WhisperTranscribe vs WhisperAI
Transcribing more than a few hours a month? WhisperAI costs less. Business Pro is unlimited for $24.99 a month, while WhisperTranscribe's plans cap your minutes and cost $39.99 to $279.99 a month billed monthly. WhisperAI also keeps your transcripts in your account, so they open on any device you sign in from.
By Eman Khoubian, Founder & CEO · Updated October 20, 2026
WhisperTranscribe vs WhisperAI for podcast transcription
| WhisperAI | WhisperTranscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| How you use it | In your browser, plus an iPhone app | Desktop app for Mac and Windows |
| Minutes a month | Unlimited on Business Pro (120 on Premium) | 320, 800, 2,500 or 6,000, by plan |
| Price, billed monthly | $24.99 for Business Pro | $39.99 to $279.99 |
| Price, billed yearly | $199 a year ($16.58 a month) | $240 to $1,680 a year |
| Longest file | 5 GB, no length cap | 10 hours; 5 GB on Starter, 10 GB on higher plans |
| Where transcripts are stored | Your WhisperAI account | Your computer only, per its privacy policy |
| Speaker labels | Yes | Yes |
| Languages | Transcribes 98, translates into 87 | Transcribes and translates |
| Content from a transcript | AI summary, recap and chat on Business Pro | 57+ content types and short video clips |
| ChatGPT and Claude | Connectors on every plan | None listed |
| Exports | PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON | Word, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV, XLSX, JSON |
WhisperTranscribe review: a desktop app vs WhisperAI in your browser
WhisperTranscribe comes as a download for Mac or Windows. You drop a recording into the app, or paste a YouTube, Vimeo or podcast RSS link, and it returns the transcript with speakers marked.
WhisperAI runs in the browser, so there's nothing to install. Sign in on any computer, upload a file up to 5 GB or record straight from the tab, and the transcript lands in your library with speaker labels. The iPhone app records into the same library. On Business Pro, Cloud Sync watches a Google Drive folder and transcribes new files as they arrive, so a weekly episode can be transcribed before you open WhisperAI.
WhisperTranscribe pricing for long podcasts: what 5 to 100 hours cost
WhisperTranscribe sells minutes. Its four plans cover 320, 800, 2,500 or 6,000 minutes a month, and unused minutes don't roll over. Paying yearly halves the price. WhisperAI's Business Pro has no minute cap: $24.99 a month, or $199 a year.
| Hours a month | WhisperTranscribe plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Starter | $39.99 vs $24.99 | $19.99 vs $16.58 |
| 13 | Pro | $59.99 vs $24.99 | $29.99 vs $16.58 |
| 40 | Grow | $139.99 vs $24.99 | $69.99 vs $16.58 |
| 100 | Scale | $279.99 vs $24.99 | $139.99 vs $16.58 |
Each cell shows WhisperTranscribe's price first, then WhisperAI Business Pro in bold.
The gap is $3.41 a month at 5 hours billed yearly, and $123.41 a month at 100 hours. Over a year at 40 hours a month, that's $840 on WhisperTranscribe's Grow plan against $199 for Business Pro.
Say you publish a weekly one-hour episode. That's about 4.3 hours a month. Add one two-hour guest interview and you're at roughly 6.3 hours, or 380 minutes. That's past Starter's 320, so the smallest WhisperTranscribe plan that covers it is Pro: $29.99 a month billed yearly, or $59.99 billed monthly. On WhisperAI the same month is $16.58 billed yearly or $24.99 billed monthly, and a bonus episode doesn't change it.
If you only transcribe a little, WhisperTranscribe also sells pay-as-you-go hours that never expire, from $8 an hour. Two hours a month starts at $16. WhisperAI's Premium plan covers the same two hours (120 minutes) for $14.99 a month, and minutes you don't use roll over, up to 360.
