Choosing the best speech-to-text software is a lot harder than it might seem. While something like your smartphone’s built-in function is fine for everyday use, you should look elsewhere for more complicated transcriptions.
In this article, we’ll look at the things you should consider when choosing the best speech to text software for your needs.
Choosing the Best Speech to Text Software
Speech to text is simply another way of saying transcription. This is the process of turning an audio file (such as an interview recording) into a text document.
In a modern sense, we use the term speech to text mainly to refer to things we do on our smartphones. However, it’s not a new idea, as any form of audio transcription is speech-to-text conversion.
Converting an interview speech file to text
Creating subtitles for a video
Court or legal transcripts
Turning a lecture recording into notes
The best speech to text platform will make all these jobs easy and convenient. Ideally, it should also produce a text file that needs little editing on your part.
How to Choose the Best Speech to Text Software
So, what should we look for when choosing the best speech to text software? Well, it depends both on your needs and the service’s quality. Consider the following points when looking to convert speech to text online.
What is Your Purpose
The first important thing to consider is what you need from the service. While it might be obvious, not all services provide the same results.
For example, if you’re turning an interview recording into a text file, something like timestamps is vital. Not all speech to text online services offer this.
But if you’re creating video subtitles or a podcast transcript, you can be a bit more relaxed with the service’s functions. After all, you won’t need timestamps if it’s for subtitles, even if you have more than one speaker.
Accuracy of the Speech to Text Software
Accuracy is probably one of the most important things when choosing the best speech to text software. Lower accuracy means you have to do more work editing the file once it’s been converted.
It’s worth noting that you’ll never find a speech-to-text online service with 100% accuracy. So, if you see one that claims this, go elsewhere. There are many factors that affect accuracy, including volume and audio quality.
Another big factor is the service’s intelligence. A speech file to text converter uses AI to decide what’s being said and by whom. Even the most intelligent platforms get confused over words that sound the same, such as hear and here.
The best speech to text software will offer up to 99% accuracy. Look for one that says it can deliver 80% accuracy or above, as this is a sign that it’s realistic about its service.
Ease of Use of the Speech to Text Software
More than anything, the best speech to text software should be easy to use. After all, if you have to spend hours working out what to do, you might as well have written the file out yourself.
But how do we decide what’s easy to use? Luckily, this is pretty easy to work out.
First, converting your speech file to the text should be as simple as uploading it to a web page. The best speech to text software will let you do this using different file formats. Look for ones that offer mp3, mp4, and wav, but also WebM and FLAC.
Next, the conversion should only take a few minutes. Of course, this depends on the file’s size, but you shouldn’t be waiting days for it to produce a text file.
Then there’s the editing stage. As mentioned, you’ll do this on even the best software, so don’t think you can avoid it. No service is 100% accurate, and you’ll need to proofread the text file.
But how you do this makes a difference. Ideally, the service should have an online text editor, allowing you to make the necessary edits before you download the file. At this stage, it should also timestamp the file so you don’t have to do it manually.
Finally, there’s downloading the file. There’s not much to say about this, other than the transcription service should offer different formats. At the very least you’ll want Word, TXT, and SRT.
Cost of the Software
Nothing good comes for free, and this is true for speech-to-text online services. That said, it doesn’t need to be expensive.
Avoid free services because they’re usually not very accurate. If the service is free, the developers don’t have much incentive to make it better.
However, there’s no need to spend loads of money on a transcription service. Look for one that offers a free trial, so you can test how good it is. There isn’t a set price on what’s too expensive, as this depends on your budget.
Bear in mind that big files will be more expensive because there’s more to transcribe. Most services will list their price per minute, so use that to work out how much it’ll cost you.
Look No Further for the Best Speech to Text Software
You’ll be pleased to know that Transkriptor offers everything listed above, and more! The accuracy rate is more than ninety percent, and you can adjust the file using the built-in online text editor.
It supports numerous languages and is super easy to use. Just upload your file, wait for it to be converted, and then download the text document. It really is that easy!
Finally, we offer a free trial for your first audio transcription. This is because we’re so confident you’ll think we offer the best speech to text software that you’ll come back for more!
