Everybody learns in different ways. Some people learn best through visual cues, some through listening, and others by actively doing something. Communication is key for all of us, no matter how we learn best. But if you’ve created video content, how can you ensure your audience will get the most out of it—even if they prefer to learn through text-based content? How can you easily repurpose video content into a text format?
This is where transcription tools come in. Note-taking, review, and editing become much easier with the ability to search for a particular keyword or phrase in a transcript. Here's how transcriptions benefit video content in the workplace and our top picks for the best transcription tools to get you started.
Why are transcriptions important for video content?
Transcriptions provide a text-based version of your audio or video, which you can refer to whenever needed. It's a handy way to summarize conversations, capture insights from meetings or presentations, and pinpoint where mistakes were made. Here's how they supplement video content:
Create an inclusive work environment
1 in 5 individuals in the US have learning and attention issues. These individuals might struggle to understand spoken words in video, but transcriptions provide the written record they need to keep up with their peers.
Closed captioning transcripts make it easier for viewers with hearing impairments (or those in noisy environments) to understand the content. It helps them follow along more easily and reduces cognitive load.
Enable searchability
What did the speaker say? How did they phrase it? Where can I find the answer to this question quickly?
Transcription tools help you search for particular words or phrases in the video, giving you quick access to what was said. This is especially useful when reviewing a long or complex presentation. For example, after watching a webinar, you know which strategies you want to implement in your work, but you need help remembering the exact details. With transcription, you can search for the points you remember and get the necessary information in seconds.
Improves global accessibility
In the US alone, between 350 and 430 languages are spoken in homes. Transcripts can help bridge communication gaps and make content more accessible to viewers with different language backgrounds or those who don’t speak the same language as the presenter or speaker.
This aspect is especially crucial for global organizations that have branches or remote workers worldwide and need to ensure everyone has access to the same information.
8 Top transcription tools
Clear, accurate transcriptions are essential for video content. Here are some of the best transcription tools available today:
1. Supernormal
Supernormal is an AI-powered transcription tool that transcribes meeting notes, sales calls, and audio recordings into searchable and interactive text. What makes it unique is its CRM integration—it transfers meeting notes to your CRM, which sales teams can use to follow up with customers. An updated CRM translates to more efficient customer relationship management and tracking.
“I liked the user interface of Supernormal and like how it can integrate with our existing video conferencing apps like Teams and Google Meet. I also loved features like action items and insights. The great thing, is I can do much more like recording and capturing items even if I’m not the host.” – Satyajit Khuntia, DevOps Consultant at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development
Top features:
- Integrations with tools: Integrations with Slack, Google, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other enterprise apps to ensure seamless collaboration
- Collaborative notes: Share notes with participants in real-time
- Multi-language transcription: Transcribe audio recordings in multiple languages
Pros:
- Save time with features such as auto-sharing notes and integrations with various tools
- Create a global, inclusive work environment with multi-language transcripts
- CRM integration allows sales teams to follow up with customers
Pricing:
The Starter plan is free for Google Meet users and includes 20 meetings per month. The Pro plan starts at $13/month.
2. Trint
Trint is powered by machine learning and offers lightning-fast speed and real-time editing capabilities. Features such as tags, highlights, and comments facilitate team collaboration and ensure real-time accuracy. Trint also supports transcriptions in more than 30 languages on web and mobile, ensuring international teams have access to the same content.
Top features:
- Storytelling: Combine key moments from multiple transcripts
- Time-coded search: Find phrases and keywords
- ISO-certified security: Protect all files and transcripts
Pros:
- Supports multiple languages on web and mobile platforms
- Storytelling features to get insights from transcripts
- Editable closed captions for better accessibility
Cons:
- Incorrect word recognition in some cases
- Glitchy audio and video playback on some platforms
Pricing:
There is a 7-day free trial available. The Starter plan is $60 per user/month The Advanced plan is $75 per user/month You can save 20% on annual plans. Lastly, Enterprise plan pricing is custom.
3. Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe offers AI and manual transcription services for videos and audio recordings. This combination of automation and human involvement massively improves accuracy, which is great for customer-facing videos and other content with high stakes.
Top features:
- Interactive editor: Manually review and make changes
- Numerous export formats: Export in file formats such as TXT, SRT, DOCX and PDF
- Collaboration workspaces: Work with colleagues and clients
Pros:
- Human and machine interaction for better accuracy
- Multiple languages supported
- Interactive editor to review and make changes
Cons:
- Manual editing is relatively expensive
- Lack of offline editing capabilities
Pricing:
Happy Scribe offers a free plan. Pro and Teams plans are $24 per user per month. The Enterprise plan is custom. You can save 20% with annual pricing.
4. Rev
Rev is a marketplace for transcription services, offering both automated and human-based services to create searchable text. Boasting 750,000 users, Rev guarantees a 99% accuracy rate, so you can rest assured that your transcriptions are accurate. You can add timestamps to the transcription for easier navigation and review. Rev also provides the option for rushed orders, five times faster than the standard turnaround time.
