Voice Memos
An app that records your voice and shows the transcript for free.
What Voice Memos does
Voice Memos is Apple's own recorder, and it's probably already on your iPhone. Besides recording, trimming and cleaning up audio, it now turns speech into text on iPhone 12 and newer, in several English-speaking regions. It's free.
Before you pay for a transcription app, check this one. Voice Memos records with a tap, lets you trim and edit, and has an Enhance Recording option that cuts background noise. Recordings can be sorted into folders and shared like any other file.
The transcript feature is the reason it's on this list. On iPhone 12 or later, Voice Memos converts what you said into text so you can read through a recording instead of listening to all of it. Apple lists it for English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.
That's also the limit. If you speak another language, need speaker names, summaries or exports in formats like subtitles, or use Android, you'll want a dedicated app. For quick personal notes in English, it's hard to beat free and already installed.
Alternatives to Voice Memos
Who it's for
Skip it if: Languages other than English. Android phones.
Pricing
Free planFree. It comes on iPhone, and you can download it again from the App Store if you deleted it.
Prices can vary by country. Checked 17 Oct 2026.
What people like
- Free and already on most iPhones
- No account, no ads
- Clean, familiar Apple design
Watch out for
- Transcripts only in certain English regions
- Needs iPhone 12 or newer for transcripts
- No speaker labels or summaries mentioned
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Questions people ask
Can Voice Memos transcribe?
Yes, on iPhone 12 and later. It turns your recordings into text.
Which languages does Voice Memos transcribe?
Apple lists English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.
Is Voice Memos free?
Yes. It's Apple's built-in recorder.