Speech to Text with Harku: The Simple 2025 Guide (Real-Time, SRT, Free)

Speech to text turns talks, calls, podcasts, and lectures into searchable text and captions—fast. With Harku, you can upload audio/video or paste a YouTube link, support 100+ languages, and start free (no signup). Powered by Whisper V3, Harku delivers high accuracy (up to 99.2% on clear audio), plus handy exports like TXT/SRT/VTT.

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Why convert speech to text?

• Work faster: Search, copy, and reuse key notes—no more replaying long audio
• Accessibility & reach: Subtitles and closed captions help more people follow your content and often boost watch time
• Team alignment: Meeting transcripts make minutes, action items, and hand-offs simple
• Content reuse: Turn recordings into blog posts, show notes, or social clips in minutes

Real case: A 60-min meeting → 6 key decisions + 10 action items extracted in under 10 minutes

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Quick start: speech to text online (free, timestamps)

1) Get your audio ready

Use MP3/WAV/M4A or the audio track from MP4/MOV. Keep the mic close, reduce background noise, and aim for steady volume. If two speakers are split left/right, keep the stereo file—you can separate channels later.

2) Upload or paste a YouTube link

Drag & drop a file or paste the video URL. Choose Auto-detect if you're unsure of the language; pick a specific language/locale for best accuracy. For meetings/interviews, switch on timestamps and speaker labels (speaker diarization).

Example workflow: Marketing interview (45min) → 12 key quotes with timestamps → 3 blog posts in 2 hours

3) Export & light edit

Download TXT for notes, or SRT/VTT for captions. Keep each caption to two lines, break on natural pauses, and do a quick pass for names/brands/numbers.

Try speech to text with Harku (no signup). When you need longer files or priority queues, see Pricing.

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Use cases: meetings, podcasts, YouTube to text

Meetings & interviews

• Ask speakers to face the mic and avoid talking over each other
• Enable speaker labels and timestamps to review faster
• Paste a short checklist at the top of the transcript: agenda → decisions → next steps

Real case: Sales call → extracted 5 customer objections + 3 winning responses in 8 minutes

Podcasts & long audio

• Split files over an hour into 20–30 min chunks for safer uploads and easier edits
• Normalize volume so quiet and loud segments match; avoid clipping
• If your connection drops, use a tool with resume uploads

Data insight: After normalizing volume, name recognition improved 27% in our tests (15 podcast episodes)

YouTube & social video

• For public videos, paste the link directly. If the link is unstable, download first and transcribe locally
• Keep captions concise and on screen long enough to read; don't pack entire sentences into one caption

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File formats & devices: MP3/WAV/M4A, Mac/Windows/iPhone/Android

• Formats: MP3, WAV, M4A; audio tracks from MP4/MOV; many tools also handle FLAC/OGG/WEBM
• Devices: Works in any modern browser on Mac/Windows; mobile uploads from iPhone/Android are fine
• Voice typing: For quick notes, native dictation on each OS is useful, but full audio transcription in Harku gives you timestamps, speaker labels, and SRT/VTT

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Improve accuracy (noisy audio, accents)

Clear input gives the best output. Try these quick wins (no special gear needed):

• Reduce noise: Close doors, turn off fans/AC; keep a steady mic distance
• Set levels: Avoid clipping; aim for consistent loudness across speakers
• Handle accents: Pick the right language/locale (e.g., English-US vs English-UK); speak at a steady pace
• Split tracks: If two speakers are on L/R, split channels before transcription to reduce crosstalk
• Light cleanup: A touch of noise reduction or de-reverb helps difficult recordings

These quick tweaks lift transcription quality without extra tools.

Data insight: After basic noise reduction, brand name errors dropped 31% in our internal tests (12 noisy recordings)

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Export subtitles: SRT/VTT (bilingual, line breaks)

• Timing slightly off? Shift the file by a small offset (e.g., ±0.5s) and re-check in your player
• Lines too long? Use two lines max; break at punctuation or natural pauses
• SRT vs VTT? SRT is simple and widely supported; VTT adds richer styling on the web
• Bilingual subtitles? Translate your SRT, or create bilingual lines if your audience needs both

Example SRT format:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
Welcome to our speech to text guide.
This is how two-line captions look.

2
00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:06,000
Keep each caption short and readable.

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Online vs offline speech to text: which to choose?

Factor	Harku (online)	Offline tools
Setup	No install, runs in browser	Install needed, sometimes GPU
Speed	Fast start, server-side processing	Depends on your machine
Privacy	Encrypted in transit; delete after export	Full local control
File size limits	Free: 10 min / Basic: 60 min / Pro: 180 min	Unlimited (disk space)
Accuracy	Server models (Whisper V3)	Local models vary
Cost	Free tier + paid plans	One-time or DIY GPU costs
Convenience	Upload or paste YouTube	Local files only
Best for	Most users & teams	Strict IT/air-gapped use

Tip: Start online for speed and ease. If your company forbids uploads or needs full local control, use an offline workflow for sensitive content.

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Privacy & data retention (encrypted, delete after export)

• Encrypted in transit for uploads and downloads
• Data retention: Free: 7 days • Basic: 30 days • Pro: 365 days—delete anytime after export
• Team use: Confirm your internal policy (storage location, access control). For highly sensitive material, consider an offline process

Learn more: Privacy · Changelog

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Advanced editing features

Harku's online editor lets you:

• Merge/split segments: Combine crosstalk or separate long monologues
• Reassign speakers: Fix speaker label errors with one click
• Create chapters: Organize long recordings into searchable sections
• Edit timestamps: Adjust timing for perfect sync

All changes update in real-time—no need to re-transcribe.

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FAQ: speech to text

Is Harku free? Yes. You can start free with a small daily quota and no signup. For longer files and faster queues, see Pricing.

Which formats are supported? MP3, WAV, M4A, plus audio tracks from MP4/MOV. Many other common formats also work.

Can I paste a YouTube link? Yes—paste the URL and Harku will handle it for you.

What about timestamps and speaker names? Enable timestamps; add speaker labels for meetings and interviews.

How accurate is it? With clear audio, accuracy can reach up to 99.2%. Typical results are very strong for everyday recordings, and you can always fix small errors in the editor.

Which languages are supported? Harku supports 100+ languages including English and Chinese. Use Auto-detect or pick a language manually for best results.

Does it work on Mac/Windows/iPhone/Android? Yes. Harku runs in the browser, so any modern device works.

How do I export subtitles? Download SRT or VTT, then check timing and line length. See Audio to Text for more tips.

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Conclusion: faster notes, better captions

Speech to text helps you search, reuse, and subtitle content in minutes. With Harku, you can start free, paste a YouTube link, export SRT/VTT/TXT, and keep control of privacy.

Try speech to text with Harku (no signup) · See pricing · Transcribe YouTube