Comparison

Transcribe vs Open Caption

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Transcribe

Record and transcribe audio in real-time for notes or meetings. Playback recordings with synchronized text highlighting for easy editing. Connect to a Mac for live transcription on a larger screen.

Highlights
  • Live audio recording
  • Real-time transcription
  • Synchronized playback
  • Word-level editing
  • Mac connectivity
  • Free version available
Read full description

Record and transcribe LIVE. Use it to take live notes, transcribe full meeting or any other usage (free version is limited to 60 seconds transcription). Connect it to your Mac to see live transcription there. You can also playback the recording while the app would point to the word that is being said (great for editing). Advanced: click on the word and playback would go there, edit when playback is paused. It's FREE to download so go ahead and check it out! ----------------------------------- Information about the auto-renewable nature of the subscription - Subscription period is monthly. Every month your subscription renews. - Prices for subscriptions depends on which package you choose and will be seen in payment screen. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. - You can cancel your subscription via this url: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 - Privacy policy: http://privacy.safecloudapp.com - Term of use: http://tos.safecloudapp.com - Subscription Information : http://subscription.safecloudapp.com -----------------------------------

About

Open Caption

Features
Read full description

Open Caption is a continuous speech to text app that uses both Apples and your devices speech recognizer to transcribe spoke word.

Screenshots

Transcribe3 screens
Open Caption4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Transcribe at daily against Open Caption's fortnightly. Open Caption's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Transcribe sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Open Caption sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Transcribe ships an update daily, Open Caption fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Transcribe versus Open Caption: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTranscribeOpen Caption
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (39 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings39 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShesek LLCJOHN BURKE

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Transcribe

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
1 purchases

Open Caption

One-time1
  • Buy Transcription Sharing$0.99

Questions

Is Transcribe free?
Transcribe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Open Caption free?
Open Caption is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Transcribe or Open Caption have ads?
Neither Transcribe nor Open Caption shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Transcribe or Open Caption?
Transcribe ships an update daily, and Open Caption fortnightly. Most recently, Transcribe was updated on September 26, 2026 and Open Caption on September 5, 2026.

Other comparisons