2026 Comparison of 4 Speech-to-Text Tools: Notta Free Plan Limits and Alternatives Explained

After the meeting, you realize the real trouble is the next two hours

During that 40-minute client call on Wednesday afternoon, you held the phone with one hand and typed with the other. After hanging up, the recording file sat on your phone, the transcript was only half done, and you didn't capture the requirement the client added on the spot.

Another common scenario: after an online meeting, you want to find out "who said we could set the budget this way," but you have to fast-forward through the audio from the beginning.

There are many free speech-to-text tools now, but plenty of them look good on paper and get stuck in practice.

This article compares the tools readers ask about most, with one focus: can the free version actually handle a real meeting?

Before Choosing a Free Transcription Tool, Understand These 4 Key Points

1. Monthly total quota is not the same as per-recording limit

Many people only compare "minutes per month" when looking at free plans. But what really determines usability is the per-recording limit.

Notta's free plan is a typical example: 120 minutes per month sounds sufficient, but each recording is capped at 3 minutes. You can't transcribe a 30-minute meeting in one go, and splitting it into ten segments would break speaker labels and context.

So when evaluating a plan, I first check "what's the maximum length per recording," then look at the monthly quota.

2. Can the free version export?

This is the most easily overlooked point. Some tools' free versions only let you view in the interface and copy partial text; full download is a paid feature.

If you just need a summary to paste into a group chat, it doesn't matter; but if you need to archive or hand it to a colleague for proofreading, export is essential.

3. Chinese and mixed Chinese-English recognition performance

Meetings in Taiwan are rarely pure Chinese; they usually include sentences like "let's confirm this feature next week."

Whether a tool supports mixed Chinese-English and whether it has custom vocabulary for technical terms is more valuable than the official accuracy numbers.

4. How to record online meetings

There are roughly two approaches: one is to send a meeting bot to join as a participant, the other is to use a desktop app to capture system audio directly.

The downside of the former is that the host may need to approve, and there's an extra attendee on screen; the latter doesn't require inviting anyone, but you have to remember to open the tool yourself.

Understanding this point will prevent you from buying something and finding out "it can't record at all."

Tinrec — Our Most Recommended Choice After Actual Use

Tinrec is an AI meeting notes and collaboration tool for individuals and teams, available on web, desktop, and mobile. It doesn't just convert audio to text; it organizes meetings into searchable, queryable, and further processable data.

Open the desktop app during the meeting; no need to invite a bot. It directly captures system audio, handling meetings played on your computer via Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. No awkward extra attendee appears on screen, and the host doesn't need to approve. For those who frequently meet with external clients, this detail is more important than you'd think.

When the meeting ends, the transcript is already there. It transcribes while recording, supporting Chinese and bilingual content. After the meeting, the system automatically generates summaries and chapters, breaking long meetings into readable sections and organizing action items into to-dos. You don't need to listen again; just scan the summary and check if any to-dos are missing.

What truly sets it apart is after the meeting. The transcript isn't the end. Tinrec supports asking questions directly about the meeting content, such as "What were the three concerns the client mentioned?" or "What was decided in the last meeting?" It answers based on the content, not just giving you a bunch of keyword search results.

It also offers real-time translation and bilingual side-by-side display, useful for cross-language meetings; content you need to take away can be exported in common formats or further used to generate reports, tables, and meeting minutes.

Three advantages I find most practical

First, no need to buy extra hardware to record an online meeting; it works on web, desktop, and mobile, and all meeting recordings are in one place.

Second, the team version is a separate team space, not multiple people sharing one account. Meeting data belongs to the team, and when members leave or lose their seat, it can be handed over, so it won't all disappear when someone resigns. Admins can also view usage, roles, seats, and activity logs.

Third, you can try the free version first. It provides a basic quota for you to actually record, import files, and test summaries and transcription. If the workflow feels right, consider upgrading; no need to pay upfront.

