What is PlainScribe?
PlainScribe is an AI transcription and translation tool for turning audio and video files into searchable text, summaries, and subtitles. PlainScribe serves researchers, journalists, students, podcasters, and businesses that need file-based transcription without a monthly subscription. The service uses prepaid credits rather than recurring plans or per-seat billing.
PlainScribe combines transcription with speaker labels, timestamps, automatic language detection, and translation across 47 languages. A single uploaded recording can provide the source for a transcript, translation, AI summary, and subtitle files. Access includes a web service and an offline desktop app for recordings that should not be uploaded.
What PlainScribe can do
PlainScribe handles transcription and related text preparation from the same recording. PlainScribe also offers Smart Notes, which analyzes notes alongside a transcript to produce organized summaries with key points, contextual enhancements, and Markdown formatting support. Export choices support reading transcripts, analyzing text data, and adding subtitles to videos.
- PlainScribe transcribes audio and video with speaker labels and timestamps.
- PlainScribe transcribes and translates across 47 languages.
- PlainScribe detects the source language automatically or accepts a manual selection.
- PlainScribe generates AI summaries and structured Smart Notes.
- PlainScribe exports TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT, and JSON files.
- PlainScribe supports searching through transcripts.
How PlainScribe works
PlainScribe follows an upload, process, and export workflow. Users drag and drop an audio or video file into the web service, which accepts files up to 1GB. Supported formats include MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, and MOV. Language detection runs automatically, although users can select the source language themselves.
PlainScribe processes the recording into a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps. Users can add translation, an AI summary, or subtitles, then download the resulting files in a supported export format. For sensitive recordings, the desktop app transcribes entirely on the user's machine, without sending the files to the cloud.
Who PlainScribe is for
PlainScribe lists researchers, journalists, students, podcasters, and businesses among its audiences. PlainScribe supports both audio transcription for searchable records and video transcription for subtitles, captions, or analysis. The offline desktop option addresses confidential interviews, depositions, and client recordings that should remain on a local device.
- Researchers and journalists can convert recorded interviews into searchable text.
- Podcasters can transcribe episodes and generate summaries.
- Video creators can produce SRT or VTT subtitle files.
- Businesses can transcribe client recordings locally with the desktop app.
PlainScribe pricing and plans
PlainScribe costs $4 per audio hour, or $0.067 per minute, using prepaid credits with a $10 minimum purchase. PlainScribe has no monthly subscription or per-seat fee. The first transcript is free for up to 2 hours of audio, with no credit card required, and all export formats are available free.
PlainScribe accepts credit top-ups in whole-dollar amounts from $10 upward. Paid credits remain available for one year after purchase. Top-ups of $50 or more receive bonus credits, reaching 15% at $250. Any credit purchase also includes the offline desktop app, which the page describes as a roughly $49 value.
PlainScribe strengths and limitations
PlainScribe combines subscription-free billing, multiple export formats, and automatic transcript deletion with an offline transcription option. PlainScribe automatically deletes transcripts after 30 days and removes raw audio automatically. Cloud transcription still sends files to third-party providers, whose own terms may permit retention or model training; the service does not guarantee a training opt-out in every case.
- PlainScribe limits web uploads to 1GB per file.
- PlainScribe accuracy depends on recording quality and language, with clear recordings performing best.
- PlainScribe paid credits expire one year after purchase.
- PlainScribe transcripts must be exported for retention beyond the automatic deletion period.
PlainScribe FAQ
What is PlainScribe?
PlainScribe is an AI transcription and translation tool that converts audio and video into searchable text, summaries, and subtitles. PlainScribe supports 47 languages, speaker labels, timestamps, and exports including TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
Is PlainScribe free?
PlainScribe offers the first transcript free for up to 2 hours of audio without a credit card. Further cloud transcription uses prepaid credits at $4 per audio hour, with a $10 minimum purchase and no monthly subscription or per-seat fee.
Can PlainScribe transcribe audio offline?
PlainScribe includes an offline desktop app with any credit purchase. PlainScribe desktop transcription runs entirely on the user's machine, so recordings never leave the device. The page identifies confidential interviews, depositions, and client recordings as intended uses.
Is PlainScribe private?
PlainScribe automatically deletes transcripts after 30 days and removes raw audio automatically. Cloud transcription passes files to third-party providers that may retain or use data, including for model training. PlainScribe offers offline desktop transcription for sensitive recordings that should not leave the device.
Which languages and file formats does PlainScribe support?
PlainScribe transcribes and translates across 47 languages with automatic detection or manual language selection. PlainScribe accepts MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, MOV, and other common formats, with web uploads up to 1GB, and exports TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
Who is PlainScribe for?
PlainScribe serves researchers, journalists, students, podcasters, and businesses. PlainScribe supports interview transcription, podcast transcripts, video subtitles, translation, and AI summaries, while the offline desktop app supports confidential interviews, depositions, and client recordings.
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