Top features:
- Collaboration options: Invite team members and clients to review drafts
- Integrations: Integrate with Vimeo, Google Drive, YouTube, and Dropbox for easier syncing
- Security measures: Protect all files and recordings
Pros:
- Human and machine interaction for better accuracy
- Timestamps for easier navigation and review
- Multiple file formats available to fit your needs
Cons:
- Adding speaker names is a manual process
- Accents are not always recognized
Pricing:
Plans are priced by the minute and include options for Human Transcription, Automated Transcription, English Captions, and Global Subtitles.. The pay-as-you-go plan is priced slightly higher than the Rev Max Subscription. Automated transcription is $0.25 for the pay-as-you-go plan and is free with a Rev Max Subscription.
5. Sonix
Sonix is an automatic transcription software that transcribes speech-to-text in over 38 languages. Its in-browser editor allows you to streamline the editing process and make changes in real time. Sonix also provides searchable subtitles and summaries to review, edit, and export.
Top features:
- Multi-folder nesting: Organize files in as many folders and subfolders as you need
- Multi-user permissions: Prevent unauthorized access and control user roles
- Customizable branding: Fit the product to match your company's identity
Pros:
- Supports 38 languages and accents
- Real-time collaboration capabilities
- Create subtitles in multiple formats
Cons:
- Lack of live speech-to-text conversion like other transcription services
- Pricing per hour can be inconvenient for projects with long recordings
Pricing:
There is a free trial (30 minutes) available. The Standard pay-as-you-go plan is $10 per hour. The Premium subscription is $5 per hour + $22 per user/month (and you can save 25% on annual plan). Enterprise subscriptions are custom.
6. Descript
Descript is a transcription tool that also offers podcasting, video editing, screen recording, and AI voice cloning. It acts as a communication toolkit, so you won't need a separate app for each task. Apart from automated transcription, you can also use Descript's professional transcriptionists to get highly accurate results. Its AI Speaker Detective adds speaker labels so you don't have to.
Top features:
- Multiple language support: 22 languages support so you can create subtitles in any language
- Secure privacy settings: Share only with the people you want
- Backup data in the cloud: Recordings and transcriptions securely stored in the cloud
Pros:
- AI Speaker identification to easily detect multiple speakers in a recording
- Powerful audio and video editing tools, so no need for separate software
- Highly accurate AI-assisted transcription results
Cons:
- Restricted editing capabilities, such as lack of custom fonts and crop video features
- Lagging playback and slow upload speeds
Pricing:
There is a free plan. The Creator plan is $15 per user per month. The Pro plan is $30 per user per month. Enterprise pricing is custom. You can save 20% with an annual plan.
7. Otter.ai
Otter.ai offers speech-to-text recognition and collaboration features for teams. You can upload audio or video files and share transcripts with anyone (with a free version available). Real-time transcriptions from meetings and an AI note-taker called OtterPilot ensure you only have to focus on the conversation at hand.
Top features:
- Centralized storage: Store audio, transcriptions, and recordings in one place of all audio, transcriptions, and recordings
- Summarized takeaways: Get a snapshot of the most important points of any conversation
- Keyword search: Review transcripts and recordings quickly
Pros:
- Calendar integration for reminders and follow-ups
- Integration with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Teams to take notes in real-time
- Chrome extension for web-based meetings
Cons:
- Background noise can impact the accuracy of transcription results
- Difficulty labeling speakers
Pricing:
The Basic plan is free. The Pro plan is $16.99/month. The Business plan is $30 per user per month. Lastly, enterprise pricing is custom. You can save up to 51% with annual plans.
8. oTranscribe
oTranscribe is an open-source free transcription tool for audio and video recordings. Its simple interface allows you to upload video and audio files, add interactive timestamps, and review your transcriptions. It also has a shortcut keypad for common commands like pause/play and speed up/slow down.
Top features:
- Interactive timestamps: Easily identify the portions of audio you need to transcribe
- Open source: Free for everyone
- Private: The file never leaves your computer
Pros:
- Export to plain text or Google Docs
- Automatically saves so you won't lose your work
- Intuitive shortcuts for faster transcription
Cons:
- Lack of collaboration options can be a drawback for larger teams
- No live transcription
Pricing:
oTranscribe is free.
Try Supernormal, the free ChatGPT4 transcription tool
Transcription can be a time-consuming task—you need to double-check for accuracy, take notes, and keep track of your progress. But with Supernormal, it doesn't have to be difficult.
Built on OpenAI's technology, results with Supernormal are accurate and fast, saving you hours on transcription and editing. With a sidekick like Supernormal, you can sharpen your focus on other tasks while still getting detailed meeting notes.
Try out Supernormal today and record 20 free meetings per month.