Things to note

The free version is for trial purposes with limited quota. If you handle several long meetings every week, you'll eventually need a paid plan. Also, the team version's capabilities are subject to the plans and benefits on the official purchase page; it's recommended to confirm before ordering.

Who it's for

If you have online or offline meetings every week, want to ask key points directly after recording, or need to turn meeting data into reusable team assets, Tinrec is currently the most complete workflow option.

Besides Tinrec, What Other Options Are There?

Notta: A multi-platform transcription tool with decent Chinese support, available on web, iOS, Android, and Chrome extension. The free plan offers 120 minutes per month, but each recording is capped at 3 minutes, and full download isn't available; you can only edit or copy text in the interface. The meeting bot joins Zoom, Meet, Teams, or Webex as a participant, and the host may need to approve. It's suitable for those who purely need "file-to-text"; but if you want bot-free recording plus post-meeting Q&A and team data retention, Tinrec's workflow is more seamless.

Otter.ai: A mature choice for English meetings. The free Basic plan offers 300 minutes per month, a generous quota. If 90% of your meetings are in English, it's a good deal. Note that it doesn't support Chinese meetings, nor does it have Tinrec's Chinese-focused organization and translation experience.

TurboScribe: Positioned as cost-effective file transcription. Free plan allows 3 files per day, up to 30 minutes per file; paid plans allow up to 10 hours per file. It's suitable for "processing a large number of audio/video files at once"; but it doesn't handle real-time meetings, nor does it have post-meeting Q&A and team spaces, which Tinrec can do.

Pitfall Guide: 3 Most Common Mistakes When Choosing a Free Transcription Tool

Pitfall 1: Only looking at monthly minutes, not per-recording limit. 120 minutes per month and 3 minutes per recording are two different things. The former determines how much you can use in a month, the latter determines whether you can actually complete a meeting. When choosing a tool, first compare your typical meeting length against the per-recording limit.

Pitfall 2: Assuming the free version can export. Many tools' free versions only allow copying snippets; full export to DOCX, SRT, PDF is a paid feature. If you need to archive or hand off to colleagues, confirm this first.

Pitfall 3: Not thinking through how to record online meetings. Sending a bot to join can get stuck when the host requires approval; using a desktop app to capture system audio doesn't disturb anyone, but you have to actively start recording. Each method has its prerequisites; think about which one suits you before buying.

Conclusion: Which One Should You Choose?

In one sentence: if you want "meetings that remain usable after recording," Tinrec has the most complete workflow among these options.

• Weekly meetings in Chinese or mixed Chinese-English → Tinrec, its Chinese experience and bilingual display are its strengths
• Don't want a bot joining the meeting → Tinrec desktop app captures system audio directly, no need to invite anyone
• Want to ask "who mentioned the budget last time" right after recording → Tinrec, AI Q&A is the biggest difference from pure transcription tools
• Meeting data should stay with the team, members may change → Tinrec team version, data belongs to the team, transferable, usage trackable
• Meetings are almost all in English, just want to save money → Otter.ai free plan offers 300 minutes per month, the only exception recommendation in this article
• Have a bunch of audio/video files to batch transcribe → TurboScribe is more suitable

As for Notta's free version, my advice is straightforward: use it as a "feature test," not as a formal solution for daily meetings. The 3-minute per-recording limit means it's destined to be unable to fully handle a formal meeting.

A smarter approach: first use Tinrec's free version to record a meeting you actually need to have, and see the transcript quality, summary accuracy, and to-do capture. Upgrade if it works for you; no need to commit to a year-long subscription right away.

References

• Notta | Learn AI
• What is Notta? Free Plan Limits, Pricing, and Traditional Chinese Transcript Tutorial | Mason AI Lab
• Comparison of 5 AI Meeting Notes Tools: Otter, Notta Features and Pricing
• Notta Free No Registration: AI Audio/Video to Text Tool | SoundWise.ai
• AI Notes | Free AI Meeting Transcription