Transcription with no subscription
Pay €0.02 per minute — only for files you actually transcribe. No monthly plan, no seat licence, nothing to cancel.
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MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC · MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM · up to 2 GB
Set language, translation, or vocabulary hints below before transcribing
YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive, or any direct MP3/MP4 link
Names, acronyms, or domain terms that improve accuracy
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC · MP4, MOV, MKV · up to 2 GB · 10 free minutes every day
- 10 free minutes every day — no credit card required
- Preview shown before you commit to paying
- Choose your AI model — Whisper (57 languages) or MAI-Transcribe 1.5 (best accuracy)
- 66 languages — detected automatically
- Files automatically deleted after 24 hours
Example: a 30-minute interview = €0.60
Example: a 90-minute lecture = €1.80
Minimum charge per transaction: €0.50
Why subscription tools are a poor fit for most users
Most transcription services are designed for teams that transcribe every day. Their pricing assumes you will fill a monthly quota — if you don't, you pay for capacity you never use. A typical plan costs €20–30 per month whether you upload one file or a hundred.
Occasional users — a researcher who interviews people quarterly, a journalist on a single-story deadline, a student processing lecture recordings once a semester — spend far more per transcribed minute on a subscription than they would paying per minute. convert.express has no subscription tier because the per-minute model is simply fairer for variable or low-volume workloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a transcription service with no subscription?
- Yes. convert.express is a pay-as-you-go transcription service with no monthly plan, no seat licence, and no commitment. You get 10 free minutes of transcription every day; beyond that you pay €0.02 per minute only for the files you actually submit. There is nothing to cancel.
How much does pay-as-you-go transcription cost?
- convert.express charges €0.02 per minute of audio or video. A 30-minute interview costs €0.60; a 90-minute lecture costs €1.80. The minimum charge per transaction is €0.50, and the first 10 minutes every day are always free — no credit card required to try.
Who is pay-as-you-go transcription best for?
- Pay-as-you-go suits anyone whose transcription volume is unpredictable or occasional — freelance journalists, researchers, students, lawyers processing sporadic depositions, or anyone who records a meeting once a month. A €20/month subscription is poor value if you only transcribe a few hours per year. With convert.express you spend exactly what you use.
What languages are supported?
- convert.express supports 57 languages via Whisper and 43 via MAI-Transcribe 1.5, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, and more. MAI also supports 7 languages not available in Whisper: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, and Telugu. Both models detect the spoken language automatically.
How accurate is the transcription and how does it work?
- Under the hood, convert.express uses two AI models: OpenAI Whisper (approximately 5–8% word error rate on clear speech) and Microsoft MAI-Transcribe 1.5 (2.4% WER, ranked #3 globally on independent benchmarks). You can pick either model before uploading. Accuracy depends on audio quality and background noise; a quiet recording in any of the 66 supported languages will typically yield publication-ready output with light editing.
How is this different from Otter, Rev, or Sonix?
- Otter, Rev, and Sonix all lead with monthly subscription plans — you pay a fixed fee whether you transcribe one file or a hundred. convert.express has no subscription tier at all: the pricing model is purely per-minute, so the bill scales directly with what you transcribe. There is also no upsell to a higher tier for features like longer files or additional seats. See how it compares for podcasters, medical professionals, or any other profession.
Ready to transcribe without a subscription?
Upload a file now — the first 10 minutes are free. No account required to try.
Try it free →See also: compare AI models · supported languages · transcription by profession