Free Audio to Text Converter - AI-Powered Transcription

Yes, 360Converter uses advanced AI-powered speech recognition to transcribe audio. Our engine leverages machine learning to analyze audio patterns, accents, and contextual cues—it can figure out whether you said "their," "there," or "they're" based on the sentence around it.

Unlike older speech-to-text software that relied on rigid acoustic models, our AI adapts to different speaking styles and accents without special configuration. The result is faster, more accurate transcriptions that capture what was actually said.

Our AI achieves approximately 95-98% accuracy in ideal conditions (clear audio, minimal background noise), rivaling human transcribers for most use cases.

Accuracy depends on your source material:

• Audio clarity: A podcast recorded with a good microphone will transcribe almost perfectly. A conference call with speakerphone echo? Expect some gaps.
• Background noise: Music, traffic, or multiple conversations make it harder to pick out the right words.
• Accents and dialects: Our AI handles most accents well, though very strong regional dialects may need a quick review.
• Technical jargon: The AI recognizes medical, legal, and technical terminology, but highly specialized terms might need a once-over.

Compared to manual transcription, AI offers clear advantages:

• Speed: Transcribe 1 hour of audio in minutes (vs. 4-6 hours manually).
• Cost: Free vs. $1-$5/minute for human services.
• Scalability: Process multiple files simultaneously.

For critical projects, we recommend reviewing outputs using our built-in Proofread tools.

For maximum privacy, use our Offline Transcriber where files never leave your computer—everything processes locally with zero cloud uploads.

For our online service, we take your privacy seriously with multiple safeguards:

• Encrypted connections: All uploads use HTTPS encryption.
• Automatic deletion: Your files and transcripts are automatically deleted after a retention period:
  • Guest users: 1 day
  • Free members: 7 days
  • Paid users: 30 days
• Manual deletion: You can instantly delete your files and transcripts anytime by clicking the delete button after transcription—no need to wait for auto-deletion.
• Training opt-out: By default, we don't use your files for AI training. You can opt-in if you'd like to help improve accuracy, but it's completely optional.

Your data is never shared with third parties, and we comply with international data protection standards.

Yes! We fully support transcribing YouTube videos, and we've made it even easier with a dedicated service page.

Visit our YouTube Video to Text page where you can simply paste the YouTube URL and get your transcript—no downloading required.

Why use the dedicated YouTube service?

• Direct URL input: Just paste the YouTube link—no need to download the video first.
• Faster processing: We fetch and transcribe in one streamlined workflow.
• Save storage space: No need to download large video files to your device.
• Same great features: Get timestamps, speaker identification, AI summaries, and all export formats.
• Works with any YouTube video: Public videos, unlisted videos (with link), lectures, podcasts, interviews, and more.

Alternative method: You can also download the YouTube video manually and upload it to this page—both methods work perfectly.

Yes! Our online audio transcription service is completely free with no signup required.

The free service works great for occasional use—a meeting recording here, a lecture there.

For unlimited transcriptions with advanced features like batch processing, real-time transcription, and complete privacy, we offer our Offline Transcriber desktop application as a one-time purchase.

Yes! Enable speaker identification after upload, and our AI will automatically detect and label different speakers (Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc.). The AI analyzes voice characteristics—pitch, tone, speaking rhythm—to distinguish between people.

Tips for best results:

• Clear audio helps: Distinct, well-separated voices are easier to tell apart.
• Minimize overlapping speech: When two people talk simultaneously, any system will struggle.
• Similar voices: Speakers with very similar vocal characteristics might occasionally be grouped together.

After transcription, you can rename the generic labels to actual names—"Dr. Smith," "Interviewer," "CEO"—and export the transcript with your custom speaker labels.

We support 50+ video and audio formats including:

• Video: MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, WEBM, FLV, WMV, MPEG, MPG, 3GP, M4V, VOB, OGV, and many more.
• Audio: MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WMA, and other common formats.

If your format isn't explicitly listed, try uploading it—we likely support it. Our system handles format detection automatically.

Note: We can't process DRM-protected files (like purchased iTunes videos) or files without an audio track.

Processing time depends on file length, transcription type, and whether speaker diarization is enabled. For the online service, most files are processed in minutes—a 30-minute audio typically finishes in 2-5 minutes.

Factors that affect processing time:

• File length: Longer files take more time.
• Features enabled: Adding speaker identification or OCR requires additional analysis.
• Server load: Peak times may have a short queue.

With our Offline Transcriber, you get faster processing on your own hardware with no time limitations—ideal for longer files or batch processing.

No, basic transcription features are available without an account.

Creating a free account unlocks additional benefits:

• Longer files: Account holders can transcribe longer audio than guest users.
• Transcription history: Access your previous transcriptions anytime.
• Extended storage: Files stay available longer before automatic deletion.
• Advanced features: Full access to AI features like summarization.

Account creation takes 30 seconds and just requires an email—no credit card needed.

Our AI employs advanced noise reduction and audio enhancement algorithms. While perfect transcription of extremely poor audio isn't always possible, our AI typically performs 40-60% better than traditional methods on challenging recordings.

The AI handles these issues well:

• Background noise: Air conditioning, traffic, ambient room noise.
• Distance from microphone: Voices captured from across a room.
• Compression artifacts: Low-bitrate or over-compressed audio.
• Call recordings: Zoom, Teams, or phone call quality.

For severely degraded audio—heavy distortion, people shouting over each other—you'll get a partial transcript with gaps where content couldn't be understood. Our Offline Transcriber offers additional audio preprocessing options for difficult source material.

Yes! Our AI has been trained on diverse content including medical, legal, technical, and academic terminology. It uses context clues to accurately transcribe specialized vocabulary.

Examples of terminology we handle well:

• Medical: Drug names, anatomical terms, diagnostic terminology, procedure names.
• Legal: Case citations, Latin legal phrases, procedural terminology.
• Technical: Software development terms, engineering concepts, IT jargon.
• Financial: Accounting terms, investment terminology, regulatory language.
• Academic: Discipline-specific vocabulary across sciences and humanities.

The AI uses contextual understanding—if someone is discussing "patent applications," it's more likely to correctly transcribe related legal terms in that conversation. Brand-new or proprietary terms might occasionally need correction during review.