Typist and aTrain are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Typist: AI speech-to-text service that converts audio and video into text and exports captions, with tiered models for speed or accuracy. aTrain: Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, ai-transcription, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants, ai-transcription workflows, shortlist Typist when transcribing recorded interviews and research or client calls matters most, and aTrain when researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
AI speech-to-text service that converts audio and video into text and exports captions, with tiered models for speed or accuracy.
Audio and video to text transcription across many file formatsExport to SRT subtitles, WebVTT captions, DOCX, PDF, and TXTMultiple transcription models trading off speed and accuracy
Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection.
Built on OpenAI Whisper via the faster-whisper engineExports compatible with MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivoGraphical interface requiring no programming skills
Typist is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); aTrain is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Audio and video to text transcription across many file formats
Offline, fully local transcription with no data leaving the device
Standout feature
Export to SRT subtitles, WebVTT captions, DOCX, PDF, and TXT
Built on OpenAI Whisper via the faster-whisper engine
Team usage
Multiple transcription models trading off speed and accuracy
Speaker detection/diarization using pyannote.audio
Integrations
Speaker identification on the highest-accuracy tier
Exports compatible with MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivo
Languages & capture
Word-level and segment-level timestamps for clean subtitle timing
Graphical interface requiring no programming skills
Best-fit workflow
Support for a wide range of languages and accents
NVIDIA GPU acceleration support
Best for
Typist
Choose Typist if you need transcribing recorded interviews and research or client calls — strengths include clean subtitle exports (srt and webvtt) that import into video editors.
aTrain
Choose aTrain if you need researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis — strengths include free and open source under agpl-3.0.
Pros & cons
Typist
+ Clean subtitle exports (SRT and WebVTT) that import into video editors
+ Choice of models lets users prioritize speed or accuracy per job
- Speaker identification is limited to the top tier
- Works on recorded files rather than live meeting capture
FAQ
Is Typist or aTrain better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Typist is strong for transcribing recorded interviews and research or client calls, while aTrain is strong for researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Typist and aTrain compare on price?
Typist is a free tier with paid upgrades and aTrain is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Typist and aTrain?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.