Express Scribe

by NCH Software

Long-standing transcription playback software with foot pedal support.

TL;DR

Long-standing transcription playback software with foot pedal support.

Best for professional human transcriptionists who need foot-pedal control and queue management. Pricing: free / Pro one-time license.

Category
Desktop apps
License
—
Stars
—
Last push
—
Pricing
free / Pro one-time license
Platforms
Windows, macOS

What it is

Express Scribe is the de facto standard playback software for professional transcriptionists. Supports USB foot pedals, audio playback at variable speed, and basic AI transcription on Pro.

Best for: Professional human transcriptionists who need foot-pedal control and queue management.
Watch out for: Aging UI; targeted at human transcription workflows, not AI.

Install / use

nch.com.au/scribe — free + Pro

Features

Speaker diarizationNo
Word-level timestampsNo
Streaming / real-timeNo
Languages supported10
HIPAA eligibleNo

Express Scribe vs Whipscribe

FeatureExpress ScribeWhipscribe
CategoryDesktop appsTranscription APIs
Pricingfree / Pro one-time licensefree beta
Speaker diarization—Yes
Word timestamps—Yes
Streaming—No
Languages1099
PlatformsWindows, macOSWeb, API, MCP

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Whipscribe is a managed faster-whisper + whisperX service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.