# Summary vs Open Transcription

The clearest difference is monetization model: Open Transcription at free against Summary's free with in-app purchases. Open Transcription also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Summary's advantage is ratings volume (56K vs 7) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Summary sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Open Transcription sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Open Transcription holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Summary has 56K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Summary ships an update every 6 days, Open Transcription every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Summary | Open Transcription |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (56K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/summary-ai-note-taker/id6670175056/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-transcription/id6770277413/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **56K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#22** | — |
| Size | 218 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Labhouse Mobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568110847) | [Christoph Hanft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896729715) |

## What reviewers say

### Summary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/summary-ai-note-taker/id6670175056)

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Grossing · Productivity, #41 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app records, transcribes, and summarizes audio conversations, making meetings and lectures more productive. It uses AI to generate accurate transcripts with speaker labels and provides instant answers to questions about the content. Users can easily export and share notes.

**Highlights:** One-tap audio recording, Accurate transcription with speaker labels, AI-powered summaries and key points, Ask questions about conversation content, Smart search and timestamp jumping, Unlimited recording time, Background recording

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Summary AI Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $29.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $29.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Instant translation and summarization
- 👍 Useful for peer counseling and meetings
- 💡 Supports multiple languages

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Fails to record or save recordings
- 🐛 Freezes or gets stuck during transcription
- 🐛 Stops recording when screen goes dark

**Reported bugs**

- Buttons don't function properly
- Transcription never completes

**Requested features**

- More detailed and accurate transcription and summarization
- Ability to handle longer meetings without issues


### Open Transcription

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-transcription/id6770277413)

This app converts voice recordings into text and organized notes using on-device or cloud-based AI. It offers features like automatic summarization, translation, and project organization, with options for offline use and system-wide call audio capture.

**Highlights:** On-device and cloud transcription, AI-powered summarization and translation, Automatic note processing with templates, Project-based organization, System-wide call audio capture, Apple Watch app and widgets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coffee | $3.99 | one-time |
| Large Coffee | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Summary free?

Summary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Open Transcription free?

Open Transcription is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Summary or Open Transcription?

Open Transcription is rated higher. Summary averages 4.7 out of 5 from 56K ratings, while Open Transcription averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Summary or Open Transcription have ads?

Neither Summary nor Open Transcription shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Summary or Open Transcription?

Summary ships an update every 6 days, and Open Transcription every 5 days. Most recently, Summary was updated on October 28, 2026 and Open Transcription on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*