What platforms does Plainscribe support?

Plainscribe is available on Web App, MacOS and Windows.

What are the limitations of Plainscribe?

Cloud transcription passes files to third-party providers that may retain or train on data. Paid credits expire one year after purchase, so unused balance can be lost. No live meeting capture or bot joining calls; the workflow is file upload only.

Plainscribe

Name: Plainscribe
Author: Plainscribe

File-based AI transcription and translation with prepaid credits, no subscription

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Screenshot of Plainscribe, File-based AI transcription and translation with prepaid credits, no subscription

What is Plainscribe?

PlainScribe turns audio and video files into transcripts with speaker labels, AI summaries, subtitles and translation across 47 languages. It uses prepaid credits at $4 per audio hour rather than a subscription, includes an offline desktop app for sensitive recordings, and deletes files after 30 days.

PlainScribe is a file-based transcription and translation service for audio and video, built around prepaid credits instead of a monthly plan. A single upload of up to 1GB returns a finished bundle: a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps, an AI summary, optional translation across 47 languages with automatic detection, and subtitle files. Common formats such as MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A and MOV are accepted, and exports come out as TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT or JSON. Every export format is available to every user at no extra cost. The pricing model is the main differentiator. One credit covers one hour of audio at $4 ($0.067 per minute), and balances are topped up in any whole-dollar amount from $10, with bonus credits on top-ups of $50 or more. There is no monthly fee and no per-seat charge, so quiet months cost nothing. Paid credits expire one year after purchase. The first transcript is free up to 2 hours of audio and requires no card, which lets a new user test accuracy on their own recordings before committing. The company's own comparison pages concede that TurboScribe's flat subscription wins on cost above roughly 30 audio hours a year. The tool suits freelancers, researchers, journalists, students and small teams with irregular transcription volume rather than a daily pipeline. Privacy is handled in two layers. Cloud transcripts and raw audio auto-delete after 30 days for all users, including the free transcript, and a desktop app included with any credit purchase runs transcription entirely on the local machine for confidential interviews or depositions. PlainScribe is candid that cloud jobs pass files to named third-party providers that may retain data or train on it, so the offline app is the recommended route for genuinely sensitive material. Compared with Otter, Rev, Descript and Sonix, the pitch is no seat licensing, a lower per-minute rate than Sonix and no bot joining meetings.

How do you use Plainscribe?

1Create an account and open the dashboard
Sign up with the free transcript option to reach the transcription dashboard. No credit card is needed at this stage.
2Upload your audio or video file
Drag and drop a supported file up to 1GB, such as MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A or MOV. Format handling is automatic.
3Confirm language and add extras
Language is detected automatically by default, or set the source language manually for harder recordings. Tick translation, summarization or subtitles in the same pass.
4Review the transcript and summary
Check speaker labels and timestamps, then read the AI summary. Smart Notes can restructure rough notes into a formatted summary.
5Export in your preferred format
Download as TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT or JSON. CSV suits analysis; SRT and VTT drop straight into video players and editors.
6Top up credits or switch to the desktop app
Buy credits in any amount from $10 when the free transcript runs out. For sensitive files, install the desktop app included with any purchase and transcribe offline.

Pros and cons

Pros

Prepaid credit model means no monthly bill and nothing to cancel in quiet periodsAI
First transcript free up to 2 hours with no credit card requiredAI
47 languages with automatic detection, plus optional manual language selectionAI
Included desktop app transcribes fully offline for confidential recordingsAI
All export formats (TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT, JSON) are free for every userAI

Cons

Cloud transcription passes files to third-party providers that may retain or train on dataAI
Paid credits expire one year after purchase, so unused balance can be lostAI
No live meeting capture or bot joining calls; the workflow is file upload onlyAI
Accuracy drops on poor audio and less common languages, per the site's own caveatAI
Heavy users transcribing more than about 30 hours a year may pay less on a flat subscriptionAI

How much does Plainscribe cost?

Free trial

The first transcript is free up to 2 hours of audio with no credit card. Longer files are free for the first 2 hours and charged at the normal rate afterwards. One free transcript per account.

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Pricing

Pay as you go at $4 per audio hour ($0.067 per minute). One credit equals one audio hour; top up any whole-dollar amount from $10, with bonus credits at $50 or more (up to 15% at $250). No subscription or per-seat fees. Paid credits expire one year after purchase.

Learn more

Features

Transcription with speaker labels and timestamps, automatic language detection across 47 languages, translation, AI summaries with Smart Notes formatting, subtitle generation, searchable transcripts, and exports as TXT, CSV, SRT, VTT or JSON. An offline desktop app handles confidential files. Transcripts and raw audio auto-delete after 30 days.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions about Plainscribe

How much does Plainscribe cost?
Pay as you go at $4 per audio hour ($0.067 per minute). One credit equals one audio hour; top up any whole-dollar amount from $10, with bonus credits at $50 or more (up to 15% at $250). No subscription or per-seat fees. Paid credits expire one year after purchase.
Does Plainscribe offer a free trial?
The first transcript is free up to 2 hours of audio with no credit card. Longer files are free for the first 2 hours and charged at the normal rate afterwards. One free transcript per account.
How do you use Plainscribe?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Create an account and open the dashboard 2. Upload your audio or video file 3. Confirm language and add extras 4. Review the transcript and summary 5. Export in your preferred format 6. Top up credits or switch to the desktop app.
What platforms does Plainscribe support?
Plainscribe is available on Web App, MacOS and Windows.
What are the limitations of Plainscribe?
Cloud transcription passes files to third-party providers that may retain or train on data. Paid credits expire one year after purchase, so unused balance can be lost. No live meeting capture or bot joining calls; the workflow is file upload only.