Welcome to our comprehensive guide to the best interview transcription software of 2025. Converting spoken interviews into accurate, searchable text is essential for journalists, researchers, HR professionals, and content creators. Manually transcribing audio is incredibly time-consuming and prone to errors. The right software saves countless hours and unlocks valuable insights by making your audio and video content accessible and easy to analyze.
This guide is designed to help you find the perfect tool for your needs. We'll navigate you through the top options, breaking down their specific strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases. We cover everything from fast, AI-powered platforms to human-powered services that deliver maximum accuracy.
You will find detailed reviews of each platform, complete with screenshots and direct links to help you make an informed decision. Whether your priority is speed, budget, or pinpoint accuracy for a critical project, this resource provides a clear comparison. We will look at tools like Otter.ai, Rev, Descript, and even built-in features from platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Word. Let's find the best interview transcription software to streamline your workflow and turn your conversations into actionable data.
1. Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a leading AI-powered tool that excels at real-time transcription, making it one of the best interview transcription software options available. Its standout feature is the OtterPilot, which can automatically join your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls, record audio, transcribe conversations as they happen, and generate concise summaries with clear action items. This live functionality is a massive time-saver for journalists, qualitative researchers, and HR teams conducting back-to-back interviews.
The platform’s user experience is clean and intuitive, allowing you to easily search, edit, and share transcripts. You can also build a custom vocabulary to help the AI accurately recognize specific names, jargon, or acronyms relevant to your industry. While its free tier is quite generous, the monthly minute caps on lower-paid plans can be a constraint for power users. Advanced features like single sign-on (SSO) and analytics are reserved for more expensive enterprise-level plans.
Key Features
- Live Transcription: Get real-time text from your meetings and interviews.
- AI Meeting Assistant: Automatically joins and records meetings, generating summaries and action items.
- Speaker Identification: Differentiates between speakers in the conversation.
- Custom Vocabulary: Improves accuracy for industry-specific terminology.
Pricing and Access
- Basic (Free): 300 transcription minutes per month.
- Pro: Starts at $16.99/month for 1,200 minutes.
- Business: Starts at $35/month for 6,000 minutes and adds team features.
You can learn more about its capabilities in this comparison of free transcription software.
Website: https://otter.ai/
2. Rev
Rev offers a powerful hybrid approach, making it one of the best interview transcription software options for users who need both speed and guaranteed accuracy. It provides a fast, automated AI transcription service for general use, but its standout feature is the seamless option to upgrade to a 99% accurate human-powered transcript. This makes it ideal for situations where precision is non-negotiable, such as for direct quotes in journalism, academic research, or legal proceedings.
The platform is designed for professional environments, featuring an interactive editor to clean up transcripts and robust security options like SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance for enterprise clients. Rev also provides an AI notetaker for live meetings on platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. While the on-demand human transcription is a significant advantage, this service comes at a per-minute cost, which can add up for those with high-volume needs. The best pricing is typically reserved for annual billing plans.
Key Features
- Human Transcription: On-demand access to professional transcribers for 99% accuracy.
- AI Meeting Notetaker: Automatically joins and transcribes Zoom, Teams, and Meet calls.
- Interactive Editor: Easily review, edit, and share your automated or human transcripts.
- Enterprise Security: Offers high-level security and compliance options for sensitive data.
Pricing and Access
- Automated Transcription: Starts at $29.99/month for 1,200 minutes.
- Human Transcription: $1.50 per audio minute.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced security and team features.
You can learn more about what to expect from AI-generated text in this comparison of AI transcription accuracy.
Website: https://www.rev.com/
3. Descript
Descript is a unique, all-in-one audio and video editor built around its transcription engine, making it one of the best interview transcription software choices for content creators. Its standout feature is text-based editing; you can edit your audio or video file simply by editing the transcribed text. Deleting a sentence in the transcript automatically cuts it from the media, which is a revolutionary workflow for podcasters, researchers, and marketing teams who need to create clips or polish raw interview footage.
The platform goes beyond simple transcription with powerful tools like "Studio Sound" to enhance audio quality and one-click filler word removal ("um," "uh"). While its collaborative features are excellent for teams, the software's strength is in post-production, not live transcription. There can also be a learning curve for those unfamiliar with video editing principles, and the transcription hour limits on lower-tier plans might be restrictive for heavy users.
Key Features
- Text-Based Editing: Edit audio and video by editing the transcript text.
- Studio Sound: AI-powered audio enhancement to remove noise and improve clarity.
- Overdub: Create an AI clone of your voice to correct words or add new narration.
- Filler Word Removal: Automatically detects and removes filler words like "um" and "uh."
Pricing and Access
- Free: 1 transcription hour per month.
- Creator: Starts at $15/month for 10 hours of transcription.
- Pro: Starts at $30/month for 30 hours of transcription and adds more advanced features.
