Use the transcription already built into Word, Zoom or Teams for a few files, check names and numbers by ear, and move to a meeting transcription tool when the recordings pile up.
For anyone asking: How do I transcribe an audio recording to text?
Each one's way of doing it, and the point where it stops.
Upload MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4 or WEBM files, or pull them from Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive and Zoom cloud recordings; you get a transcript with speaker labels you can rename and edit with find-and-replace. Where it stops: No downloads of transcripts on Free; recaps only for files longer than 3 minutes.
Import an audio or video file (M4A from Apple Voice Memos included) and Otter.ai returns a transcript, summary, action items and outline automatically; the Otter Notetaker also transcribes live Zoom, Teams and Meet calls, with speaker labels after processing. Where it stops: Basic shows only the first 30 minutes of each conversation's transcript, and file imports on Basic are a small lifetime allowance.
Import an audio or video file on desktop, web or mobile, or let the desktop app transcribe a live meeting without a bot; transcripts carry speaker labels with timestamps and export as .txt. Where it stops: Uploads go one file at a time, and there is no free plan, only a 7-day trial.
The Fathom Notetaker joins live Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls and transcribes them with speaker attribution, unlimited on Free. Where it stops: No uploaded recordings, and transcripts copy to the clipboard rather than download as a file.
Upload .mp3, .wav, .mp4, .avi or .mkv files one at a time and they run through the same transcript-and-notes pipeline as recorded calls, built around sales and customer-success work. Where it stops: No free plan; bulk imports go through support.
Read AI's meeting assistant joins live Zoom, Teams and Meet calls and builds a report with the transcript by speaker, downloadable as .txt. Where it stops: Free covers meetings up to one hour; uploads take MP4 or M4A only and get no automatic speaker identification.
The desktop app transcribes any call from your device's microphone and system audio as it happens, with no bot in the meeting. Where it stops: No uploads, no audio kept for playback, and capture starts only when you start it.
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