Transcription App Comparison · 2026
Transcription Apps, Compared — by Price and by Model.
The best transcription tool depends on the job, not a single ranking. For live meeting capture, Otter, Fireflies and Fathom lead; for editing, Descript. For the occasional voice message or recording, if you're already in Telegram, @vustScribeBot fits: your first transcription is free, and after that you keep going with a VUST plan. Pricing below is as of 2026 — verify current before relying on it.
Transcription apps — pricing & model (2026)
Prices are the cheapest paid entry and the top consumer tier; annual-billed where noted. A dash (—) means the vendor doesn't publish a clear public price (A/B-tested, login-gated, or usage-only) — check their own page.
| Tool | Free tier | Cheapest paid | Top tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VUST Scribe (@vustScribeBot) | First transcription free | Then a VUST plan | — | Occasional files & voice notes, chat-native |
| Otter.ai | Basic (free) | $8.33/mo (Pro, annual) | $19.99/mo (Business) | Live meeting capture, collab notes |
| Fireflies.ai | 800 min storage | $10/user/mo (annual) | $39/user/mo | Meeting auto-join + AI credits |
| Fathom | Free forever | $15/user/mo | — | Zoom/Meet meeting notes |
| Descript | Free (1 hr) | from $16/mo | — | Editing transcripts (multitrack) |
| Happy Scribe | Trial | $8.50/mo (annual) | $59/mo (Teams) | Transcribe + subtitle + translate |
| Grain | Free | $15/user/mo | $29/user/mo | Sales-call notetaking |
| Krisp | Free (limited) | $8/mo (Core, annual) | $15/mo (Advanced) | On-device noise-cancel + notes |
| Temi | 1 free ≤45 min | $0.25/audio-min | — | Pay-per-minute, no subscription |
| Rev | — | — | — | AI + human transcription (see rev.com) |
| Trint | Trial | — | — | Enterprise editorial workflows |
Prices as of 2026, gathered from vendor pricing pages and app stores; several are A/B-tested or region-dependent. Verify the current figure on the vendor's own page before relying on it. VUST Scribe's first transcription is free; after that you continue on a VUST plan inside Telegram.
How to read this
Pick by the job — three of them
Live meeting capture (auto-join Zoom/Meet/Teams) → Otter, Fireflies, Fathom. Editing audio via the transcript → Descript. The occasional forwarded file or voice note, if you're already in Telegram → VUST Scribe. VUST has no meeting-bot and no editing surface; it's forward-and-get-transcript, no install needed.
See the difference
Three jobs, three winners — including where the competitors beat us.
Pick your transcription tool by the job
- Occasional files
- A voice message, interview or lecture to transcribe now and then — no appetite for a monthly seat
- @vustScribeBot: forward the audio, get transcript + summary + action items. Your first transcription is free; after that you keep going with a VUST plan.
- Live meeting teams
- Auto-join Zoom/Meet/Teams calls, record live, share notes in a workspace
- Otter, Fireflies or Fathom — that meeting-bot + workspace is their core product; VUST has no meeting-bot and doesn't compete there.
- Editors / producers
- Edit a podcast or video by editing its transcript
- Descript is the editor. Scribe returns a transcript + summary, not an editing surface.
How the pricing shapes differ
- 01
Subscription seats (Otter/Fireflies/Fathom)
~$8–20/user/mo (annual) with AI-credit systems on higher tiers — worth it for daily live-meeting teams, a poor fit for occasional use.
- 02
Per-minute (Temi) vs plan (VUST)
Temi $0.25/audio-min — pay only for what you transcribe. VUST Scribe: your first transcription is free, then a VUST plan covers the rest.
- 03
Editor suites (Descript)
From $16/mo — priced as a production tool, not a transcriber; you're paying for the editing surface.
Transcribe the occasional file
Forward a voice message or recording to @vustScribeBot: transcript + summary + action items. Your first one is free; after that you keep going with a VUST plan.
Scope
No meeting-bot
Scribe never joins a call or reads your calendar. It transcribes audio you already have and forward — which is why it needs zero setup, but also why live-capture tools win that job.
Prices verified + dated
Figures are as-of-2026 from vendor pages/app stores; A/B-tested or hidden prices show a dash, not a guessed number. Verify current before relying on it.
20-minute cap
Up to 20 min / 20 MB per file (Telegram limit). Split longer recordings. A failure on our side costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the options for transcribing an occasional audio file?
Temi charges $0.25/audio-minute with no subscription. VUST Scribe works differently: your first transcription is free, and after that you keep going with a VUST plan — a fit if you'd rather stay inside Telegram than open a separate app. Otter and Fireflies are built around recurring team meetings, roughly $8–20/seat/month. Prices as of 2026.
Which transcription apps have a real free tier?
Fathom is free-forever for individual meeting notes; Otter Basic and Fireflies (800 min storage) have free tiers with caps. VUST Scribe gives a free first transcription rather than an ongoing daily allowance. Sonix and several others offer only a short trial, not an ongoing free allowance.
Does VUST Scribe join and record my meetings like Otter or Fireflies?
No — deliberately. There's no bot in your call and no calendar access. You forward the audio or voice message you already have and get a transcript, summary and action items back. If auto-joining live calls is what you need, Otter, Fireflies or Fathom are the right tools.
What are the limits on VUST Scribe?
Up to 20 minutes and 20 MB per file (Telegram's limit). Your first transcription is free; after that you keep going with a VUST plan, and if it fails on our side, nothing is charged. It's forward-and-get-transcript, not live capture or editing.
Otter vs Fireflies — which is cheaper?
On annual billing Fireflies Pro is ~$10/user/mo and Otter Pro ~$8.33/user/mo; Otter's top consumer tier is Business at $19.99/user/mo, Fireflies' is ~$39/user/mo. Both are meeting-bots with AI-credit systems on higher tiers. Verify current pricing on their own pages before relying on it.
Ready when you are
The right transcriber depends on the job.
Live meetings → Otter/Fireflies/Fathom. Editing → Descript. The occasional forwarded file → VUST Scribe, first one free, then a VUST plan, in Telegram.