Disclosure up front: I make Tapefolio, a paid transcription app ($29.99 once after a 7-day trial). It is not free, so it is not the answer to this page's question; it appears once, near the end, and says so. Everything else here is free.
The short answer
The free tools with a time limit are almost always the ones that send your audio to a server. Apps that transcribe on your own Mac have no minute count to sell, so they have no cap. For a long interview or lecture, use Buzz (free and open source) or MacWhisper's free version. Both run on the Mac, offline, with no stated limit on length. Expect to correct names and accents either way.
Where the limits are
| Option | Cost | Length limit | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz | Free, MIT license | None stated | Stays on the Mac |
| MacWhisper (free version) | Free; Pro is a paid upgrade | None stated | Stays on the Mac unless you turn on a cloud model |
| Apple Voice Memos | Free, built in | None stated, but the transcript is copy-only, with no timing or speakers | Apple's page does not say |
| Otter (free Basic plan) | Free | 30 minutes a conversation, 300 minutes a month, 3 file imports in total | Otter's servers |
Sources, read October 30, 2026: Buzz on GitHub (release 1.4.5, August 23, 2026), macwhisper.com, otter.ai/pricing. Voice Memos: see our Voice Memos guide. I did not run Buzz or MacWhisper for this page.
Buzz, step by step
- Download the Mac build from the Releases section of Buzz's GitHub page. Its README says newer versions need Apple silicon and that 1.4.5 is the last version for Intel Macs.
- Import the recording and pick a model. The larger models are slower and more accurate.
- Set the language yourself rather than leaving it on detect. It helps most with accents.
- Export the result. Buzz lists speaker identification as a feature; check the labels before you rely on them.
Transcribing a Zoom recording you saved to your computer
Zoom makes an audio transcript only for recordings saved to its cloud. A recording saved with Record on this computer gets none. Sources: University of Michigan's Zoom help (updated July 13, 2026) and a Zoom community answer.
- Find the file. By default Zoom puts each meeting in its own folder inside Documents, then Zoom. To check, open Zoom's settings and choose Recording, which shows the folder.
- In that folder the video is named zoom_0.mp4 by default. There may also be a smaller audio-only file ending in .m4a.
- Open either file in Buzz or MacWhisper. Either one transcribes it on the Mac.
File names and folder from CU Boulder OIT and Santa Clara University, read October 30, 2026. Wait until Zoom has finished converting the recording before you open the file.
Accents, names and jargon
No free tool gets every word right, and accents and proper names are where they slip most. Three habits save the most time:
- Choose the language instead of auto-detect.
- Use the largest model your Mac can run in reasonable time. Try a two-minute clip first to see how long it takes.
- Treat the transcript as a map. Fix only the passages you will quote, and play a few seconds before and after each one.
When a free tool is not enough
If you need speaker labels you can check against the audio, a review screen that plays each word, or names replaced with codes before you share a transcript, those are the jobs a paid app does. Tapefolio, which I make, does them on the Mac: $29.99 once after a 7-day trial of the full app. It transcribes English only for now, needs macOS 26 and Apple silicon, and opens audio and video files such as Zoom's .m4a and .mp4. If your recordings are not in English, Buzz or MacWhisper is the better fit. The transcription apps comparison covers the paid options.
Frequently asked
Is there a free transcription app for Mac with no time limit?
Yes. Buzz (free, open source) and MacWhisper's free version transcribe on the Mac with no stated limit on length, as of October 30, 2026. Cloud services cap free use: Otter's free plan stops at 30 minutes a conversation.
Why doesn't Zoom give me a transcript of my local recording?
Zoom makes audio transcripts only for cloud recordings, which need a paid plan. A recording saved to your computer has none. Open its .mp4 or .m4a file in Buzz or MacWhisper to transcribe it on the Mac.
Is free transcription private?
Only if it runs on your Mac. Buzz and MacWhisper's on-device models keep the audio on the Mac. Free web tools and Otter upload it to their servers.
Related guides
- Best Mac apps for transcription, text to speech and OCR: free and paid apps compared
- Can you use Otter.ai for research interviews?: what universities say about cloud transcription
- Export a Voice Memos transcript on a Mac: what Apple's built-in transcript leaves out
- AI transcription of therapy sessions: what Illinois requires: consent rules for clinicians
- Transcript cleaner: a free browser tool that tidies Zoom and Teams .vtt and .srt files