Transcription & STT
Speech-to-text
Convert audio and video to accurate, timestamped transcripts — for meetings, content, and accessibility.
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#01
Descript
· Descript Recommended FeaturedEdit video and podcast by editing the transcript. Industry-defining tool for podcasters and content creators; AI features include voice cloning, eye contact, and studio sound.
AIMenta — For talking-head video and podcasts, Descript is genuinely transformative. Most content teams should adopt it.
Freemium · Free; Hobbyist US$12/mo · Free tier · Since 2017 -
#02
AssemblyAI
· AssemblyAI RecommendedSTT API with strong audio intelligence layers — sentiment, topic detection, content moderation, summarization. Often easier to integrate than Deepgram for analytics use cases.
AIMenta — A strong choice when you need transcription plus downstream analytics in one API.
Usage-based · Universal-2 US$0.37/hr · API · Free tier · Since 2017 -
#03
Deepgram
· Deepgram RecommendedSpeech-to-text API focused on accuracy, latency, and customization. Nova-3 leads on real-time streaming for voice agents and call analytics.
AIMenta — Our default for any production STT pipeline that needs low latency. Pair with Whisper for batch jobs where cost matters more than speed.
Usage-based · Nova-3 US$0.0043/min · API · Free tier · Since 2015 -
#04
Fireflies
· Fireflies.ai RecommendedMeeting AI that joins calls, transcribes, summarizes, and pushes action items into your CRM and project tools. Strong on integrations and analytics.
AIMenta — Solid choice for sales and CS teams already using a CRM. Otter and Granola are reasonable alternatives.
Freemium · Free; Pro US$10/user/mo · API · Free tier · Since 2016 -
#05
OpenAI Whisper
· OpenAI RecommendedOpenAI's open-weight ASR model. The de facto baseline for speech-to-text — strong multilingual coverage, high accuracy, and extensive ecosystem support.
AIMenta — The right starting point for any transcription pipeline. Add diarization separately if you need speaker labels.
Open source · Free open weights; API US$0.006/min · API · Self-host · Since 2022 -
#06
Otter.ai
· Otter Decent fitAI meeting assistant that joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams to transcribe, summarize, and extract action items. Long-running, polished product for meeting capture.
AIMenta — Mature and reliable, but the category has caught up. Worth re-evaluating Granola or Fireflies side by side.
Freemium · Free; Pro US$8.33/mo · Free tier · Since 2016