Convert MP3 to text, with every speaker named
Drop in an MP3, or paste the link of a podcast episode or talk, and read the recording as a transcript: who spoke, when, in the language it was recorded in. Fix any word while you listen, then copy the text or take it as TXT, Word or PDF.
Convert an MP3 to text
Free: 30 min a month, no card. Your file stays in this browser until you sign up. Compare plans
- About an hour of audio in about two minutes
- All six downloads on Free, Word included
An MP3 turned into text, for real
A real recording, NASA's Apollo 11 landing, transcribed by PrismaScribe and shown as the Word download writes it: the speaker's name, then what they said, each line opening on the minute and second it starts. Your MP3 comes back in the same shape, and TXT gives you the same words with no formatting.
Apollo 11 landing
Neil Armstrong
[0:00] Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
CAPCOM, Charlie Duke
[0:06] Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:08,478CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang...
- 300:00:08,478 to 00:00:12,494Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
- 400:00:12,494 to 00:00:14,720We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing.vtt
WEBVTT
- 100:00:00.500 to 00:00:05.980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06.640 to 00:00:11.301CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys
- 300:00:11.301 to 00:00:14.720CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
What people make from MP3 text
An MP3 is usually something to share or keep. The transcript helps with both.
- Show notes and articles. Start a podcast episode's notes, a blog post or a newsletter from what was said, with quotes you can copy.
- Study notes from a lecture. Read a recorded lecture instead of replaying it, then make a summary, flashcards or a quiz from the text.
- A record of an interview. Keep every question and answer under the speaker's name, with times to find each one again.
- A Word file to edit. Download the transcript as Word (DOCX) to tidy, comment on and send, or as PDF to print.
- Captions from the same recording. If the MP3 goes with a video, the transcript downloads as SRT or VTT subtitles too.
- Search your recordings. Every MP3 sits in your library with its transcript, so a phrase from months ago is a search away.
How to convert MP3 to text
Three steps after you sign up.
1 Add the MP3
Drop one MP3 or a batch of them, or paste the link of an episode on SoundCloud, YouTube or another site we import from. Pick the language or let it be detected, and give the number of speakers if you know it.
2 Listen and fix
Click any word to hear that moment and type the right one. Name Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 once and the whole transcript changes.
3 Copy or download
Copy the text, or download TXT, Word (DOCX), PDF or Markdown, choosing whether speaker names and timestamps show.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
An MP3 in another language
Translate
A podcast or a lecture in a language you don't read? Translate the transcript into any of 99+ languages, read it in your dashboard, or download the translation as TXT, SRT or VTT.
- Translated lines keep their timing in SRT and VTT downloads.
- 20,000 characters of translation come with Free each month.
More
Copy all
Export
- TXT
- SRT, selected
- VTT
Apollo 11 landing_es.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Houston, eh, aquí Base Tranquilidad. El Águila ha aterrizado.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:14,720Recibido, Tranq... Tranquilidad. Los copiamos en tierra. Tenían a un montón de tipos a punto de ponerse azules. Volvemos a respirar. Muchas gracias. [pitidos]
MP3 in, text out
What an MP3 is, how much fits in a plan, and what comes back.
MP3, the audio you upload
MP3 is compressed audio, the usual format for podcast episodes, downloaded talks and many voice recorders. Because it is small for its length, an MP3 reaches a plan's length limit long before its size limit.
- Size a minute
- About 1 MB at 128 kbps, 2.4 MB at 320 kbps
- A 15 min MP3
- 36 MB at the most, far below Free's 500 MB
- Longest MP3
- 15 min on Free, 5 hr on Starter and Premium, 8 hr 20 min on Pro
- Also taken
- M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS and WMA, with no need to convert to MP3 first
Size is bitrate times length: at 128 kbps, 128,000 bits a second make 960,000 bytes a minute.
Text, as TXT or Word
The TXT download is plain text: a header with the recording's name, language, length and date, then the transcript, a name and a [m:ss] time on each line unless you turn them off. Word (DOCX) is the same transcript as a document, and PDF and Markdown are there too.
- Options
- Speaker names on or off, timestamps on or off
- Subtitles
- SRT and VTT from the same transcript
- Languages
- 99+, each written in its own script
- Edits
- Saved into every download
The export window in the web app lists these options for each text format.
