless of length ($3 in most lower-income countries), with no subscription. Pro is $20 a month or $120 a year for unlimited files. Prices as of 4 October 2026.
Do I need to cut the recording into parts?
No. Upload or link the whole recording. It is processed in the background and delivered as one transcript.
How large can the upload be?
Up to 1 GB on the free plan and 5 GB on Pro. If your file is larger, an audio-only export of the same recording is usually a fraction of the size, or you can paste a link instead of uploading.
Are speaker labels kept across a long recording?
Yes. Speakers are labelled across the whole file, and you rename each label once to apply it everywhere.
How do I find something in a five-hour transcript?
Every line has a timestamp and clicking it plays the audio at that point. You can search the text, ask the built-in chat a question about the recording, or generate chapters and notes with one click.
Can I try it on my own file first?
Yes. The file is transcribed before you pay. The first 5 minutes are readable with no account and the first 15 minutes with a free account.
Which formats can I export?
TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT for an unlocked file or on Pro. The free plan exports TXT.
Start with one file
No account, no card. See the transcript before you decide anything.