Free Tool
Transcription Calculator
Enter the length of your recording and how many files — the calculator shows the word count, the transcription time and the order of cost.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
- No signup
Drop your file here
or
Supports .srt, .vtt, .txt files
Add SRT files (2+)
Result
How it works
Transcription Calculator in three steps
Enter Duration
Input the total audio/video length and number of files.
Get Estimates
See estimated word count, AI transcription time, and manual typing time.
Compare Costs
Compare AI transcription cost vs professional human transcription.
What transcription actually costs
An hour of audio looks harmless until you sit down to type it. This calculator turns a duration into figures you can act on: how much text it becomes, how long it takes to type by hand versus transcribe automatically, and roughly what that costs.
It is worth running before you commit to the work: that is the point at which "just five one-hour interviews" turns out to be several days at a keyboard.
Where the numbers come from
The word count assumes roughly 150 words per minute of speech, an ordinary conversational pace. Manual typing is taken at four times the length of the recording — you stop, rewind and replay constantly. Automatic transcription is taken at about a quarter of the duration. AI cost is estimated in the region of six tenths of a cent per minute.
These are order-of-magnitude guides, not a price list. Real numbers depend on audio quality, the number of speakers, how fast people talk and how carefully the result has to be checked. A dictaphone recording of a meeting in a café costs far more in time than a clean studio track.
How to use it
The honest comparison is hours, not money. Manual typing loses on time so heavily that the question shifts: not "should this be transcribed automatically" but "how much time is left for reviewing it". Treat a machine transcript as a draft that still needs a pass, and budget separately for that pass.
Once the text exists you can turn it into subtitles with the text to SRT converter or save it as a document. Existing subtitles go the other way just as easily.
Answers
Transcription time and cost — frequently asked questions
How accurate are these estimates?
They are order-of-magnitude guides rather than a quote. They rest on averages: about 150 words per minute of speech, four times the length for manual typing and roughly a quarter of the duration for automatic transcription.
Why does manual typing take four times as long?
Because you do not type straight through: you stop, rewind, replay unclear passages, add punctuation and mark speakers. Roughly four to one is the standard working estimate.
Where does 150 words per minute come from?
It is the average pace of ordinary speech. A fast interview runs higher and a measured presentation lower, but for estimating the volume of text it holds up well enough.
What affects the real cost most?
Audio quality and the number of speakers. A clean recording of one person needs almost no correction, while a six-person meeting on a built-in microphone needs a review pass that can take longer than the transcription itself.
Does a machine transcript need reviewing?
If the text is going anywhere beyond working notes, yes. Budget separate time for the review and treat the transcript as a draft rather than a finished document.
Does the file count matter?
Yes, the duration is multiplied by the number of files. That is handy when you have a series of similar recordings — ten interviews of roughly the same length, for instance.
Is any data sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.
What do I do with the text afterwards?
Turn it into subtitles with the text to SRT converter, save it as a document, or use it as the basis for a summary. The reverse job — pulling text out of existing subtitles — is handled by the SRT to TXT converter.
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