ToText vs Smartling

Tagline

Convert MP3 and MP4 files into accurate, editable transcripts online with speaker labels, timestamps, and multi-format exports.

End-to-end localization and translation services for global growth

Category

Pricing

Rating

Platforms

API

Open source

Description

ToText is an online, browser-based transcription workspace that converts uploaded MP3 and MP4 files into editable text. The platform features time-aligned playback, automatic speaker recognition, editable speaker labels, and custom vocabulary support. Users can export their transcripts into multiple formats—such as TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT, CSV, TSV, JSON, and XLSX—or generate summaries, meeting notes, chapters, and translations.

Smartling is an all-in-one translation orchestration platform and translation management system. It enables enterprises to translate, automate, and manage content across platforms using 20+ LLMs, machine translation engines, and a network of over 4,000 professional human linguists.

Key features

• Audio and video transcription
• Time-aligned text editor synced with playback
• Automatic speaker recognition
• Editable speaker labels
• Custom vocabulary input
• Automatic language detection
• Transcript translation
• Summaries, chapters, and meeting notes
• Exports to TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT, CSV, TSV, JSON, XLSX

• Translation Orchestration
• Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA)
• Workflow Automation
• Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) Tool
• Glossary and Terminology Management
• Real-time Dashboards & Analytics
• Visual Context
• LLM and Machine Translation Engine Integration
• Open APIs and SDKs
• Secure MCP Server
• 50+ Brand Integrations
• Global Delivery Network (GDN) Web Proxy

Pros

• Offers 3 free transcriptions without requiring a sign-up or credit card.
• Supports a wide range of export formats including TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT, CSV, TSV, JSON, JSONL, and XLSX.
• Allows users to add custom vocabulary for specialist terms, names, and jargon before starting the transcription.
• Features an interactive online workspace that keeps the source recording next to the transcript for easy validation.
• Provides automated summaries, chapters, meeting notes, translations, and action items alongside the transcript.
• Explicitly guarantees that uploaded media and transcripts are not used to train public or third-party models.
• Includes automatic language detection, making transcription quick and user-friendly.
• Runs entirely in modern web browsers with no software installation required.

• Automates up to 99% of the translation process, including auto-detection of new content and auto-publishing.
• Supports seamless integration with over 50 platforms including CMSs, CRMs, code repositories, and tools like WordPress, Contentful, and GitHub.
• Provides a robust, RESTful API that covers 100% of the platform's functionality and supports real-time, AI-augmented machine translations.
• Ensures enterprise-grade security with certifications including SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI DSS Level 1, and GDPR compliance.
• Integrates with over 20 different LLMs and machine translation engines to deliver flexible, automated translations.
• Access to a global network of over 4,000 vetted professional linguists for secure human translation and post-editing.
• Customers retain total ownership of all translated content, glossaries, style guides, and translation memories.
• Provides real-time visual context inside its computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools to help linguists minimize mistakes.

Cons

• Built strictly for uploaded files and does not support live microphone recording or voicemail access.
• Does not support downloading or capturing media from third-party social media or video platforms.
• Free account limitations restrict transcriptions to only the first 20 minutes of an uploaded file.
• Does not burn subtitles directly into video files, exporting them as separate subtitle files instead.
• No public API or developer documentation is provided on the website.
• No native mobile or desktop applications are available.

• No free plan or trial option is listed on the pricing plans page.
• Pricing details, exact estimates, and SaaS plan rates are not publicly disclosed and require direct contact.
• The translation platform is cloud-based and does not mention any offline or local desktop applications.
• Custom setups or advanced pipeline integrations might require specialized developer resources or Smartling Professional Services.
• The platform utilizes AI automated routing and LLMs, which may still require human translation or review services depending on the content's visibility.

Pricing plans

• FreeUSD0
  • • No payment required to start
• 300-Minute PackUSD9.9/one_time
  • • 300 minutes of fast audio and video transcription
  • • Speaker recognition with editable speaker labels
  • • Automatic language detection and custom vocabulary
  • • Timestamped editor with synchronized playback
• Monthly UnlimitedUSD19.9/month
  • • Unlimited audio and video transcription
  • • Background noise reduction and speech enhancement
  • • AI summaries, meeting notes, chapters, action items, and transcript Q&A
  • • English translation, custom vocabulary, and automatic language detection
• Annual UnlimitedUSD149/year
  • • Unlimited audio and video transcription
  • • Background noise reduction and speech enhancement
  • • AI summaries, meeting notes, chapters, action items, and transcript Q&A
  • • English translation, custom vocabulary, and automatic language detection

• CoreUSD0
  • • Basic workflow, user, and project management
  • • Easy drag and drop
  • • CAT Tool with visual context and in-platform communication
  • • Essential reporting and automated quality checks
• Enterprise—
  • • Everything in Core, plus advanced user and project management
  • • Fully customizable and dynamic workflows
  • • Broad suite of connectivity options
  • • Advanced translation memory with unlimited storage
• AI Hub—
  • • High-volume automated translation
  • • Translations in minutes
  • • Translate with 20+ LLMs and machine translation engines
  • • Workflow automation with integrations
• AI Translation—
  • • Cost-effective quality at scale
  • • Translations in hours or days depending on requirements and volume
  • • AI and machine translation services
  • • Automated routing, context, and QA
• AI Human Translation—
  • • For high-visibility content that needs human oversight
  • • Human translation from Smartling’s network of 4,000+ linguists
  • • AI-enabled human translation services from Smartling
  • • Brand-consistent translations with human quality checks
• Professional Translation—
  • • Professional translation
  • • Starting at $0.12/word shown on page
  • • AI-enabled human translation services from Smartling
  • • Basic linguistic quality assurance tools

Website