Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

oTranscribe

otranscribe.com

Free plan Open source WebSelf-hosted
Visit otranscribe.com
Spec score 8.5 #14 of 28 in Transcription tools

Spec sheet

What it does
oTranscribe is a free browser application for manually transcribing recorded interviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Purpose
oTranscribe is a free web app for transcribing recorded interviews manually.Read 11 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · otranscribe.com
Support
The help page directs users with issues to email MuckRock for assistance.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Autosave
The current transcript is saved to browser storage every second.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Backup behavior
Automatic backups are made every five minutes and exactly 100 copies are retained before older copies are deleted.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Browser support
The help page identifies Chrome 31 or later and Safari 7 or later as the preferred browsers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Company finances
For fiscal 2024, ProPublica reports MuckRock Foundation revenue of $5,277,573, expenses of $3,908,683 and net assets of $3,931,801.Read 15 Oct 2026 · projects.propublica.org
Company legal status
MuckRock Foundation Incorporated is listed by ProPublica as a Boston, Massachusetts 501(c)(3) civil-liberties nonprofit with tax exemption issued in May 2016.Read 15 Oct 2026 · projects.propublica.org
Creator and launch
Journalism.co.uk reported that journalist Elliot Bentley created oTranscribe and launched it at Hacks/Hackers London on November 27, 2013.Read 15 Oct 2026 · journalism.co.uk
Desktop requirement
The current homepage says oTranscribe works on desktop computers only.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Developer commands
The repository documents npm run build, npm run serve and npm run dev workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Developer requirements
The current build instructions require Node.js 24 or newer and npm 10 or newer, with npm 11.12.1 and Node 24.14.1 verified.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Export formats
The application exports Markdown, plain text and its OTR format, and can send transcripts to Google Drive.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Exports
The app offers transcript downloads in Markdown, plain text, and oTranscribe format, and can send transcripts to Google Drive.Read 11 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Extensible components
The project publishes oTplayer, Progressor.js and oTinput as reusable open-source components.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
File format
The OTR format is JSON containing transcript HTML plus optional media name, media source and playback time.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Interactive timestamps
The editor inserts clickable timestamps that jump back to the corresponding media position.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Limit: data durability
The maker warns that browser storage is unreliable and recommends exporting regularly to avoid losing work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Limit: editing depth
Clubic characterizes the feature set as limited and says advanced editing is not provided.Read 15 Oct 2026 · clubic.com
Limit: missing automation
Clubic lists the absence of automatic transcription as a disadvantage because users must do the transcription themselves.Read 15 Oct 2026 · clubic.com
Limit: recovery
If a transcript is absent from the history panel, the help page says it cannot be recovered.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Limit: storage capacity
Backups may stop when browser local storage is full, and clearing storage can affect data belonging to other sites.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Local privacy
The help page says audio and transcript data stay on the local computer in browser localStorage and are not kept on a remote server.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Local-storage limitation
Saved transcripts cannot be accessed from another computer because they are kept in browser localStorage.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Maintainer
oTranscribe says it is maintained by MuckRock Foundation and has been hosted and maintained by MuckRock since 2018.Read 11 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Manual transcription
oTranscribe does not automatically convert audio into text; users do the transcription themselves.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Manual workflow
The help documentation explicitly says the product does not automatically convert speech into text.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Media support
The app supports video with an integrated player; the help page says supported audio and video formats depend on the browser and also mentions YouTube videos.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Notable news: 2013 launch
The 2013 launch report described browser transcription with keyboard shortcuts, autosaving and MP3, OGG, WebM and WAV support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · journalism.co.uk
Offline use
After first loading, the site can run offline, but YouTube playback and Google Drive export are unavailable offline.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Open source
The app and its custom-built components are open source under the MIT license.Read 11 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Open-source licence
The application and its custom components are released under the MIT license.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Platform limit
The homepage says oTranscribe works on desktop computers only.Read 11 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Playback controls
Keyboard shortcuts control play/pause, rewinding and fast-forwarding while the user types.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Playback speed
Users can change playback speed with a slider or keyboard shortcuts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Praise: keyboard efficiency
The Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators said hotkeys make pausing, rewinding, fast-forwarding and speed changes quick, with timestamps as an additional benefit.Read 15 Oct 2026 · swet.jp
Praise: privacy
Evalogue.Life highlighted that recordings stay in the browser rather than being uploaded to the vendor's server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · evalogue.life
Praise: workflow simplicity
Evalogue.Life praised the combined player/editor interface, automatic text saving, speed controls and timestamps after using it for transcription work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · evalogue.life
Privacy design
The maker says audio and transcripts remain on the user's computer instead of being uploaded to a server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Rating on Clubic
0 out of 10 from 0 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · clubic.com
Self-hosting
The repository documents downloading a ZIP, building the assets with Webpack and uploading the generated dist directory to a server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Storage limitation
Saved transcripts cannot be accessed from another computer, and the help page advises exporting work because browser storage may be unreliable.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Support model
The help page describes support through direct email or social contact and says maintenance is a hobby rather than a job.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Supported media
Supported formats depend on the browser; WAV is broadly supported, MP3 generally works except in some Firefox cases, and some video and YouTube media are supported.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com
Timestamps
Users can insert a clickable timestamp that jumps to that point in the audio or video.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.muckrock.com
Video support
The interface includes an integrated player for video files.Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com

Plans and prices

Free Free manual transcription workspace · desktop browsers · local browser storage · Markdown/plain-text/OTR export · Google Drive export Read 15 Oct 2026 · otranscribe.com

Every oTranscribe plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to oTranscribeAll alternatives →