Introduction
Now the demand for audio to text tools is skyrocketing. Whether you’re a student, a journalist, a podcaster, or just someone trying to get through a busy workday, turning speech into text can save a ton of time, boost your productivity, and make everything more accessible.
Manual transcription is expensive and time-consuming. Thanks to AI transcription technology, we no longer have to type out every single word ourselves—how great is that? If you’re not sure how to transcribe yet, here’s a guide to help you.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through some of the best audio-to-text tools available in 2025, sorted by platform (mobile, Mac, and Windows), so you can find the one that fits your workflow perfectly.
Especially, if you are looking for AI meeting note taker, here is a guide.
How to Choose the Right Audio to Text Tool in 2025
There’s no single best tool—only the one that suits you best. I suggest considering the following aspects to decide which tool fits you best.
I prepared a simple table of factors to consider when choosing a audio transcription tool. Here it is.
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Device Preference | Identify your primary device: mobile, Mac, or Windows. |
| Online vs Offline | If privacy or no-internet use is important, prefer offline tools like MacWhisper or Dragon. |
| Budget | Freemium tools like Otter.ai or Speechnotes suit casual users; professionals may prefer paid options. |
| Language Support | Make sure the tool supports the languages you need. |
| Workflow Needs | Consider features like collaboration, export formats, and editing when choosing a tool. |
Best Audio to Text Tools for iOS
VOMO AI – I recommend VOMO mainly because it’s incredibly easy to use and powerful. It can record, deliver accurate transcriptions and use AI to summarize and generate smart meeting notes. A very useful tool with 30 minutes of free transcription time.
You can click here to download VOMO and give it a try. You get 30 minutes of free transcription.
Otter.ai for iOS – Known for its real-time transcription and collaborative features, Otter is ideal for meetings and lectures. The basic plan offers 300 minutes of transcription each month. Exporting to PDF, DOC, or SRT requires a paid plan.
Notta for iPhone – The free plan includes 300 minutes of transcription time, but only 3 minutes are visible, which is not very practical. Subscription plan offers multi-language support, speaker identification, and seamless syncing across devices.
Rev – It includes basic recording and transcription features, syncing transcripts across devices.
Apple Dictation / Notes – Built into iOS, suitable for light use and quick dictations without third-party apps. However, like many of Apple’s built-in features, It’s not very reliable. It struggles with longer recordings, doesn’t offer advanced editing or transcription capabilities, and lacks powerful AI processing features.
If you want to know about more iOS transcription apps, We have a more detailed review checklist.
Best Audio to Text Tools for Android
Otter and Notta both have Android apps you can use. Here are a few more transcription apps for Android:
Google Voice Typing – Android’s built-in speech-to-text tool. It Can convert spoken words into text using the keyboard mic. It’s completely free, but only offers basic features.
Transcribe Speech to Text – similar to VOMO and Otter. It turns your voice and video into text, and helps you stay productive with AI-powered chat.
SoundType AI – covers all basic transcription features and supports over 90 languages. Advanced features like speaker identification and AI-generated summaries require a paid plan.
If you’d like to explore more Android transcription apps, we’ll provide a more detailed review list.
Best Audio to Text Tools for PC
Although more and more work is being done on mobile devices, PCs are still a mainstream work platform. I’ll also cover the most popular PC-based audio-to-text tools.
Online speech-to-text tools
Any2Text – In my opinion, this is the best transcription tool for PC. It offers truly free transcription and lets you freely download the transcribed text. Most other tools require a paid subscription to export files. You get 75 minutes of free transcription time.
Turboscribe.ai – Available only on the PC version. Offers 3 transcription opportunities per day, with a time limit of 15 minutes for each session. Advanced features require payment.
Desktop Audio-to-Text Software
Windows Voice Typing (Win 11) – free Built into the OS, it’s a convenient solution for basic speech recognition. You can use the Win + H shortcut to launch it.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking – a speech recognition software for Windows PCs, originally developed by Dragon Systems. High-accuracy dictation with deep learning capabilities, especially useful in legal and medical fields.
Best Multi-Platform Audio to Text Tools
Multi-Platform Web-based tools are ideal for those who work across devices or use Chromebook. These tools offer flexibility, cloud access, and consistent performance.
You can choose the best multi-platform transcription tool for you using the table we provide below.
| Tool | iOS | Android | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Notta | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sonix.ai | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Veed.io | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Rev.com | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Temi | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| VOMO | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Best Transcription Tools for Developers and Advanced Users
For developers and advanced users seeking powerful transcription solutions, I recommend the following tools that balance flexibility, customization, and scalability.
OpenAI Whisper (CLI / Python) – Offers full control over transcription settings and deployment, suitable for research and large-scale projects.
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API – Ideal for app integration with support for multiple languages and real-time processing.
Amazon Transcribe / AssemblyAI / Speechmatics – Commercial-grade APIs with high scalability and customization.
DeepSpeech (Mozilla) – Open-source option perfect for educators and those building custom transcription solutions.
Feature Comparison Table of Audio Transcription Tools
| Tool | Platform | Free/Paid | Offline Support | Accuracy | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | All | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Meetings, Teams |
| MacWhisper | Mac | Free | ✅ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Journalists, Privacy |
| Google Live Transcribe | Android | Free | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Accessibility |
| Dragon | Windows | Paid | ✅ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Legal, Healthcare |
| Descript | All | Paid | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Podcast Editing |
| Notta | All | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Quick transcription, Exports |
| VOMO AI | IOS, Web | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Audio to text, Video to text, AI sumamry, productivity |
| Rev | All | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Professional transcription |
| Apple Dictation | iOS, Mac | Free | ✅ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Voice typing, quick notes |
| Google Voice Typing | iOS, Android | Free | ✅ (limited) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Voice typing, messaging |
| Transcribe Speech to Text | iOS, Android | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | General transcription |
| SoundType AI | Android | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Meetings, Interviews, Podcasts |
| Any2Text | Windows, Mac | Freemium | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Audio to text conversion |
| Windows Voice Typing | Windows 11 | Free | ✅ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Dictation, voice commands |
| Sonix | Windows, Mac | Paid | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Media teams, professional use |
Conclusion
Whether you’re working on mobile, Mac, or Windows, there’s a powerful audio to text tool tailored for your needs in 2025.
For mobile users, VOMO AI, Otter.ai and Notta offer exceptional performance.
Mac users should consider MacWhisper for local privacy and Descript for content editing.
Windows users can benefit from Dragon’s industry-grade precision.
Explore a few tools and choose the one that aligns best with your goals.