What it doesn't do
The edges, before you start.
- No Spotify, Apple Podcasts or cloud-drive links. Links import from YouTube, SoundCloud and nine other sites. For a file on Google Drive or Dropbox, download it and upload it.
- No AIFF files. Convert an AIFF to MP3, WAV or FLAC first.
- No subtitle files in. It writes text from the recording; it doesn't open an SRT or a transcript made elsewhere.
- PDF in Latin, Greek and Cyrillic letters only. An MP3 in another script downloads as TXT, Word, Markdown, SRT or VTT.
Good to know
- Custom vocabulary and background noise removal come with a paid plan. Custom vocabulary counts 1.25× the minutes, noise removal 2×.
- Free includes 30 min a month, no more than 15 min a day, one file at a time.
- On Free, a web upload over 15 min is transcribed up to its first 15 min, and a link needs a start and end time within 15 min.
- Top-up hours lift Free's daily and per-file time limits; its 500 MB file size limit stays the same.
Plans
Monthly and yearly prices for every plan. The full comparison is on the pricing page.
30 min a month, files up to 15 min
- Monthly
- $0
- Yearly
- $0
5 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $7 a month
- Yearly
- $52 a year, Save 38%$4.33 a month, billed once a year
20 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $20 a month
- Yearly
- $150 a year, Save 38%$12.50 a month, billed once a year
40 hr a month, files up to 8 hr 20 min
- Monthly
- $40 a month
- Yearly
- $300 a year, Save 38%$25 a month, billed once a year
Your recordings stay private
- Encrypted on the way and in storage, visible to you and those you share with, nobody else.
- Never used to train AI models.
- Kept until you delete them.
MP3 to text FAQ
Can't find your answer? Write to hello@prismascribe.ai.
How do I convert an MP3 to text?
Sign up free, upload the MP3 or paste a link to the episode, pick the language or keep it on detect, and start. The transcript lands in your dashboard and an email lets you know, so the tab can close. Check it, correct a word by clicking it, then copy the text or download it.
Can I transcribe an MP3 for free?
Yes, with the Free plan and no card: 30 min of transcription a month, up to 15 min a day, files up to 15 min and 500 MB, one at a time. Every download format is included. For more hours, compare the plans or buy top-up hours that never expire.
How long can my MP3 be?
15 min on Free, 5 hr on Starter and Premium, 8 hr 20 min on Pro, with files up to 500 MB, 2 GB and 5 GB. An MP3 runs into the length limit long before the size one. On Free, a longer web upload is transcribed up to its first 15 min.
Can I transcribe a podcast episode from its link?
Yes, if it's on SoundCloud, YouTube or another site we import from (YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, X, Instagram, SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitch, Reddit, Loom, Dailymotion). Spotify and Apple Podcasts links don't import; download the episode's MP3 and upload it. Set a start and an end to take just part of it.
Can I convert an MP3 to a Word document?
Yes. Choose Word (DOCX) in the export window and you get the transcript as a document, speaker names in bold and a time before each line, both optional. TXT, PDF and Markdown download the same way.
Does the text show who said what?
Yes, on every plan, for up to 32 speakers. Each one is labelled Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on; rename them and the whole transcript follows. How speaker identification works.
Can I get the text without timestamps?
Yes. Switch timestamps off, and speaker names too if you like, before you download, and the TXT or Word file is just the words in paragraphs.
What if my MP3 has background noise?
Clear speech gives the cleanest transcript, and you can correct any word afterwards by clicking it. For a noisy recording, background noise removal cleans the sound before it is transcribed, on files up to 60 min and 500 MB; see Good to know above for how it counts.
Can I convert several MP3s at once?
Yes, drop several in one go. On Free they're transcribed one after another; on the other plans together.
Which languages can the MP3 be in?
Any of 99+, picked or detected, including recordings that switch languages. To read it in another, translate the transcript into any of 99+ languages. Translate audio.
Other files, other formats
The same MP3 as another file, text from other recordings, and every format PrismaScribe takes.
Turn your next MP3 into text you can use.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
One recording in.
Everything you need out.