About Speech-to-Text.co
Built by developers who got tired of paywalls, signup forms, and artificial limits. We use this tool ourselves – that's why it actually works.
Why We Built This
Every transcription tool we tried had the same problem. Want to test it? Enter your email first. Found one that works? The free tier only gives you 60 seconds. Ready to pay? That'll be $15 per hour of audio, minimum $50 per month.
We needed something different. As developers working on content projects, we transcribed dozens of files every week. Interview recordings, meeting notes, podcast episodes, video scripts. The existing tools were either too expensive or too restrictive.
So we built our own. Not as a business – just as a tool we needed. It sat on our servers for two years before we realized other people might want it too.
The result is what you're using now. A transcription tool that processes your audio immediately, gives you accurate text, and never asks for your email, credit card, or personal information. We don't run ads. We don't sell data. We just provide a tool that works.
How Our Transcription Process Works
When you upload a file to Speech-to-Text.co, here's exactly what happens:
Upload and Validation
Your audio or video file is uploaded directly to our processing servers. We support MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, and 14+ other formats. Files up to 200MB are accepted.
Audio Extraction
For video files, we extract the audio track automatically. No additional software needed – just upload your MP4, MOV, or AVI file and we handle the rest.
Speech Recognition
Using OpenAI's Whisper model (Turbo v3), we analyze the audio and convert speech to text. The AI automatically detects the language being spoken and applies appropriate processing.
Output and Deletion
Your transcript is displayed in the browser with timestamps. You can copy, download, or translate it. The original audio file is deleted from our servers immediately after processing.
Who Uses Speech-to-Text.co
Our users come from every industry where spoken content needs to become written text. Here's how different professionals use our tool:
Journalists and Writers
Transcribe interviews for accurate quotes and attribution. Convert recorded conversations into story notes. Create verbatim records for fact-checking and legal protection.
Content Creators and YouTubers
Generate captions and subtitles for videos. Create show notes and episode summaries for podcasts. Repurpose audio content into blog posts and social media.
Students and Researchers
Convert lecture recordings into searchable study notes. Transcribe research interviews for qualitative analysis. Create accessible versions of audio learning materials.
Legal Professionals
Document depositions, client meetings, and witness statements. Create searchable records of proceedings. Prepare materials for case review and cross-examination.
Healthcare Workers
Convert patient consultations into clinical notes. Create documentation for insurance and compliance. Record treatment discussions without typing during appointments.
Business Teams
Transcribe meetings so everyone reviews the actual discussion. Document calls with clients and partners. Create searchable archives of important conversations.
Understanding Transcription Accuracy
With clear audio, our transcription accuracy typically reaches 90-95%. This means roughly one error per 15-20 words – usually minor issues like wrong articles, missed prepositions, or similar-sounding words.
Several factors affect accuracy. Recording quality matters most. A good microphone in a quiet room delivers excellent results. Background noise, cross-talk, and low-quality recordings reduce accuracy significantly.
The AI handles accents well but performs best on clearly articulated speech. Technical jargon, brand names, and uncommon terms may be transcribed phonetically. For professional use, we recommend a quick review of the output.
The Technology Behind Our Transcription
We use OpenAI's Whisper model – specifically the Turbo v3 variant – which represents the current state of the art in automated speech recognition. This is the same technology used by professional transcription services.
For AI-powered features like translation and summarization, we use DeepSeek through OpenRouter. These features let you translate transcripts to 100+ languages or generate concise summaries of long recordings.
Supported Audio and Video Formats
We accept virtually every audio and video format you might have:
Audio Formats
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, AAC, WMA, AIFF
Video Formats
MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM
- Maximum file size: 200MB per file
- WhatsApp voice messages (OPUS format) work directly
- iPhone voice memos (M4A) are fully supported
- Zoom and Teams recordings work without conversion
Our Privacy Commitment
Privacy isn't a feature for us – it's a principle. Here's exactly what happens with your data:
Audio files are processed and immediately deleted from our servers
There's no archive, no backup, no 'recycle bin'. Once processing completes, the file is gone.
No accounts or email addresses required
We don't know who you are and we don't want to. Just use the tool.
No database of transcripts
We don't store your results. If you close the browser, the transcript is only on your device.
No advertising or tracking
We don't run ads. We don't use analytics that track individual users. We don't sell any data.
Why Is This Tool Free?
People ask this constantly, and it's a fair question. Running AI transcription at scale costs money. So why give it away?
The honest answer: we have other projects that pay the bills. Speech-to-Text.co started as an internal tool. When we decided to share it publicly, we didn't want to deal with payment processing, user accounts, subscription management, or customer support for billing issues.
Making it completely free with no signup was actually the simpler option. Modern cloud infrastructure has made AI processing surprisingly affordable. We can run this service sustainably without charging users.
We may eventually add premium features for power users or enterprise teams, but the core transcription tool will always remain free. No bait-and-switch, no surprise paywalls.
Languages We Support
Our transcription engine supports 50+ languages with automatic detection:
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Turkish, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Tamil, Telugu, Ukrainian, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian, and many more.
The website interface is available in 11 languages:
English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Polish.
Ready to Try It?
No signup. No email. No credit card. Just upload your file and get your transcript.
Start Transcribing Now