Top 15 Recorders With Speech Recognition for iOS, Android, Windows & Mac 2021

Janet Paterson
9 min readDec 1, 2020

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You’ll agree that making notes during an interview, a business call, and a meeting takes too much time and distracts you from the main ideas of the conversation. Besides, sometimes a good idea comes to your mind but you have no pencil and paper on hand and can easily forget your thought. Luckily, the modern world allows us to record our conversations, and what’s more important, to convert them to text. This saves us much time and energy and helps us stay productive. In this article, we’ll look through the best recorders with the speech recognition features that may be used for phone calls, voice notes, and business meetings in 2021.

Best Call Recording and Speech-to-text Apps

#1 REKK — Call Recorder

When it comes to recording a phone call on the iPhone, REKK is the best solution by far. This app lets you record all your incoming and outgoing calls and convert them to text. Thanks to the intuitive interface, the utility is easy-to-use and doesn’t require any technical skills. REKK records your phone conversations with the help of the 3-way calling by creating a conference between you, the caller, and the service number. The app is supported in multiple countries (the US, Canada, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Russia, etc.) and is available on the App Store.

Pros:

  • automatical speech transcription after every call;
  • no limits on the number and duration of your calls;
  • ability to share your recordings via a messenger;
  • an ability to listen to your calls from any other device through a web-account;
  • a free trial.

Cons:

  • your carrier must support the 3-way calling;
  • speech recognition accuracy depends on the tempo of speech and the accent.

#2 Rev Call Recorder

Rev is one more good solution for call recording and transcription. This app allows you to record your phone conversations for free but if you need to convert your call to text, you will be charged extra for the service. The app is pretty easy to use and records your calls with just one step. Note that for now, the app lets you register only with a +1 code, so if you aren’t a US and Canada resident, you’d better choose another utility.

Pros:

  • free call recording;
  • a professional transcriptionist for converting your records;
  • no limits and ads;
  • doesn’t require call merging;
  • high-quality records.

Cons:

  • international outgoing calls are impossible;
  • international fees for Canadian users;
  • supports only +1 area code.

#3 Call Recording by NoNotes

This app makes it easy to record your ongoing calls or calls you’re about to make. Once you hang up, your records appear in the app immediately. The app records 20 minutes a month for free and charges you if you need to record longer calls. Surely, the app supports a speech-to-text feature for your convenience. The solution is suitable both for personal and business needs and is compatible with iPhone and Android.

Pros:

  • call transcription option;
  • ability to save your calls to the Cloud;
  • the sharing feature is supported;
  • a free trial.

Cons:

  • limits on the duration of calls;
  • on iPhone devices, your calls must be merged.

#4 Threads

The Threads platform is designed for making business communications more productive and making your customers feel heard. The app records all your inbound and outbound phone calls and transcribes them to text with a reliable speech-to-text feature. The Threads app is perfect for keeping track of all your business talks, identifying trends, and analyzing your workflow. The platform is paid and the pricing depends on your location and the size of cloud storage for records.

Pros:

  • suitable for business;
  • allows you to save up to 10 TB of business communications;
  • integrates with HubSpot;
  • the shared inbox for your company.

Cons:

  • high pricing for startups;
  • additional costs for call recording and speech transcription.

#5 Call Recording to text conversion — Voice to text

This app will fit you if you need an Android call recorder for personal use. The app records your calls automatically and is also capable to convert them to text as soon as you hang up. A convenient player and a quick search feature make it a delight to use. What’s more important, the app is absolutely free to use. However, according to the user reviews, it sometimes misses your calls so it’s not 100% reliable.

Pros:

  • free of charge;
  • automatical call recording;
  • easy to use speech recognition;
  • frequent updates of the app and performance improvements.

Cons:

  • doesn’t offer a 100% guarantee of call recording;
  • speech recognition may be inaccurate.

Voice Recorders With Speech Recognition

#6 Voice Recorder & Audio Editor

It’s sometimes necessary to record not a phone call, but an important idea that comes to your mind unexpectedly. This is where voice recorders come into play. This app is compatible with iOS devices and lets you record your thoughts on the go. It will be also helpful for journalists, influencers, and students since it provides you only with high-quality recordings and transcribes all your voice notes to text.

Pros:

  • a home screen icon allowing you to record notes quickly with one tap;
  • uploads your records to cloud storages;
  • lets you share recordings via social apps and messengers;
  • quick file transfer to any device.

Cons:

  • speech transcription may be inaccurate;
  • poor support documentation.

#7 Voice notes — quick recording of ideas

Your ideas will never get lost in your head with this voice recording application for Android. The app allows voice recording with speech recognition. Once your idea is recorded, it appears in the app in the text format and can be easily edited if it’s necessary. Besides, the app helps you manage your notes by separating them into multiple categories. Notes are easily shared with your friends and colleagues through e-mail, IMs, and social networks.

