--- title: "Express Scribe Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Express Scribe Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Transcription products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/190970/Express-Scribe/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- # Express Scribe Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on October 19, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Express Scribe ## What is Express Scribe? Express Scribe Transcription Software offers valuable features for typists including variable speed playback, multi-channel control, playing video, file management, and more. Express Scribe supports common audio formats including WAV, MP3, WMA, and DCT. Increase your words per minute by giving your feet control of playback, leaving your fingers free to type. This program supports a variety of foot pedal controls and has the ability to dock portable recorders to load recordings. ## What is Express Scribe used for? [Medical Transcription](https://www.capterra.com/medical-transcription-software/)[Transcription](https://www.capterra.com/transcription-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 52 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 83% Neutral 12% Negative 6% Starting price $70 Flat Rate, One Time Free trial available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Express Scribe?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/express-scribe/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Express Scribe 4.3 (52) VS. [4.8 (19)](https://www.capterra.com/p/68235/ZyDoc-Transcription/reviews/) Starting Price $70 Flat Rate, One Time Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.3 (52) Ease Of Use 4.7 (37) Value For Money 4.0 (40) Value For Money 4.9 (36) Customer Service 3.5 (33) Customer Service 5.0 (36) ## Express Scribe alternatives [3.0 (3)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10030040/Skriber/#reviews) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 33% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.9 (143)](https://www.capterra.com/p/167966/Sonix/reviews/) Starting price $22.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Sunoh](https://www.capterra.com/p/10016372/Sunoh/) [4.1 (37)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10016372/Sunoh/reviews/) Starting price $149.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 81% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/10016372/Sunoh/) [DeepScribe](https://www.capterra.com/p/232206/DeepScribe/) [4.3 (8)](https://www.capterra.com/p/232206/DeepScribe/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 88% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/232206/DeepScribe/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/190970/Express-Scribe/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Express Scribe Overview ### What problems does Express Scribe solve? Express Scribe solves the slow, repetitive workflow of replaying recordings, locating audio files, and matching spoken content to written transcripts. Playback speed controls, auto-backstep, hotkeys or foot pedals, timestamps, audio adjustments, and file queues help transcriptionists, medical staff, researchers, and legal or administrative teams process dictation, interviews, meetings, and video recordings efficiently. Answer based on 44 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Express Scribe? Express Scribe is most used by transcriptionists, freelance transcribers, proofreaders, and writers who convert recorded interviews, dictation, and meetings into accurate text. Educators, researchers, and consultants use it to document lectures, studies, and client discussions, while small-business owners and executives capture spoken notes and prepare written records. Answer based on 52 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Express Scribe built for? Express Scribe is for individuals and businesses of any size that need audio transcription, with small businesses representing 87% of reviewers and Writing and Editing the top industry at 22%. It also serves Legal Services (16%) and Translation and Localization (7%), with medical transcription as the most common use case. Answer based on 52 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Express Scribe? Express Scribe includes core transcription features such as audio file management, variable playback speed, customizable hotkeys, and USB pedal foot control for play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward commands. It also supports voice capture, timestamp insertion, audio adjustments, and loading multiple audio or video files for queued transcription work. Answer based on 27 reviews Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Express Scribe offers a free version and trial, while Basic costs $70 as a one-time flat fee and Professional costs 80 as a one-time flat fee. Reviewers describe it as reasonably priced, but some report confusion over free-version access after trial expiration and needing Word for proofreading. Answer based on 16 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Express Scribe integrate with? Express Scribe integrates with Microsoft Word for document-based transcription workflows. Answer based on 2 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Express Scribe offer? Express Scribe provides documentation and videos to support training and onboarding. Documentation offers written reference material for features and setup steps, while videos give visual walkthroughs that teams can follow at their own pace. Answer based on 1 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Express Scribe offer? Express Scribe provides Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, and Chat support. User feedback is mixed: some describe staff as helpful and customer service as very good, while others report slow responses or no reply when asking for help, especially for technical issues and account questions. Answer based on 6 reviews Bugs and issues ### Does Express Scribe have bugs or reliability issues? Express Scribe generally provides dependable daily transcription playback, with many long-term users reporting few lasting problems. Some transcribers encounter occasional freezes, trial or licensing confusion, unsupported formats, or sound-quality concerns. Restarting resolves some freezes, while independent professionals often save transcripts in a separate word processor to protect their work. Answer based on 21 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 108 Transcription reviews According to Capterra reviewers, these are the features buyers prioritize most when evaluating medical transcription software: - **Charting** (**65%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **HIPAA Compliant** (**85%**) - **Automatic Transcription** (**55%**) Express Scribe focuses on other capabilities that reviewers also consider important, including **Speech Recognition** (**60%**). This feature helps speed up dictation workflows, reduce manual typing, and improve documentation efficiency, giving teams a faster way to turn spoken notes into written records. Audio File Management 4.4 (5) 60.00% of 5 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Supports audio files Access Controls/Permissions 3.3 (4) 75.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems Voice Capture 3.8 (4) 50.