How to convert audio to text for free
- Visit the ScribeForge homepage.
- Drag your audio file onto the upload area (or click to browse).
- Click Transcribe and wait 5–15 seconds depending on file length.
- Your transcript appears instantly. Copy it or download as .txt.
Supported formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, OGG, OPUS, WEBM, AAC, AIFF, MP4. Maximum size: 100 MB. See the full supported audio formats guide for accuracy tips per format.
Why ScribeForge for audio to text?
Grok-powered accuracy (5.0% phone-call WER)
Unlike tools based on older Whisper models, ScribeForge uses the xAI Grok Speech-to-Text API, launched April 18, 2026. On xAI's official phone-call entity recognition benchmark Grok STT reports a 5.0% error rate — versus ElevenLabs at 12.0%, Deepgram at 13.5% and AssemblyAI at 21.3%. It supports 25+ languages with automatic detection and strong performance on accented speech and noisy recordings. See the full Grok STT vs Whisper vs Deepgram benchmarks or the quick answer can Grok (xAI) transcribe audio?
Speaker detection and timestamps
ScribeForge returns segment-level timestamps with your transcript, making it easy to navigate long recordings and identify who said what.
Privacy by design
We process your audio in memory and delete any temporary files immediately. We don't store your recordings, and we don't use them to train models. See our privacy policy.
No account required
Unlike most transcription services, ScribeForge doesn't ask for an email or credit card to start. Just upload and transcribe.
Audio to text pricing
Free
200-char preview
2 free uses/day, no card needed
50 Credits
One-time purchase
50 transcriptions, never expire
Monthly
Per month
200 transcriptions/day, unlimited
At $9 for 50 credits, that's just $0.18 per transcription — significantly cheaper than dedicated transcription services like Otter.ai, Descript, or Rev.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free audio to text tool in 2026?
ScribeForge offers a lightweight free tier for AI-powered transcription in 2026: instant previews with no account, 2 free uses per day, powered by xAI's Grok STT. Upgrade for full transcripts when you need them.
Can I transcribe video files?
Yes — MP4 and WEBM video files are supported. The audio track is extracted and transcribed automatically.
How accurate is the audio to text conversion?
Accuracy depends on audio quality. For clear speech with minimal background noise, expect 95%+ word accuracy. Noisy environments, strong accents, or multiple overlapping speakers will reduce accuracy somewhat.
Does it work with phone call recordings?
Yes. Phone call recordings in MP3 or M4A format work well. Mono audio is fine — you don't need stereo.
Is there an API for audio to text?
Yes. With a license key you can call our POST /api/transcribe endpoint directly. The API accepts multipart form data with your audio file and returns JSON with the transcript and segment data. See the xAI Grok STT & TTS API developer guide for working Python code.