Happy Scribe (now written HappyScribe) turns audio and video into transcripts, subtitles and translations in 150+ languages, and its AI notetaker records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls. Human proofreading is an optional add-on from $2.00 a minute. The free plan includes the meeting notetaker and a 10-minute trial of AI transcription; Basic costs $17 a month, or $8.50 a month billed annually.
The bottom line
A reliable transcription workhorse with exceptional language breadth; human-review add-on makes it broadcast-grade when needed.
6 - subscription tiers are fair but the human-review add-on at $2/min and per-minute credit overages erode value at scale.
Ease of use8/10
8 - fully web-based with a clean upload-to-edit flow; minimal learning curve for new users.
Ecosystem7/10
7 - integrates with Zapier and select media tools; API available; lacks native deep integrations with major DAWs or video editors.
Support7/10
7 - help center and customer support from 05:00 to 23:00 CET; priority support on Business.
Community ratings
4.7/ 5 aggregate · across 1 source
Capterra
4.730+ reviews
Third-party ratings shown verbatim; aggregate weighted by review volume.
What it really is
Happy Scribe — AI and human transcription, subtitling, and translation platform supporting 150+ languages.
Our take
Happy Scribe pairs AI transcription and subtitling with a human proofreading service in the same editor, so a file can be checked by a person when accuracy matters. Recent plans also bundle an AI meeting notetaker and AI chat over your files. Paid plans include a fixed number of AI minutes; extra minutes cost $0.20 each.
Why we rate it
One of the few tools that handles 150+ languages with a polished interactive editor, speaker diarization, and team collaboration — all without needing local software.
The catch
Human proofreading at $2.00/min escalates cost rapidly for longer recordings; the free tier is too restricted for any real workflow.
Best for
Podcasters and journalists needing fast, multilingual AI transcripts
Video producers requiring subtitle generation and translation
Teams that occasionally need human-proofread transcripts for broadcast accuracy
Not good for
High-volume users on a tight budget, since extra AI minutes cost $0.20 each
Long recordings that need human proofreading at $2.00 a minute
Teams that only need meeting notes and no file transcription
Friction report
Time to value
Fast — upload audio or video and receive an AI transcript within minutes; editor is immediately usable.
Scale breakpoint
Credit caps per plan mean high-volume teams hit overages quickly; extra credits at $0.20/min add up, and human review at $2/min makes scale expensive.
Walled garden
Low — exports to TXT, SRT, PDF, DOCX, VTT, STL, XML, FCPXML, and EDL cover virtually every downstream workflow.
Happy Scribe pricing
Plan
Monthly billing
Annual billing
AI minutes
Seats
Free
$0
$0
10-minute trial
1
Basic
$17/month
$8.50/month
120 a month (1,440 a year)
1
Pro
$29/month
$19/month
600 a month (7,200 a year)
3
Business
$89/month
$59/month
6,000 a month (72,000 a year)
5
Enterprise
Contact sales
Contact sales
Custom
Custom; adds SSO/SAML
From HappyScribe's pricing page, checked 2 October 2026. Extra AI minutes cost $0.20 each on paid plans. Human proofreading starts at $2.00 a minute ($1.90 on Business).
A look inside
Frequently Asked Questions
Partly. The free plan includes the AI meeting notetaker (recordings up to 45 minutes) and a 10-minute trial of AI transcription, with watermarked video exports. Paid plans start at $17 a month, or $8.50 a month billed annually (checked 2 October 2026).
Basic is $17, Pro $29 and Business $89 a month on monthly billing, or $8.50, $19 and $59 a month billed annually. Extra AI minutes are $0.20 each and human proofreading starts at $2.00 a minute.
HappyScribe runs its own freelance program for transcribers and subtitlers: you sign up, take a skill check, and the team reviews your application. Payment is by bank transfer every two weeks. We haven't verified pay rates.
AI transcription and subtitles in 150+ languages, AI translation in 80+ languages, and human services in 65+ languages.
Happy Scribe alternatives
Other transcription tools from our reviews:
TurboScribe: AI transcription of audio and video files, with a free daily allowance.
Sonix: AI transcription that converts audio and video into searchable text in many languages.
Trint: AI transcription and editing platform for turning recordings into editable text.
Otter.ai: Meeting notetaker that joins calls, transcribes them live and writes summaries.
