What is the best way to record and transcribe an interview on iPhone?
Record with Transcribe: the transcript builds live, you can mark key moments, and afterward you can search it, play it back word by word and export it. It does not label speakers, so for a two-person interview you will tag who said what yourself.
Download Transcribe on the App Store
How the options compare
- Voice Memos (built in): Good for quick recordings. On iPhone 12 or later in the languages Apple lists, you can view and copy a transcript, and search covers transcript text. There is no library of tags and folders for a project, and no export other than sharing.
- Otter (cloud service): Lists speaker name identification, which Transcribe does not have, and imports of pre-recorded files. Its free Basic plan lists 30 minutes per conversation, 300 minutes a month and 3 lifetime imports on its pricing page. Audio is collected by the service under its privacy policy, which matters if you promised a source confidentiality.
- A dedicated recorder plus manual typing: Best audio quality and no software limits, but typing a transcript costs hours.
Where Transcribe fits
Transcribe records with no time limit, so a long interview is not cut off, and it transcribes on the device. Nothing is uploaded, which is why journalists and researchers who promised confidentiality pick it. Folders and tags keep each project together and search finds a quote across every interview.
Marks are a Pro feature: tap Mark when something important is said and jump back to it later. Pro also exports PDF and subtitle (SRT) files, compressed M4A and the original audio. On an Apple Intelligence iPhone, Pro adds summaries and Ask AI, which answers from what was actually said in the recording.
Honest limits: no speaker labels, and no phone-call recording, because iOS does not allow any App Store app to do it. Put the phone near the speakers and check names and numbers against the audio, since any automatic transcript makes mistakes. Get consent before recording.
What it costs
Transcribe is free to download. Unlimited recordings, with no time limit, and full on-device transcription are free. Pro adds export, encrypted backup, marking moments, more transcription languages and, on Apple Intelligence devices, AI summaries, action items and Ask AI. Plans and prices are shown in the app and on the App Store page, and vary by region. Prices from the US App Store, checked 2026-11-04; they vary by region.
Quick answers
Does Transcribe separate the two speakers?
No. It produces one continuous transcript without speaker labels.
Can I export an interview transcript?
You can copy and share the text for free. Pro adds PDF and subtitle (SRT) export, M4A audio and sharing the original audio.
Can I find a quote later?
Yes. Search works across all your transcripts, and you can play back with each word highlighted.
Does it work in other languages?
Transcribe can transcribe 22 languages. Your device language is free; the others are part of Pro.
More questions about Transcribe
- How do I transcribe a lecture on my iPhone, even without Wi-Fi?
- What is the best way to turn voice memos into text on an iPhone?
- How can I transcribe a meeting privately, without uploading the audio?
- Is there an iPhone app that summarizes meetings and lists the to-dos?
- How do I transcribe the audio of a video on my iPhone?
- Is there a transcription app that never uploads my audio and works offline?
Full details: Transcribe app page · all answers