Transcribe Audio Files for Free, No Card Needed
Turn any audio recording into text using Groq's free Whisper AI playground—no credit card, no subscription, up to 14,400 files a day. Free forever, no card.
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Create a Free Groq Account
Go to console.groq.com and sign up using an email or GitHub login. No payment method is requested or required to access the free tier.
Step 2: Open the Audio Playground
From the left sidebar menu in the Groq dashboard, click on "Playground" and then select the "Audio" tab. This is a fully functional web interface for their Whisper models.
Step 3: Select the Whisper Model
In the model dropdown, select whisper-large-v3. This is the most accurate speech-to-text model available in their free tier.
Step 4: Upload Audio & Set Prompt
Upload your audio file (mp3, mp4, wav, m4a). In the "Prompt" box, paste the template below to control spelling and formatting:
Provide a verbatim transcription of the audio. Use proper punctuation. If you encounter the name [insert name], spell it exactly as written here.
Step 5: Generate and Copy
Click "Generate" and wait a few seconds. Copy the resulting text from the output box. You're done—no watermark, no paywall.
What Breaks
Each audio file must be 25MB or smaller. If you upload a massive 2-hour interview, it will fail. You must split long files into chunks under 25MB using a free tool like QuickTime or Audacity before uploading. If you hit 14,400 transcriptions in a single day, you are locked out until midnight UTC. There is also no speaker diarization (labeling who said what) in this playground method—it outputs one continuous block of text.