Transcription Software for Long Audio Files: Per-File Limits Compared
Data checked:
When a recording is three hours long, the model matters less than the fine print: most services cap the length of a single file, separately from any monthly minutes. We track two numbers per tool, the cap on free plans and the cap on paid plans. A blank (“no limit stated”) is not the same as unlimited: sometimes the vendor publishes no cap, sometimes we could not verify one. File-size caps in GB can also bind before length does, so both are noted below.
The biggest verified per-file caps
| Tool | Max length per file | Paid from | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| TurboScribe File transcription | Free: 30 min Paid: 10 h | $20/mo $10/mo billed yearly (Unlimited) | ENJAZH 98+ languages |
| Tencent Meeting Transcription（腾讯会议转写） File transcription, Meeting notes, Live transcription | Free: Not verified Paid: 8 h | Not verified | ENJAZH |
| Notta Meeting notes, File transcription, Live transcription | Free: 3 min Paid: 5 h | $13.49/mo $8.17/mo billed yearly (Pro) | ENJAZH 58 languages |
| Rimo Voice Meeting notes, File transcription | Paid: 5 h | ¥4,950/mo (プロ) | ENJAZH 60 languages |
| iFLYREC（讯飞听见） File transcription, Live transcription | Paid: 5 h | Not verified | ENJAZH |
| Otter.ai Meeting notes, File transcription, Live transcription | Free: 30 min Paid: 4 h | $16.99/mo $8.33/mo billed yearly (Pro) | ENJAZH 6 languages |
| Texter File transcription, Live transcription, Offline / on-device | Free: Not verified Paid: 4 h | ¥1,800/mo ¥733/mo billed yearly (Premium) | ENJAZH 99 languages |
| tl;dv Meeting notes | Free: 3 h Paid: 3 h | €29/mo €18/mo billed yearly (Pro) | ENJAZH 30+ languages |
| Fireflies.ai Meeting notes, File transcription, Live transcription | Free: 150 min Paid: 150 min | $18/mo $10/mo billed yearly (Pro) | ENJAZH 100+ languages |
| MeetGeek Meeting notes, File transcription | Free: 2 h Paid: 2 h | $15.99/mo $9.99/mo billed yearly (Pro) | ENJAZH 100+ languages |
- TurboScribe: 10 hours or 5 GB per file on Unlimited ($10 a month billed yearly); the free plan stops at 30 minutes per file.
- Tencent Meeting Transcription（腾讯会议转写）: uploads up to 8 hours and 4 GB per file. Free transcription of uploads was not verified; live transcription is free for 10 minutes per meeting.
- Notta: 5 hours per recording on paid plans, uploads up to 1 GB audio or 10 GB video; the free plan transcribes 3 minutes per recording.
- Rimo Voice: keep recordings under 5 hours, audio up to 1 GB, video up to 3 GB.
- iFLYREC（讯飞听见）: imported files up to 5 hours and 2 GB.
- Otter.ai: 4-hour conversations only on Business ($30 a month, or $19.99 billed yearly); Pro stops at 90 minutes and Basic at 30.
- Texter: Premium files up to 2 hours with Whisper or 4 hours with the Amazon Transcribe engine.
- tl;dv: 3 hours per recording on every plan.
- Fireflies.ai: 150 minutes per uploaded file on every plan, plus size caps (free: 100 MB video, 500 MB audio; paid: 2 GB video).
- MeetGeek: 120 minutes per meeting on Basic and Pro, 3 hours on Business, 4 hours on Enterprise.
“No limit stated” needs reading the note
- Happy Scribe caps recordings at 90 minutes on Basic and lists unlimited minutes per recording on Pro and Business; its trial takes recordings up to 45 minutes.
- Good Tape caps free files at 30 minutes and states no file-length limit on Pro.
- Sonix states no per-file limit; plans differ in storage, from 5 GB to 100 GB, which becomes the real ceiling.
- Rev states no maximum file length on its pricing and AI pages; the free plan processes up to 5 files at a time.
- For Trint the trial transcribes only the first 5 minutes of each of 3 files, and the paid limit was not verified; Maestra, VEED and Transkriptor publish no verified per-file limit either.
Only where the vendor explicitly says so (Happy Scribe Pro and Business, Good Tape Pro) does “no limit” mean unlimited.
Offline apps: the limit is your hardware
MacWhisper, Vibe, Buzz and Aiko state no file-length limit because they run on your machine: nothing uploads, nothing is metered, and transcription takes as long as your hardware needs. For sensitive or very long recordings this is often the practical answer; see offline transcription software.
Free plans and long files don’t mix
Every free tier we tracked caps per-file length well below an hour: TurboScribe 30 minutes, Good Tape 30, Otter 30 per conversation, Notta 3 per recording, trials at Trint 5 minutes, Temi 45 and Happy Scribe 45. If the file is long and the budget is zero, the offline apps above are the only route with no allowance at all.
More on file-first tools in TurboScribe alternatives and transcription for lectures and podcasts, or filter by length in the directory.