Pros:

  • you can create reminders for important notes;
  • offers color schemes for your tastes;
  • 2 supported formats: JSON and TXT;
  • simple user interface.

Cons:

  • doesn’t recognize audio files;
  • you’re supposed to connect to the Internet for better quality.

#8 Philips voice recorder

With Philips voice recorder, you’ll forget about wondering how you can record voice and transcribe it to text. This digital recorder helps you convert your voice notes to text and provides you with a first-class quality recording. Additional features include browser-based file management, integration of your personal assistant, and individual user management. The application is perfect for integration into your existing workflow.

Pros:

  • reliable app;
  • a free solution;
  • supports multiple languages;
  • compatible with all iOS devices.

Cons:

  • requires to use an additional paid service for unlimited features.

#9 Speechnotes — Speech To Text Notepad

One more helpful app for drivers, bloggers, writers, thinkers, and anyone who likes easy typing. The app converts speech to text even when you take a break to breathe or think. Speechnotes supports backup for you to never lose a note. Further, it lets you dictate hand free for an unlimited time. The app is also capable to recognize pauses for punctuation, new lines, etc.

Pros:

  • takes little space on your device;
  • text editor;
  • allows printing your notes with a few taps;
  • one of the most accurate speech recognition services;

Cons:

  • contains ads;
  • offers in-app purchases for unlimited features.

#10 Transcribe — Speech to Text

This iPhone app lets you transcribe not only voice notes but also videos, which will be helpful for interpreters, freelancers, subtitle creators, etc. Transcribe supports more than one hundred languages and accents and provides you with readable transcriptions. Additionally, with it, you can export your notes to any text-editing app installed on your device. The application is ad-free and is suitable for iPhone users.

Pros:

  • free trial;
  • high-quality transcriptions;
  • an abundance of supported languages;
  • no ads.

Cons:

  • a free trial gives you just 15 minutes of free transcriptions.

Meeting Recorders with a Speech-to-text Option

#11 Otter for business

Recording and transcribing your video conferences may help you make the workflow smoother and more productive. If you use Zoom to meet your business partners online, Otter is the best call recording solution for you. This app lets you transcribe all your Zoom video meetings and offers some extra features like syncing to your calendar and integration with Dropbox.

Pros:

  • you can record and replay directly from the app and share your Otter notes with colleagues;
  • a separate account for the head manager;
  • a free trial.

Cons:

  • rather complicated setup.

#12 Reason8 — Voice to Text Meeting Notes Maker

For everyone making meeting notes, summaries, and follow-ups, Reason8 will be a life-saver when it comes to meeting recording and transcription. How it works: host a meeting and tell your colleagues the meeting ID. After the discussion, open the app or your online account and edit your meeting transcripts.

Pros:

  • offers a web-based platform so is compatible with various operating systems;
  • is mentioned in TechCrunch, Gadget Review, BMA;
  • reliable company;
  • many positive customer reviews.

Cons:

  • additional registration with email.

#13 Fireflies

The app will fit everybody who needs to record conference meetings since it records conversations across any web-conferencing platform. The uploaded audio and video files are quickly transcribed to text. It also lets you add comments to your calls and collaborate with team members on specific parts of your conversations.

Pros:

  • easy-to-use;
  • online demo;
  • many additional features;
  • suitable for business and personal use.

Cons:

  • a limited number of minutes of team storage in the cheaper packages.

#14 SoniClear

The app makes it easy to record and transcribe your business meetings. Additional features include note-taking during the meeting, hands-free playback, slow and fast playback, and more. After the meetings, you can share your records with colleagues and partners. The interface is pretty simple so the app is suitable for you even if you aren’t tech-savvy.

Pros:

  • clear recording quality;
  • accurate transcriptions;
  • one-click access to your records;
  • various speeds of playback for typing and review.

Cons:

  • high pricing.

#15 Recordsure

One of the best tools to record your face-to-face meetings with customers and partners. After the meeting, the app will transcribe your recording and provide you with a high-quality record and accurate transcription. The application is compatible with mobile devices and Windows computers. With this app, you don’t need any special recording equipment to remember the details of your important conversations.

Pros:

  • accurate transcriptions;
  • secure;
  • audio transfer via Skype and other apps;
  • supports many accents and dialects.

Cons:

  • the pricing is not clear.

To Sum Up

Overall, there are many apps for iPhone, Android, and other platforms that help you record your calls, online conferences, and meetings and transcribe them with the speech-to-text feature. What you should pay attention to when you select a recorder with speech recognition:

  • Does the app offer limits on the number of recorded minutes?
  • How much does it cost?
  • Does it offer a free trial?
  • Are transcripts accurate?
  • What languages are supported?
  • What do customer reviews say?

I hope that this article will help you find the best recorder for your needs. If you’ve ever tried one of these apps, share your experience in the comments below.

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Janet Paterson
Janet Paterson

Written by Janet Paterson

Professional copywriter. Interested in tech, coding, HR management.

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