No. 17 of 43 ·Transcription Software

ELAN

Windows · Mac · Linux

Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.5

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

ELAN is ranked #17 of 43 in transcription software on Freedom251, made by ELAN (Nijmegen, Netherlands). It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.

Compared on transcription software

Free plan: Yes

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The record

Purpose: ELAN is an annotation tool for audio and video recordings.
Annotations: Users can create unlimited textual annotations, including sentences, words, glosses, comments, translations and descriptions.
Tiers and timing: Annotations can be organized in hierarchical tiers, time-aligned to media or linked to other annotations.
Views and vocabulary: The software provides multiple annotation views synchronized with the media timeline and supports controlled vocabularies.
Video limit: An annotation document can link up to four video files.
File format: Annotation text supports Unicode, and annotation documents are stored in the XML-based EAF format.
Media support: Audio and video format support depends on the operating system and uses available native media frameworks, including Windows Media Player, QuickTime or VLC.
Integrations and export: ELAN 7.1 adds export to REFI project files for qualitative data analysis software; the maker describes this as a one-time integration with no current plans for further extension.
Platforms and license: ELAN is written in Java, has distributions for Windows, macOS and Linux, and its source is available under GPL 3.
Support: Users can search or post on the ELAN forum, contact the support desk through a form, or subscribe to release and news announcements by mailing list.
Intended users: ELAN is presented as a tool for annotating audio and video recordings, with features such as tiers, time alignment and controlled vocabularies.
Current release: The download page lists ELAN 7.1 and provides packages for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Views: ELAN provides several annotation views synchronized with the media timeline.
Media compatibility: Media support builds on native frameworks such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or VLC, and supported formats depend on the operating system.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Transcription Software in 2026#17 of 43
Best Video Annotation Software in 2026#11 of 33

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Sources

archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan· checked 28 Sept 2026
archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/release-notes· checked 28 Sept 2026
archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/support· checked 28 Sept 2026
archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/download· checked 28 Sept 2026
archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/documentation· checked 29 Sept 2026
mpi.nl/tools/elan/docs/manual/Pref_Introductio· checked 29 Sept 2026