Website: https://www.descript.com/
4. Trint
Trint is a powerful platform built specifically for media professionals and journalists, making it one of the best interview transcription software options for storytelling workflows. It moves beyond simple transcription by offering a collaborative, browser-based editor where audio and video are directly linked to the text. This allows teams to find key quotes, craft narratives, and produce content efficiently from raw interview footage. Its robust toolset is designed to streamline the entire interview-to-story pipeline.
The platform’s standout features are its collaboration tools and multi-language support. Teams can simultaneously edit transcripts, leave comments, and highlight important sections. For global organizations, Trint’s ability to translate transcripts into more than 50 languages is a significant advantage. However, its pricing is geared towards professional teams and is not as transparent as other services, requiring contact for a custom quote. The free trial is also quite restrictive, limiting users to the first five minutes of only three files, making it difficult to fully evaluate for extensive projects.
Key Features
- Collaborative Editor: Allows multiple users to work on a transcript simultaneously.
- Audio/Video-Linked Text: Click on a word in the transcript to instantly play the corresponding audio or video.
- Multi-language Translation: Translate transcripts into over 50 different languages.
- Captioning and Subtitling: Easily create and export captions for video content.
Pricing and Access
- Starter: $60 per user/month for 7 files.
- Advanced: $75 per user/month for unlimited transcriptions.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced team features and security.
Website: https://trint.com/
5. Sonix
Sonix is a fast and accurate automated transcription service that stands out for its powerful in-browser editor and transparent pricing. It is a highly effective interview transcription software for users who need precise control over their final transcript, with word-by-word timestamping that makes it easy to locate and reference specific quotes. The platform's flexibility, offering both pay-as-you-go and subscription models, appeals to both occasional users and those with consistent transcription needs.
The user experience is centered around its robust editor, which allows for easy editing, speaker labeling, and multitrack uploads. Sonix supports over 53 languages, making it a strong choice for global teams or researchers conducting international interviews. While the core transcription is excellent, be aware that additional services like translation and subtitling are billed at similar rates, which can increase costs if you need more than just transcription.
Key Features
- Word-by-word Timestamps: Every word is timestamped, simplifying editing and quoting.
- Speaker Labeling: Automatically identifies and labels different speakers in the audio.
- Multi-language Support: Transcribes accurately in over 53 different languages.
- Integrations: Connects with tools like Zoom, Dropbox, and Adobe Premiere Pro.
Pricing and Access
- Standard (Pay-as-you-go): $10 per hour.
- Premium (Subscription): Starts at 22/month plus 5 per hour.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for high-volume needs.
You can explore a deeper dive into its features in this comparison of AI transcription software options.
Website: https://sonix.ai/
6. Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe is a versatile transcription platform that uniquely combines AI-powered speed with the option for human-verified accuracy, making it a strong contender for the best interview transcription software. It is particularly well-suited for projects that will be published, such as video interviews, podcasts, or documentaries, due to its excellent subtitle and captioning tools. The platform offers a collaborative workspace where team members can review and edit transcripts together, streamlining the workflow for marketing teams and content creators.
The user interface is straightforward, allowing for quick uploads and editing. A key advantage is its wide language support and numerous export formats, including specific subtitle files like SRT and VTT. While the AI transcription is fast, users looking for near-perfect accuracy can easily upgrade to the human-made service for a higher cost. A drawback for casual users is that the watermark on video exports is only removed on paid plans.
Key Features
- AI and Human Services: Choose between fast automatic transcription or a 99% accurate human-verified service.
- Collaborative Editor: Allows multiple users to edit and comment on a transcript simultaneously.
- Advanced Subtitle Tools: Easily create, edit, and export subtitles in various formats.
- Extensive Language Support: Transcribes audio and video in over 60 different languages.
Pricing and Access
- Free Trial: Available for your first few minutes of transcription.
- Basic Plan: Starts at $17/month for 120 minutes of transcription.
- Pro Plan: Starts at $29/month for 300 minutes.
- Business Plan: Starts at $49/month for 600 minutes.
Website: https://www.happyscribe.com/
7. Temi
Temi offers a straightforward, pay-as-you-go automated transcription service, making it an excellent choice for users who need occasional interview transcription without a monthly commitment. Its primary advantage is simplicity: you upload an audio or video file, and its AI-powered engine returns a transcript, often within minutes. This model is ideal for freelancers, students, or small businesses with sporadic transcription needs who want to avoid recurring subscription fees.
The platform provides a web-based editor that allows you to review and clean up the automated transcript, with timestamps and speaker labels to simplify the process. While the accuracy is generally solid for clear, high-quality audio, it can struggle with heavy accents, multiple overlapping speakers, or background noise. Temi's lack of advanced collaboration features or custom vocabulary makes it less suitable for large teams, but it excels as one of the best interview transcription software options for quick, no-frills projects.
Key Features
- Pay-As-You-Go Model: No subscriptions; users pay a flat rate per audio minute.
- Fast Turnaround: Automated transcripts are typically delivered in minutes.
- Simple Web Editor: Easily review, edit, and export your transcript with timestamps.
- Broad Format Support: Accepts a wide range of common audio and video file types.