Most tools look the same on their home pages. These questions separate them.
1. Where does my audio go?
Is it uploaded? Where is it stored, for how long, and is it used to train models? For confidential recordings, on-device processing removes these questions.
2. What are the real limits?
Check minutes per month, maximum file length, file count and which features sit behind paid plans.
3. How accurate is it on my audio?
Test with your own recordings, not the demo. Try one clean file and one difficult file.
4. Which exports do I need?
Word for documents, SRT or VTT for video, CSV for research tools, and timestamps for quoting.
5. Which languages?
Check the languages you actually record in, and whether translation into English is included.
6. Do I need team features?
Shared workspaces, automatic speaker identification and integrations are where paid tools earn their price. If you do not need them, a free tool may cover everything.
7. What does a year cost?
Multiply the monthly price by twelve and compare it with your real usage. The cost calculator helps.
Try it now: transcribe a file free, with nothing uploaded.