How to Automatically Transcribe Podcasts

Transcribing your podcast can be a great idea as it makes your podcast accessible to more people and the transcripts can really help you out as well. Obviously, transcribing something yourself may not be possible as it can be really time consuming and getting someone else to transcribe it can take awhile and it can be expensive. However, there are some really great automatic transcription programs out there that take a few minutes and are quite affordable. So, we've compiled a list of some of the most popular programs below.


Why Should I Transcribe My Podcast?

Transcription can make your podcast accessible to individuals that are deaf or hard of hearing, English-language learners, and individuals with auditory processing issues. Also, it is particularly helpful for you because your podcast will then be searchable, you can repurpose your podcast into blog posts, articles, or even a book in the future, and posting transcripts will help with your SEO.


Automatic Transcription Software:

The way that automatic transcription programs work is that you upload your audio file and the software transcribes the audio using artificial intelligence. Then, once the transcription is completed, you are able to make any edits that are needed and you can then export the transcript. These programs take just a few minutes to transcribe depending on the length of your audio and they are often priced based on audio length. Many of the programs have extra or unlimited features with the higher plans as well, so you can select a program and plan that is optimal for you. Also, most programs have free trials, so you can test out what one works best for you before committing.

  • Trint
    • Pay As You Go ($15/hour of upload), Basic ($40/month for 3 hours of upload/month), Supercharged ($120/month for 10 hours of upload/month)
  • Temi
    • $0.10/audio minute
  • Descript
    • Descript Free (15¢/minute), Descript Standard (7¢/minute and $10/month fee)
  • Sonix
    • Professional ($15/month and $6/recorded hour), Business ($20/month/user and $5/recorded hour), Enterprise ($75/month/user and special rates for transcription)
  • Happy Scribe
    • Pay As You Go ($0.15/minute), Starter ($9/month and $0.10/minute), Business ($45/month and $0.10/minute)
  • Veed
    • Free (10-minute maximum length for uploaded files), Basic ($18/month for 25-minute maximum length for uploaded files), Pro ($30/month for 2-hour maximum length for uploaded files)
      • This software also includes other audio and video editing features.
  • Dragon
    • Dragon Professional Individual for Mac, v6 ($300), Dragon Professional Individual, v15 ($300)
      • This is software that you buy and you then own it, so there are no fees besides the one-time payment for the software itself.
  • Vocalmatic
    • Minutes Packages (30 minutes for $9, 60 minutes for $12, 90 minutes
      for $15, 150 minutes for $25)
    • Hourly Packages (3 hours for $29, 5 hours for $59, 10 hours for $99, 15 hours for $149)
    • High Volume Packages (25 hours for $199, 50 hours for $249, 100 hours for $429)
    • Custom Volume Package

These are some of the most popular transcription programs, however, some Google searches will provide more options.

Keep in mind that these automatic transcription programs may not transcribe your audio perfectly. You will likely need to go in and edit a little bit to get your transcript perfect. Using the best podcast equipment possible and creating the highest quality audio consisting of clear speaking, few speakers, and minimal crosstalk will definitely help the programs correctly transcribe your audio though. So, ensure that you are following these best practices to get the best transcription results.


Other Transcription Options:

You are also able to transcribe your podcasts on your own as well as through other humans either using transcription services, such as REV, GoTranscript, and Scribie, or freelance workers on sites like Upwork. Generally speaking, transcription by humans will produce the best, most accurate result that will require the least amount of editing. However, it will likely cost more to get a human to transcribe your audio and it will likely take longer as well.


Transcribing your podcast can be really helpful with future endeavors and it makes your podcast accessible to more people. And, there are some great transcription programs out there to make the process quick and easy. So, if you are interested in transcription, check out these programs and see what works best for you. Happy podcasting!


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Article Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash.