Can I transcribe audio to text for free?

Yes. Wave's free transcription tool at wave.co/tools/transcribe-audio converts an audio or video file up to 200MB to text with speaker labels and a summary, with no account, up to five files a day. The Wave app's free plan includes 30 minutes of recording a month; importing files and unlimited recording come with Wave Pro at $15/month or $80/year on the web.

What file formats can I import?

Wave imports MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, AIFF, and AMR audio, plus MP4, MOV, and WebM video. Wave transcribes the audio track of a video. AVI files aren't supported; convert them to MP3 or MP4 first.

Is there a file size or length limit?

Wave transcribes up to 10 hours of audio per imported file, so split longer recordings before importing them. Wave's free web transcription tool accepts files up to 200MB.

How fast is the transcription?

Wave usually transcribes a file within minutes. On Wave's free web tool, processing typically takes about 15–30% of the recording's length.

Can I correct mistakes in the transcript?

Yes. Wave lets you edit any word in a transcript by hand and rename speakers. Your corrections are saved and sync across your devices.

Does Wave keep my audio files private?

Wave is SOC 2 Type 1 compliant for the Security criteria, and recordings are encrypted in transit and at rest. Recordings and transcripts in the Wave apps are never used to train AI models. Files uploaded to Wave's free web tools may be used to improve speech recognition.

Turn Any Audio Into Searchable Text

Last updated: November 3, 2026

Wave AI is an AI transcriber that converts audio to text: record live on your phone, computer, or watch, or import an MP3, M4A, WAV, or MP4 file, and get a transcript with speaker labels, timestamps, and an AI summary in 76 languages. Start free.

Transcribe a file free, no account needed

MP3 to text WhatsApp voice note to text Audio & video converter

How to convert audio to text

How do I convert an audio file to text?

Upload the file to a transcriber, let speech recognition turn it into text, then review the transcript. With Wave you can do it in the app, or use the free tool on wave.co for a single file with no account.

Open Wave's free transcription tool, or import the file in the Wave mobile app, the Wave desktop app, or app.wave.co.
Pick the language or leave it on auto-detect in the free tool, then wait while Wave transcribes the audio.
Read the speaker-labeled transcript and summary, correct any word, and copy or export the text.

Convert an audio file to text free

Free tool or Wave app?

Both give you a speaker-labeled transcript and an AI summary. The difference is how much you transcribe and where the text lives afterward.

Free tool: one file at a time, up to 200MB, five files a day, no account. Files uploaded to the free web tools may be used to improve speech recognition.
Wave app: imports up to 10 hours of audio per file, keeps every transcript in a searchable library, and never uses your recordings to train AI models. Importing files is part of Wave Pro.

The problems you know too well

Hours of Audio, No Way to Search It

Interviews, podcasts, old recordings — they're useless if you can't find what's in them. Wave turns every file into searchable, readable text.

Manual Transcription Is Painfully Slow

Typing out a recording by hand takes several times its length. Wave transcribes it automatically, usually within minutes, and you only fix the words it got wrong.

Speaker Attribution Is Missing

A wall of text with no speaker labels is confusing. Wave identifies who's talking and labels every line of the transcript.

Features

Everything you need to capture every conversation

Import Common Audio and Video Files

MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, MP4, MOV, and WebM — drop it in and Wave transcribes it. Video files keep only the audio track. AVI isn't supported, so convert it to MP3 or MP4 first.

Speaker Identification

Wave detects individual voices and attributes each segment to a speaker. Name a voice once with Voice ID and Wave labels that person by name in later recordings.

AI Summary and Key Points

Every transcribed file gets a summary highlighting the main topics, decisions, and takeaways. Read the summary, skip the full playback.

Ask Questions About the Content

Use Wave's chat to ask specific questions about any transcript — "What were the three main objections?" — and get a direct, cited answer.

Live Recording Too

Wave isn't just for imports. Record meetings, calls, lectures, and memos live on your phone, computer, Apple Watch, or Wear OS watch and get the same transcript.

Searchable Library

Every transcript — imported or recorded — lives in one place. Search across everything by keyword, speaker, or date.

Perfect for

Transcribing interviewsConverting podcast episodes to textMeeting recordings from other appsOld voice memosResearch audio and field recordingsLegal and compliance audio

FAQs

Common questions

All The Ways to Wave: Every Device, Every Scenario, One App

The complete guide to recording with Wave — iPhone, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS, Desktop, Chrome Extension, Meeting Bots, Phone Calls, Web App, and Import. Every way to capture, transcribe, and summarize your conversations.

Wave Is SOC 2 Type 1 Compliant

Wave completed a SOC 2 Type 1 examination covering the design of controls relevant to Security as of March 1, 2025. Here's what that means for you.