What's the cheapest way to transcribe the occasional audio file?

Per-use beats a subscription when you transcribe irregularly. Temi ($0.25/audio-min) and VUST Scribe (free under 5 minutes, 3/day, then 2✦ — cents — for a 5–20 min file) both avoid a monthly commitment, versus Otter/Fireflies at roughly $8–20/seat/month even for light use. 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 is free for clips under 5 minutes, 3 per day. 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). Free for clips ≤5 minutes, 3 per day; a 5–20 minute file is 2✦, topped up with Telegram Stars. Failed processing refunds automatically. 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.

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 without a $8–20/seat/month subscription, a per-use Telegram option (@vustScribeBot) is the cheaper shape: free under 5 minutes, 2✦ per longer file. Pricing below is as of 2026 — verify current before relying on it.

Per-use 2✦ · free ≤5 min · no subscription, no meeting-bot.Honest scope: no meeting-bot, no editing surface

Open @vustScribeBot in Telegram

Per-use 2✦, no subscriptionInside Telegram, no meeting-botFree ≤5 min, 3/day

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)	≤5 min, 3/day	2✦ per 5–20 min file	—	Occasional files & voice notes, no subscription
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 pricing is per-use in ✦ (sparks), topped up with Telegram Stars.

How to read this

Pick by the job — three of them, honestly

Live meeting capture (auto-join Zoom/Meet/Teams) → Otter, Fireflies, Fathom. Editing audio via the transcript → Descript. The occasional forwarded file or voice note without a subscription → VUST Scribe, per-use inside Telegram. VUST has no meeting-bot and no editing surface; it's forward-and-get-transcript, which is exactly why it needs no setup and no monthly floor.

Where a vendor's price is A/B-tested or hidden, this page shows a dash rather than a guessed number.

See the difference

Three jobs, three winners — including where the competitors beat us.

When a meeting-bot (Otter / Fireflies / Fathom) wins

The job

You want a tool that auto-joins your Zoom/Meet/Teams calls, records them live, and drops notes into a shared workspace for a team.

Honest verdict

Use Otter, Fireflies or Fathom — that live meeting-capture + workspace is their core product, and VUST has no meeting-bot and no calendar access. Scribe transcribes audio you already have, not calls it joins.

When Descript wins

The job

You're producing a podcast or video and want to edit the audio by editing the transcript, with multitrack and screen recording.

Honest verdict

Descript is the editor; VUST is not. Scribe gives you a transcript + summary + action items, not an editing surface.

When VUST Scribe wins

The job

You have a voice message, an interview recording, or a lecture you can't listen to right now — and you don't want a $8–20/seat/month subscription for the occasional file.

Honest verdict

Forward the audio to @vustScribeBot: transcript + summary + action items, in the recording's language, free under 5 minutes (3/day) and 2✦ (cents) for a 5–20 min file. No install, no account beyond Telegram, no monthly floor.

02·Practical use cases

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. Free under 5 min (3/day), 2✦ (cents) for a 5–20 min file. No subscription floor.

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.

03·How it works

How the pricing shapes differ

01Subscription 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.

02Per-minute / per-file (Temi, VUST)

Temi $0.25/audio-min; VUST Scribe free ≤5 min (3/day) then 2✦ per 5–20 min file — you pay for what you transcribe, nothing in quiet months.

03Editor suites (Descript)

From $16/mo — priced as a production tool, not a transcriber; you're paying for the editing surface.

04·Same tool · in Telegram

Transcribe the occasional file — no subscription

@vustScribeBot · Forward a voice message or recording to @vustScribeBot: transcript + summary + action items, free under 5 minutes, 2✦ for longer.

Open in Telegram

05·Quality & trust

Honest 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. Failed processing refunds automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Transcription: hub, head-to-head, capability.

Otter alternative (head-to-head)

One-rival deep dive: Otter's meeting-bot vs Scribe's per-file model.

Scribe hub

How forward-audio → transcript + summary works.

AI transcription

The capability page: transcribe without an account.

Ready when you are

The right transcriber depends on the job.

Live meetings → Otter/Fireflies/Fathom. Editing → Descript. The occasional forwarded file without a subscription → VUST Scribe, per-use in Telegram.

Open @vustScribeBot Otter head-to-head