2026 Cantonese AI Speech-to-Text Free Options: 3 Tools Compared

If you have a Cantonese recording, meeting minutes, or interview audio that needs to be transcribed quickly, doing it manually will take a huge amount of time. This article covers three AI speech-to-text tools I've personally tested, all of which support Cantonese and offer free trials, suitable for office workers and creators.

Why Do You Need a Cantonese AI Speech-to-Text Tool?

Cantonese is the primary language in Hong Kong, Macau, and the Guangdong region, with many meetings, interviews, podcasts, and YouTube videos conducted in Cantonese. Traditional speech-to-text tools are mostly designed for Mandarin or English and often fail to recognize Cantonese accurately. These three tools are optimized for Cantonese tones and colloquialisms, saving you significant post-production time.

Comparison of Three Free Options

1. Cantosubai: Speech-to-Text Designed Specifically for Cantonese

Cantosubai is an online tool deeply optimized for Cantonese, supporting various dialect branches such as Hong Kong Cantonese, Guangzhou Cantonese, Dongguan Cantonese, and Shunde Cantonese. In addition to basic transcription, it offers a personalized dictionary where you can add proper nouns like names and company names to reduce recognition errors.

What's more, Cantosubai automatically converts colloquial Cantonese into written language and outputs in Traditional Chinese, making it ready to use as meeting minutes or interview transcripts. Export formats include .txt, .docx, and .pdf, which is very practical.

Free quota: Each new user gets 30 minutes of free trial, no credit card required.

2. SoundType AI: High Accuracy and Speaker Identification

SoundType AI is a mobile app (iOS/Android) that supports over 90 languages, including Cantonese. According to user feedback on Google Play, with a stable internet connection and clear pronunciation, Mandarin recognition accuracy can reach 98%; Cantonese conversion success rate is about 85-90%, which is above average.

Its standout feature is speaker identification, which automatically distinguishes between different speakers, ideal for meetings or interviews. It also generates AI summaries to quickly capture key points. Note that users report the free trial is short (about 8 minutes), and error rates increase with mixed Chinese-English content.

3. Subanana: Online Subtitle Generator, No Download Needed

Subanana is an online subtitle tool that supports 80 languages, including Cantonese, Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. You can paste YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook links, or upload audio files like MP4 or MP3, and it will automatically generate subtitles.

Subanana offers three output modes: written language, colloquial, and English subtitles, with claimed accuracy of 98%. Export formats include SRT, VTT, and TXT, making it very convenient for creators who need subtitles. No download or installation required—just open your browser and use it, with a free trial available.

Tutorial: Using Cantosubai as an Example

If you're new to these tools, follow these steps with Cantosubai; other tools work similarly.

1. Open the Cantosubai website and click "Upload Audio or Video."
2. Select your Cantonese dialect (e.g., Hong Kong Cantonese or Guangzhou Cantonese); if unsure, choose "Auto Detect."
3. Wait for the AI to transcribe, usually producing a transcript within minutes.
4. If proper nouns are often misrecognized, go to "Personalized Dictionary" and add these terms, then re-transcribe.
5. After verifying the content, choose an export format (.txt, .docx, .pdf) and download.

FAQ

Q1: What happens when the free trial quota runs out?

All three tools offer free trials: Cantosubai 30 minutes, SoundType AI about 8 minutes, and Subanana not clearly specified. If you have high usage, consider paid plans; for occasional use, the free quota is sufficient.

Q2: Do these tools support Traditional Chinese output?

Yes, Cantosubai and Subanana explicitly support Traditional Chinese output, and SoundType AI also supports Traditional Chinese mode, suitable for users in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Q3: Which one is best for meeting minutes?

If the meeting is primarily in Cantonese, Cantosubai's personalized dictionary and colloquial-to-written conversion are most useful; if you need speaker identification and AI summaries, SoundType AI is a good choice; if the meeting is recorded and needs subtitles, Subanana can generate subtitles directly from the video link.

Q4: Can they handle mixed Chinese-English content?

According to user feedback, SoundType AI has higher error rates with mixed Chinese-English content; it's recommended to manually segment English parts or use another tool. Cantosubai and Subanana don't specifically highlight this, so test with a short segment first.

Q5: How accurate is the transcription?

Accuracy is affected by recording quality, background noise, speaking speed, and accent. Under good conditions, Mandarin can reach 98%, and Cantonese about 85-95%. It's best to test with your own recording to see real-world performance.

Overall, these three tools have their strengths: Cantosubai specializes in Cantonese with a generous free quota, SoundType AI's speaker identification suits multi-person meetings, and Subanana is convenient for generating subtitles directly from online videos. Start with the free trials to find the one that works best for you.

References

• AI Cantonese Speech-to-Text Professional Cantonese Recognition
• Text-to-Speech Cantonese
• SoundType AI - Accurate Transcription, Speech-to-Text, AI Dictation - Google Play App
• Free Cantonese Speech-to-Text App 2025 | Subanana
• [2026 Edition] Free Cantonese Reading! Efficient Learning with AI Voice for Beginners | Text-to-Speech Software Ondoku