Simon Says

Simon Says turns audio and video into editable transcripts, with translation and dubbing for multilingual work. It is best suited to people moving between languages and production software who need transcript and subtitle tools alongside transcription. Its broad export options and offline on-premises editions are meaningful strengths, but the online plans’ annual quotas and costs will not suit every workload.

Overview

Speech recognition supports transcription and translation in 100 languages. Transcripts can be edited, bookmarked, annotated, and shared; speaker identification and timestamps help make them usable for review and production. Users can also order text to assemble video and edit subtitles visually.

The service supports common production audio and video formats and codecs, with website files up to four hours long. Online import limits range from 5GB to 40GB, depending on plan. Standard and Enhanced on-premises options run offline, with no data sent to the cloud—a distinct advantage for organizations that need air-gapped processing.

Key features

• Transcript tools: Speaker labels, timestamps, editing, bookmarks, annotations, and sharing make the transcript more than a raw text result. These tools suit review and collaboration, though the facts do not establish how many users can work together.
• Production exports: Output includes Word and text documents, Excel, CSV, and JSON; subtitle options include SRT, WebVTT, SAMI, and Avid STL/SubCap. Exports also cover Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition, Final Cut Pro X and 7, Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools, DaVinci Resolve, Grass Valley EDIUS, MAXQDA, Lumberjack Ready, and burned-in subtitles or timecodes. That range makes Simon Says a better fit for an existing post-production workflow than a tool whose only deliverable is plain text.
• Offline deployment: Standard supports Mac installation; Enhanced supports Mac and PC and includes priority support. Both operate air-gapped. Enhanced is aimed at enterprises, studios, and governments with enhanced security protocols, but each has custom pricing.
• Data control: Users retain ownership of data sent to their account and can delete it when they choose. Subscribers can cancel from their profile page; cancellation prevents renewal.

Pricing

Simon Says combines a free plan, a pay-as-you-go option, annual subscriptions, and custom-priced on-premises editions. New users receive 15 minutes of free credit; the free plan includes 120 minutes. That gives prospective users a way to try transcription, but two hours will be restrictive for regular workloads.

• Pay as you go — $15 a month: The base charge is $0, with usage billed at $15/hour or $0.25 per minute based on file duration. It includes advanced transcription AI, translation to 100+ languages, the transcript editor, and exports to video editing apps and Word. This suits occasional users who want to pay for actual file duration rather than commit to an annual credit allowance.
• Starter — $180 a year: At $15.00/month billed annually, it provides 24 hours of credit per year. It is the lowest annual tier, but its yearly quota is a poor match for heavy or unpredictable use.
• Pro — $396 a year: At $33.00/month billed annually, it provides 48 hours of credit per year and a 20GB maximum file size. It doubles Starter’s annual hours and raises the upload ceiling, making it more practical for steady work with larger files.
• Pro+ — $1,500 a year: At $125.00/month billed annually, it includes 360 hours of credit per year, a 40GB maximum file size, and priority support. The much larger quota suits high-volume production, though its annual commitment and price are substantial.
• Standard and Enhanced on-premises: Both offer air-gapped offline operation; Standard is Mac-based, while Enhanced supports Mac and PC and includes priority support. Both use custom pricing for organizations that need offline processing.
• On-premises credit licenses: “Trial Simon Says on-prem with 5 hours credit” costs $100, paid once, and “Simon Says on-prem with 100 hours credit” costs $2,500, paid once. Each license expires one year after activation, so the hours need to be used within that period.

Subscribers can cancel anytime from their profile page, and the subscription will not renew. The Mac app has a universal build for Apple silicon M1, M2, and M3, as well as Intel Macs.

Platforms

Simon Says is available as an extension, on iOS, macOS, Windows, and the web, as well as through self-hosted deployment. The Mac app’s support for both Apple silicon and Intel Macs gives Mac users a clear compatibility range; offline self-hosting is the more relevant option for organizations that cannot use cloud processing.

Who it's for

Simon Says is a strong fit for production teams and multilingual users who need to move from speech recognition into transcript editing, subtitle preparation, or video and audio editing software. Organizations with strict security requirements may prefer its air-gapped on-premises editions. It is less compelling for people who need more than the free two-hour allowance but cannot justify an annual plan or pay-as-you-go charges.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Transcription and translation across 100 languages support work that spans languages.
• Pro: Speaker identification, timestamps, transcript editing, and subtitle tools support review and production rather than transcription alone.
• Pro: Exports reach a wide range of document, subtitle, and editing formats, reducing friction when handing work into established production tools.
• Pro: Air-gapped Standard and Enhanced options keep processing offline for organizations with enhanced security needs.
• Con: The free plan’s 120 minutes are a small allowance for ongoing transcription.
• Con: Annual plans impose fixed yearly credit quotas and annual billing, while high-volume Pro+ costs $1,500 a year.
• Con: The on-premises editions use custom pricing, which makes their cost harder to assess before approaching the maker.

Alternatives

Happy Scribe is worth considering for an alternative freemium service with Android, iOS, macOS, and API access; its free plan allows unlimited meeting recordings up to 45 minutes each and includes a 10-minute AI trial.

OpenWhispr may suit users prioritizing local AI models or meeting recordings: its free plan offers unlimited local AI models, 2,000 words per week of transcription, and five hours of meeting recordings per month across iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Speechmatics is an option for API or self-hosted work across Linux, macOS, web, and Windows; its free tier provides $100 in credits and does not require a credit card, though it has no free trial.

mercuryScribe is a free, open-source option under the MIT license for personal, academic, or commercial use.

Rev may be a better fit for English-only work: its free plan includes 45 AI transcription and caption minutes per month, five files at once, and one user, with Android, iOS, API, and web access.

AssemblyAI is an alternative for API or self-hosted use, with a free-credit plan offering $50 in audio credits, five new streaming connections per minute, and five concurrent pre-recorded transcriptions.

AudioPod AI may fit users seeking a freemium API, iOS, or web service whose free Basic plan provides 1,000 credits per month, roughly three minutes of text-to-speech, and 30-minute-per-file uploads.

Whipscribe offers a freemium alternative with API, extension, macOS, and web access; its free tier covers a first transcript of any length, with the next file unlocking from $2.

Browse more options in Podcast Transcription Software or Transcription Software.

Verdict

Choose Simon Says if you need multilingual transcription that continues into transcript editing, subtitles, or exports for production software, or if air-gapped processing is essential. Its breadth is the strongest reason to choose it; the two-hour free allowance and annual quotas or costs are the clearest reasons to look elsewhere.