File size and upload limits for long audio
WhisperTranscribe accepts files up to 10 hours long. Its pricing table lists a 5 GB file limit on Starter and 10 GB on Pro, Grow and Scale. WhisperAI takes files up to 5 GB on every plan, free included, and doesn't cap a file's length.
On long recordings, the minute cap matters more than the file limit. A two-hour interview uses 120 of Starter's 320 monthly minutes, so the third one that month puts you over. On Business Pro, a month of two-hour interviews costs the same as one.
Privacy: where your podcast audio and transcripts are stored
WhisperTranscribe's privacy policy says your audio sits on its servers for 3 to 10 minutes while it's transcribed, then gets deleted. It says transcripts are "stored only on your local device, never saved on our servers." Its terms add: "You are responsible for saving transcriptions you wish to keep."
WhisperAI stores your recordings and transcripts in your account until you delete them. A transcript you make on your laptop opens on your phone, and ChatGPT and Claude can read it through the WhisperAI connectors, which work on every plan. If you've ever emailed a file to yourself just to open it on another machine, you already know which one you'd rather have.
WhisperAI encrypts your data while it travels (TLS 1.3) and while it's stored (AES-256), and its privacy policy lists every company that handles it. You can export your data or delete your account at any time.
WhisperTranscribe features for podcasts, and how WhisperAI handles them
WhisperTranscribe is built for repurposing. Every plan includes what it calls 57+ content types, from show notes and chapters to social posts and newsletters, plus short clips sized for TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.
WhisperAI starts from the transcript, with speaker labels marking who said what. For a weekly show, that looks like this: upload the episode, then ask Claude for show notes, three social posts and the best quotes. Claude reads the transcript through the WhisperAI connector, so there's no copying and pasting. Download the SRT for your YouTube captions and the episode's done. Business Pro adds a recap of the episode and a chat that answers questions about it.
Recording interviews on Zoom, Meet or Teams? WhisperAI's meeting recording captures the call from a Chrome or Edge tab with no bot joining, on the same plan as your uploads. On paid plans you can follow a live transcript while the call runs. WhisperTranscribe records meetings through its Meeting Assistant, and each plan includes one seat. Sold on its own, it's $20 a seat a month, or $16 billed yearly, and the Meeting Assistant takes no file uploads.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhisperTranscribe legit?
Yes. WhisperTranscribe is made by WhisperTranscribe B.V., a company based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and it publishes its terms and privacy policy. WhisperAI is made by WhisperAI Technology Inc. and has more than 450,000 users.
Is WhisperTranscribe free?
Only at the start. New accounts get 60 free minutes once, with no card. After that you buy a plan or pay-as-you-go hours. WhisperAI's free plan gives you 5 minutes every month, also with no card.
Do WhisperAI and WhisperTranscribe use the same AI?
Partly. WhisperTranscribe says it uses OpenAI's Whisper and AssemblyAI. WhisperAI transcribes uploaded files with AssemblyAI's speech models and isn't affiliated with OpenAI.
Is WhisperTranscribe the same as WhisperTranscribe.ai?
No. WhisperTranscribe.com, the one compared here, is made by WhisperTranscribe B.V. WhisperTranscribe.ai is a separate website and product.
How can I test which one is more accurate on my audio?
Run the same five minutes through both. Pick the hardest part you have: people talking over each other, a strong accent, or a guest on a bad mic. Both free plans cover five minutes. Then check the names, the technical terms and whether each line has the right speaker.
Can I cancel WhisperTranscribe any time?
Yes. Its terms let you cancel any time, and the cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing cycle. Fees you've paid are non-refundable, with a few exceptions in those terms. You can start on WhisperAI's free plan while your last cycle runs out.
Can I move my transcripts from WhisperTranscribe to WhisperAI?
Not the transcript files. Upload the original audio or video instead, and WhisperAI transcribes it again with speaker labels.
Transcribe your next episode with WhisperAI
Start on the free plan, no card. Upgrade to Business Pro when you need unlimited minutes.
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