The Best Free-to-Cheap Transcription Software Options for Mac Users On a Budget
Transcribe and summarize meetings, podcasts, and more with one of these Apple-user-approved, affordable transcription tools
If you’ve ever been curious about the exact amount of information you encounter on an average day, you’ve probably come across this striking statistic from a UC San Diego report: 34 gigabytes of data.
To give some perspective, that’s approximately 100,000 words — almost a quarter of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
But, fun fact: that figure comes from a study that was published back in 2009.
At the time, the average American was supposedly consuming 4.91 hours of television, spending 1.93 hours on a computer (!), and listening to 2.22 hours of radio broadcasts (?!) per day.
Since then, few other eye-popping figures have filled the void, but the numbers — although realistically unquantifiable — are probably even higher.
That’s because, when we’re not streaming hours of Succession (no spoilers, I’m still catching up on season three), our brains are encountering countless amounts of information from an array of sources, including podcasts, webinars, YouTube videos, and meetings at work.
There are only so many hours in a day.
That’s why many people are turning to transcription software to help them tame the endless overflow of information.
What is transcription software?
Transcription software converts spoken language into text. It’s traditionally used in fields like journalism, law, medicine, and academics for converting audio from interviews and conversations into a readable format that can be stored and referenced later on, but it is increasingly used in many workplaces for transcribing meetings.
There are two main types of transcription software…
Automated transcription software uses advanced speech recognition algorithms to transcribe audio into text. Although the accuracy of the transcriptions can vary depending on the product, automated transcription software is more cost-effective and faster than…
Manual transcription services invole real-life people doing much of the transcribing (typically via a platform that acts as an intermediary and helps manage the process). Although the accuracy of the transcriptions are sometimes more consistent, manual transcription services are usually more expensive and time-consuming.
For this blog post, we’re going to be focusing on automated transcription software.
What are the benefits of transcribing meetings, conversations, and recordings?
Aside from providing a written record, transcribing audio can make it more accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, make information easily searchable and referenceable, and improve comprehension.
Not only that, but advancements in AI are now making it possible to transform multi-thousand-word documents into bite-sized summaries.
That hour-and-a-half-long meeting you couldn’t attend? That podcast about what really went down at BlackBerry? You can now absorb it in a fraction of the time… if you have the right software, that is.
If you’re a proud devotee to the Cult of Mac, read on. Although not all of these options provide dedicated desktop apps for MacOS, each one can be accessed from a Mac (provided you have an internet connection, of course).
Here are 6 of the best transcription software options for Mac users who need to transcribe and summarize meetings and recordings…
Bloks
Bloks is an all-in-one, AI-powered productivity assistant that automatically transcribes and summarizes any call — whether it’s on Google Meet, Teams, or Zoom — without intrusive bots.
Once Bloks is given permission to access the mic on your Mac, users can click on the magic mic icon, and the AI meeting assistant’s built-in transcription program will begin transcribing and summarizing any conversation or audio with just one click.
When the transcription is complete, Bloks magically generates a full transcription and adds your summary as a notecard directly to Bloks. Transcriptions and summaries can then be easily organized with tags based on the events in your calendar, attendees involved, and topics discussed in the meeting or recordings.
You can also transcribe and summarize any podcast, YouTube video, or webinar without uploading any recordings — start Bloks’ AutoPilot, press play on the recording, and let Bloks do the rest.
→ Download Bloks for MacOS for FREE
Related: Become the Productivity GOAT with Bloks’ AI-Powered Features
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant bot that automatically joins meetings and takes notes, even if users can’t attend them. It’s used primarily for recording, transcribing, and organizing team meetings, sales calls, recruitment interviews, and more.
Fireflies.ai’s transcription service is currently limited to English, which could pose issues for non-English speakers. Some of its features, like AI-powered super summaries and certain integrations, require a Pro plan.
Cost: Free to $29 (billed monthly)
Sources: SourceForge, Product Hunt
Related: The 6 Best Note-Taking Apps for Mac and iOS Users in 2023
Rewatch
Rewatch is a collaborative video workspace hub designed primarily to help remote teams share, organize, and find meeting recordings, company videos, all-hands, and project updates. Its AI-powered meeting assistant, Rewatch AI, automatically creates transcriptions and AI-generated summaries that users can highlight, comment on, and share.
Some users have complained that Rewatch’s transcription system can produce errors, especially with internal terms and acronyms, and users can’t suggest corrections. Some users have also found that the program isn’t entirely intuitive and have cited difficulties uploading files, managing private videos, and searching for recordings.
Cost: Free to $19 (billed monthly)
Sources: Capterra, TrustRadius, Product Hunt
Related: The 7 Best Personal Knowledge Management Apps to Try in 2023
MacWhisper
MacWhisper is a transcription app built on OpenAI’s Whisper technology that’s specifically designed for use on Apple Silicon Macs. Users can drop audio files onto the application, which supports 100 languages and transcribes audio faster than real-time playback.
MacWhisper currently doesn’t differentiate between speakers, which could cause issues for people using it for larger meetings, and the program requires at least 8GB of memory, which can slow down less-powerful Macs.
While the Pro version of MacWhisper can translate audio files into different languages, users are unable to translate audio through the free version.
Cost: Free to $22 for personal use (one-time fee)
Sources: Forbes, Product Hunt
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Second Brain App in 2023
HappyScribe
HappyScribe is a platform that uses AI for transcription and subtitling. It supports various languages, provides shared access for collaboration, and offers unlimited uploads. It also features auto-translation for most languages and integrates with various platforms, including Zapier. HappyScribe also provides secure file storage and supports multiple export formats.
Like most transcription software, HappyScribe occasionally has issues with transcription accuracy and may require manual edits and corrections. Limitations on video duration may also pose issues when transcribing longer content. Recordings with background noise may also impact transcription quality.
Cost: $0 to $29 (billed monthly)
Sources: Capterra
Related: 5 Simple Note-taking Apps for Jotting Things Down Quickly
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant that records audio, writes notes, automatically captures slides, and generates summaries. Users can collaborate with their team in the live transcript, add comments, highlight key points, and assign action items. And by connecting Otter.ai to Google or Microsoft calendars, it can automatically join and record meetings on various platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
According to reviews, some users say it’s easy to inadvertently leave Otter.ai on because there are no reminders to stop recordings, which can result in users accidentally recording and transcribing sensitive or confidential information. When added to Zoom, Teams, or Meet calls, Otter.ai appears on everyone’s screen as a participant, which some meeting participants may find intrusive.
Cost: Free to $30 (billed monthly)
Sources: G2
Related: Looking for the Best Productivity Apps? Use These Four
Final Thoughts
In a world increasingly saturated with data, transcription software provides an efficient way to record, access, and understand information.
Whether you’re consuming podcasts, attending meetings, or studying lectures, automated transcription and summarization tools can streamline the process, allowing Mac users to easily transcribe, summarize, and navigate vast amounts of data quickly and affordably.
While each platform has its strengths and limitations, advancements in AI technology continue to improve the quality and functionality of transcription services, making it easier than ever to absorb information.
