Transcribe a podcast back catalog, many episodes at a time
Upload your episode files, up to 100 per job, and get every episode transcribed word for word with timestamps from the start of that episode. You download one merged document and a ZIP with a TXT and an SRT per episode. One payment of $5 covers up to 6 hours of audio in total; a large back catalog goes in several jobs or on Unlimited.
- One TXT and one SRT per episode, numbered in name order
- A merged Word, PDF or TXT document listing every episode and its duration
- Total audio per job: up to 6 hours for $5, 12 hours on Unlimited
- Episodes are uploaded as files; RSS feeds and links are not read
- Speaker changes marked "Speaker 1:", "Speaker 2:" when clear
Why transcribe old episodes at all
Transcripts make episodes searchable, give you text for episode pages and blog posts, help listeners who are deaf or hard of hearing, and let you find the episode where a guest said something you want to quote. Many shows only began publishing transcripts recently, so years of earlier episodes have no text at all.
Planning batches for a large catalog
The limit per job is total audio, not the number of files. If your episodes run about an hour, one $5 batch holds up to 6 of them. For a show with dozens of long episodes, Unlimited at $19 a week is usually simpler: each job holds up to 12 hours, you can run several jobs back to back during the week, and you cancel when you are done.
Name files so they sort in episode order, for example "001 Pilot.mp3", "002 Second episode.mp3". The merged document and the numbered result files follow that order. You can also put a season in one ZIP, with a folder per season.
What each episode transcript looks like
- Every paragraph starts with a timestamp like [42:15] from the start of that episode
- A new paragraph with "Speaker 1:" or "Speaker 2:" where the speaker clearly changes; names only if said
- Ad reads and intros are transcribed if they contain speech; trim them first if you do not want them
- SRT files you can upload as captions wherever your host or video platform accepts them
When another tool fits better
Bulk transcription gives you transcripts. If you want show notes for an episode, with title ideas, a description, chapters from 0:00 and quotes, use the podcast show notes tool one episode at a time; it also labels every paragraph with a speaker. On long episodes, speaker numbers are assigned per ten-minute part, so the host can be "Speaker 1" in one part and "Speaker 2" in the next. Find and replace on screen fixes that before you download.
How the tool works, what it costs and how your files are handled is on the Bulk Audio Transcription page; prices for every tool are on the pricing page.
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Questions and answers
Can ChatGPT transcribe my whole podcast archive?
It can help with a short clip. A catalog of hour-long episodes runs into audio length limits and reply length straight away, and transcripts come back shortened or incomplete.
How much does it cost for many episodes?
It depends on total length. Each batch of up to 6 hours of audio is $5; Unlimited, $19 a week, allows 12 hours per job and as many jobs as you run that week.
Can it read my RSS feed?
No. Download the episode files from your host and upload them, or upload them as one ZIP.
Will it tell host and guest apart by name?
Only when names are said in the audio. Otherwise speakers are numbered, and you can rename them with Find and replace on screen.
Are my unreleased episodes private?
Yes. Files are visible only to you, sent to an AI model provider only to be processed, and not used to train models. You can delete a job at any time.