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Voice recording and storing Abbreviation Detection 3.0 (3) 66.67% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Automatically comprehend data abbreviation terms Customizable Macros 4.0 (3) 0.00% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Database of phrases that are frequently used or insinuated Transaction History 4.0 (3) 66.67% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Record of all transactions such as purchases, deposits, withdrawals and transfers within a specific period Express Scribe 9 features ### All Features - Abbreviation Detection: Automatically comprehend data abbreviation terms - Access Controls/Permissions: Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems - Archiving & Retention: Moving and separately storing data that is not actively used or continuous storage of data for compliance purposes - Audio File Management: Supports audio files - Customizable Macros: Database of phrases that are frequently used or insinuated - Speech Recognition: Train your system to interpret and transcribe voice messages - Transaction History: Record of all transactions such as purchases, deposits, withdrawals and transfers within a specific period - Voice Capture: Voice recording and storing - Voice Recognition: Recognize/detect varying frequencies in a person's voice to identify/verify "who" is speaking --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.1 (51) 4.1 Based on 51 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.0 (40) Free Trial Free Version [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/190970/Express-Scribe/pricing/) Basic $70.00 Flat Rate,One Time It includes: - 45+ Supported Formats - Automatic File Management - Foot Pedal Control - Hot Keys - Variable Speed Playbackvariable Speed Playback - Works With Other Software Professional $80.00 Flat Rate,One Time It includes: - 45+ Supported Formats - Automatic File Management - Foot Pedal Control - Hot Keys - Variable Speed Playbackvariable Speed Playback - Works With Other Software Value for money 4.0 (40) 4.0 Based on 40 reviews ## Integrations [ Microsoft Word](https://www.capterra.com/p/227146/Microsoft-Word/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 3.5 (33) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 3.5 (33) 3.5 Based on 33 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.3 Based on 52 reviews Filter by rating 5(27) 4(16) 3(6) 2(1) 1(2) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent FB Faith B. Transcriptionist Legal Services ### "It used to be the best but not reliable enough for me." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 August 15, 2024 Easy to use. Been using it from day one, but audio has some issues compared to FTW so I use that more often. Pros I have been using it for about 20 years. I also use FTR and FTW. The audio sometimes is not as good as FTW but I would rate it a 7 out of 10. Staff is very helpful for any issues arising. Cons Audio quality varies. Not as good as FTW. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Medical Office Assistant Medical Practice ### "Good choice " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 January 9, 2023 Pros I like this program in comparison to others that do the same. It's easy to use and works well. Cons There's a few features that are a bit tricky but mostly its user friendly Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. GR Gwen R. Medical transcriptionist Medical Practice ### "Most common but not the best" 1.0 Overall Rating 1.0 1.0 Ease of Use 1.0 1.0 Features 1.0 1.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 August 24, 2022 I used it for a few years with general transcription as a free product and it worked okay. I stopped using it for 5 years when I worked for a company that had it's own software. When I became an independent contractor and tried to use Express Scribe again, it was very expensive, I could not get the trial to even work properly, and the sound quality was TERRIBLE. I went searching for something else and found something that was way better in every way and have used that software ever since. Pros I did not like anything about it. I wasn't user friendly at all and the sound quality was horrible. Cons Terrible sound quality, not at all user friendly, expensive. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. IL Iris L. Transcriptionist Writing and Editing ### "Not my go-to" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 August 24, 2022 I used Express Scribe mostly in the beginning of my career. These days, I use it occasionally to see if I can suss out a particularly difficult audio bit. Pros Express Scribe offers a great free-trial option. Additionally, the various options to improve the quality of the transcript are a plus. Cons The sound quality overall is tinny and staticky. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. DS Deloris S. Freelancer Writing and Editing ### "Express Scribe Makes Transcription Less Stressful" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 19, 2022 Pros I can find and load my audio onto Express Scribe easily. I can listen to the audio and apply background reduction or increase the volume. You can use hot keys or a foot pedal with this software. Express Scribe allows you to use videos to transcribe. This is helpful when you are unsure of who is talking when you are transcribing. Cons There is no free version of this software. You have to pay a one-time fee. The background reduction feature can help or hurt the audio. It has been times when the reduction feature made the audio worse for me. Also, I never learned how to timestamp using this software. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RF Rebecca F. Owner Publishing ### "Easy to use" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 21, 2022 It works well. I dislike their business model. Pros It provides a hands-free format to transcribe dictations and organizes my audio files in one place. Cons I have to purchase it over and over if I want to upgrade to new versions. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Irfanudeenj S. Senior Business Development Executive E-Learning ### "Transcription at ease with Express Scribe" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 April 15, 2022 Overall it was a good experience for me with Express Scribe. I use Express Scribe mostly as a text-to-speech convertor, so It is really helpful in intaking the textual contexts in an audio format, with modified speed like slow play and fast play. Pros Express Scribe is very quick in its functioning, an easy to deploy and ready to use application. It is very simple to use, no need of technical knowledge or training. I used Express Scribe to hear the audio notes, sales pitch, call notes, conduction pitches. It act as my secondary transcription based audio player in my routine then. Cons I use trial version initially, but I face lot of technical glitches while using the application. The application went auto-stop for no reasons, after the premium subscription the issue reduces. The support team need to reduce the response time for a query. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AB Angela B. Freelance transcriptionist Translation and Localization ### "Good if you can afford it" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 March 9, 2022 Well worth the money if you can afford it but I've found more cost effective that let me use my pedal. Pros User friendly, has most every function you could want. Cons Can't use pedal with free version. This was what led me to uninstall. Alternatives considered [The FTW Transcriber](https://www.capterra.com/p/102854/The-FTW-Transcriber/) Reasons for choosing Express Scribe I didn’t Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Aya M. Freelancer | VA | Lead Generation Hospital & Health Care ### "ExpressScribe" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 9, 2021 For my overall experience with Express Scribe, it has been excellent and I highly recommend this product! Pros What I like most is it's being user-friendly and the sound quality for the audio is very good. Cons The least feature that I am not happy with about this software is there is no auto proofreading. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CC Caryn C. teacher Education Management ### "Very user friendly" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 19, 2021 Pros I don't use this often, but when I do, it's easy to jump back into it. Cons I don't have any negatives about this software. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/190970/Express-Scribe/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Sunoh vs Express Scribe](https://www.capterra.com/compare/190970-10016372/Express-Scribe-vs-Sunoh)