Convert audio to text

Convert audio to text in your browser, free: Whisper turns speech into a timestamped transcript on your own computer. MP3, M4A, WAV and more, 100 languages, no upload.

AudioRinse · transcriberOn-device · 0 B uploaded

Drop a recording here

MP3 · WAV · M4A · MP4 · MOV · WEBM — up to 3 hours. Nothing is uploaded.

The model downloads once and stays in this browser, so later transcripts start at once and work with Wi-Fi off. Your recording is never uploaded. Free: Fast transcripts without speaker labels, as text, SRT or VTT, no limit. Pro: Accurate, speaker labels, Word, NVivo and MAXQDA files.

How it works

  1. Drop the recording (audio or video, up to 3 hours) onto the box above. Fast is free; Accurate makes fewer mistakes (Pro).
  2. Whisper transcribes it on your computer. The first time, the model downloads once; then it works offline too.
  3. Read along: click a line to hear it, and fix any word in place.
  4. Download the transcript as text, or as SRT or VTT subtitles with timestamps.

How it converts speech to text

AudioRinse runs Whisper, OpenAI's open speech-recognition model, in your browser. It listens to 30 seconds at a time and writes out what's said, with punctuation and a timestamp for each line, then moves on to the next stretch. The audio never leaves your computer: the model comes to the file, not the other way round.

What you get

  • Text: the words, in paragraphs, ready to paste into a document or an email.
  • SRT and VTT: the same words as timed subtitles, for a video player, YouTube or an editor.
  • Word, with Pro: a document with a timestamp at each paragraph, and speaker names if you asked for speakers.

Good to know

  • It converts speech, not music or sound effects; songs come out as lyrics at best.
  • Clean verbatim: most "um" and "uh" are left out.
  • The Fast model is free with no limit. Accurate makes fewer mistakes with accents and noise; its downloads are Pro.
  • A noisy recording converts better after the background noise remover.

Questions

Is my recording uploaded anywhere?

No. OpenAI's open Whisper model runs inside your browser, on your own computer. The recording and the transcript never leave it; the only download is the model, the first time. The data-flow statement lists every request the page makes.

Is it free?

Yes, with the Fast model: transcripts as text, SRT or VTT, with no limit and no account. Pro ($7.99 a month or $39.99 a year) adds the Accurate model, speaker labels, Word files and videos with burned-in subtitles. The same Pro covers every AudioRinse tool.

Can it convert a voice memo or a phone call recording?

Yes: iPhone and Android voice memos (M4A), call recordings, WhatsApp voice messages (Opus) and any other audio file the browser can read.

How accurate is it?

Accurate (Whisper large-v3-turbo) got 8.3% of words wrong on three recorded hour-long interviews with professional reference transcripts, on a par with desktop Whisper tools on the same files. Fast (Whisper small) makes more mistakes, mostly on names, accents and noisy recordings. Clear speech close to the microphone helps both.

How long does it take?

Fast runs on your processor at about twice real time: a 30-minute recording takes about 15 minutes on a recent laptop. Accurate runs on the graphics chip through WebGPU, about as long as the recording on a 2020 laptop's built-in graphics and faster on newer ones. The first time also downloads the model.

Which languages does it understand?

Whisper transcribes around 100 languages, most accurately English and the major European languages. Pick the language in the menu, or let it detect it from the first 30 seconds.

How long can the recording be?

Up to 3 hours, audio or video. On a computer with little memory the page takes less, and says so.

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