---
title: "Transcribe Audio to Text Free, Even Without Uploading"
description: "Convert audio or video to text in your browser. Whisper runs on your device and uploads nothing. Five free runs in any rolling 24 hours."
canonical: https://toolsugar.com/tools/transcribe-audio-to-text
image: https://toolsugar.com/og.png
---

# Transcribe Audio to Text

ToolSugar Transcribe to Text turns speech in an audio or video file into plain text, split into paragraphs at pauses, plus SRT and VTT. Whisper runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded, after one download of about 77 MB. Each run counts toward 5 free AI runs in any rolling 24 hours.

Runs on your device

## How it works

1. Drop any audio or video file, such as a voice memo, a meeting recording or a lecture.
2. Press Transcribe. The audio stays in your browser, and the first run downloads the speech model.
3. Copy the text from the preview, or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT.

## Key facts

- **Engine**: Whisper base in your browser through WebGPU, or WASM when WebGPU is missing
- **Free runs**: 5 in any rolling 24 hours, no sign up
- **Measured speed**: An 11 second clip took 6 seconds with WebGPU and a cached model. Other hardware will differ
- **Languages**: 22 to pick from, or automatic detection on the first seconds of speech
- **Hindi**: Loads a larger model of about 250 to 300 MB, the first time only

## Common uses

- Getting notes from a voice memo without handing it to an online service.
- Searching a recorded meeting for the moment a decision was made.
- Transcribing an interview before writing it up as an article.

## Questions

### How can I confirm that nothing is uploaded?

Open your browser's network panel and run a transcription. You will see the model and engine files download, then no request carrying your audio. The only request that goes out is the small call that counts your free run, which carries hashes, not your file.

### Why is the first run slow?

Your browser has to download the speech model and the audio engine first. After that they come from the browser cache, so later runs start much faster. A slow connection can make that first download take several minutes.

### Which audio formats can it read?

MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG and other common audio formats, as well as the sound track of MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV video. A file with no sound track gets a clear message rather than empty text.

### How accurate is the transcription?

It depends most on the recording, and a clear voice with little background noise comes out best. It uses the small Whisper base model, so names and quiet speech can come out wrong. Check anything important against the audio.

### Which languages does it support?

There are 22 languages to pick from, or it can detect the language from the first seconds of speech. Hindi loads a larger model of about 250 to 300 MB, the first time only.

### Can I download the transcript, and do I need an account?

You can copy the text or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT. There is no account and no sign up. The free allowance is 5 runs in any rolling 24 hours.

[Read the Transcribe to Text guide](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-transcribe-audio-to-text)

## Related tools

- [Podcast Transcripts and Subtitles](https://toolsugar.com/tools/podcast-transcript)
- [Auto Subtitles](https://toolsugar.com/tools/subtitle-generator)
- [Lecture to Notes](https://toolsugar.com/tools/lecture-to-notes)
- [Extract Audio](https://toolsugar.com/tools/audio-extractor)