Express Scribe 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

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On this page

Overview
Pricing and Plans
Features
Integrations
User Reviews

Overview

Express Scribe

4.3

(52)

Pricing

Starting at $70.00 one time

About Express Scribe

Express Scribe is a powerful transcription software that supports most audio formats and encrypted dictation files, including MP3, M4A, DSS, WAV, and more. It features variable speed playback with a constant pitch, allowing users to transcribe dictations, voice notes, hearings, interviews, lectures, movies, songs, and more with ease.

Express Scribe supports hand-held recorders for quick and easy audio transfer, as well as dockable analog and digital portable voice recorders. Additionally, Express Scribe can automatically receive and load files by internet (FTP), email, or over a local computer network, and can even send finished transcriptions directly to clients.

The software works with professional USB foot pedals to control playback and is compatible with speech recognition software for automatic speech-to-text conversion. Express Scribe can also be used with Microsoft Word and other major word processors for seamless integration into existing workflows.

Express Scribe Screenshots

Express Scribe Pricing and Plans

Starting price: $70.00 one time

Free Trial

Free Version

Basic

$70.00

flat rate, one time

Plan 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

Plan includes:

45+ Supported Formats
Automatic File Management
Foot Pedal Control
Hot Keys
Variable Speed Playbackvariable Speed Playback
Works With Other Software

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Express Scribe Features

Popular features found in Medical Transcription
Automatic Transcription
Charting
Medical Terminology Database
Speech Recognition
More features of Express Scribe
Abbreviation Detection
Access Controls/Permissions
Archiving & Retention
Audio File Management
Customizable Macros
Transaction History
Voice Capture
Voice Recognition

Express Scribe Integrations

Microsoft Word

Express Dictate

Express Scribe User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.3

Ratings Breakdown

52%

31%

12%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.3

Value for money

4.0

Customer support

3.6

Functionality

4.1

Joseph N.

Verified reviewer

Writing and Editing

501-1000 employees

Used daily for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed October 2018

Transcription Simplified!

Express Scribe is such an amazing software

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

The Software has control of the files like I had not known before. With just a foot pedal, you can chose when to play, pause, fast forward or rewind your audio. It also has got options to changing the speed of the audio. To make it more convenient for the transcriber, the software offers a text box in which you will type what you hear from the audio. Sometimes in a conference or a meeting, some said things may pass me by. With Express Scribe however, I can sit down and retrace what was said. I can also put it into text for easier reference.

Cons:

It however lacks format options for the transcript.

Vendor Response

Hi Joseph, Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you would like, you can send a suggestion directly to our Development Team to request options for the transcript be added to a future version of this app, here: http://www.nch.com.au/suggestions/index.html -NCH Software Team

Replied December 2019

Faith B.

Verified reviewer

Legal Services

11-50 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2024

It used to be the best but not reliable enough for me.

Easy to use. Been using it from day one, but audio has some issues compared to FTW so I use that more often.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

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.

Ashleigh T.

Verified reviewer

Law Practice

11-50 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2018

Best software for dictation-cost effective!!

Very easy to setup, love that the foot pedal comes with the program- cost effective and very easy to use, our whole office uses it and likes it very much.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Previously 5

Value for money

Functionality

Previously 5

Pros:

How easy it was to set up and most of the times, it is super easy to load and transcribe the dictations. I also love the extras they offer.

Cons:

Sometimes my boss/attorney records his dictation in a different format somehow, and it won't work with Express Scribe. BUT.. even then I just tell him and he saves it as the correct format and the issue is solved! Just takes an extra step!

Verified

Reviewer

Higher Education

Self-Employed

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed September 2018

Well designed transcription software that can handle audio and video

I relied on Express Scribe for at least 6 years to transcribe hundreds of pages of documents. From about 2009-2011, I ran Express Scribe in WINE in a Linux host operating system for at least 2 years and did encounter a number of compatibility problems. Things may have improved dramatically since then owing to great improvements in WINE. It seems fairly priced for a professional software too. Overall, Express Scribe is an outstanding tool for transcription

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

During my graduate work, I relied on Express Scribe to help transcribe hundreds of hours of audio and video interviews. Especially useful are the program's hotkey controls that enable the user to back up the recording by increments that the user can select. This is extremely useful for reviewing recorded segments that are difficult to understand. Express Scribe supports all but the most obscure audio formats - a fact that is exceedingly helpful when dealing with student assignments that have been recorded on a wide range of mobile phones and mp3 devices. Users can use a hot-key to automatically insert time stamps throughout the transcript, or manually insert timestamps at key points though the document. The use of timestamps allows users to correlate the audio track with the exact position on the written transcript. Though I have never used a control pedal with Express Scribe, many times I wished that I had one. Use of a control pedal would free up the user's hands to focus more on typing transcripts.

Cons:

Express Scribe is not available in a native version for Linux. However, Express Scribe can run in Linux using the WINE Emulator. Keep your original receipt for the software and installation codes. If you reinstall your operating system, you may encounter problems reactivating Express Scribe.

Dori L.

Verified reviewer

Writing and Editing

Self-Employed

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed June 2020

Long-time user

Express Scribe was the first program I downloaded 11 years ago when I started transcribing and I still use it today. It's reliable, customizable, and has a ton of features and options, although I only use a fraction of them. The customer support has been very good, although hardly needed, and the website offers help and tutorials. My overall experience with it has been excellent.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

Express Scribe is loaded with features and options, more than I have ever needed to use in my work, but the ones I use the most are the following. It accepts a wide variety of file formats. It loads multiple files at once, so that I can work efficiently through a list, which is especially useful when I have a lot of shorter audio files. It comes with built-in tools for adjusting the audio quality under the Playback tab, where I particularly use the Clarity Low Frequency Cut-Off tool to improve speakers' voices. I have also found that setting Volume Auto-Adjust (range compression) to None gives me the clearest sound with the least static. Another useful feature is the ability to bookmark speakers in the audio file. Setting up a foot pedal connection was easy, although I like Express Scribe's ability to control the audio with function keys if the foot pedal develops problems. And, finally, I find the interface is easy for me to navigate.

Cons:

I would like the ability to place time stamps with a function key. I have tried to follow the time stamp shortcut instructions provided by NCH, but have not been able to use it well, so I usually insert time stamps during the proofing stage using another transcription software program that does have that feature. Another issue for a long time was that audio played in Express Scribe seemed to have higher levels of background static than the same audio played in other transcription programs. I was finally able to resolve this issue by setting the Volume Auto-Adjust (range compression) to None, as I mentioned above. I had been relying on the default setting (which I believe was Strong) and didn't realize what a difference it would make to the clarity -- at least to my ears.

Delores G.

Verified reviewer

Writing and Editing

Self-Employed

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2020

Loved everything except two things

I've used Express Scribe daily for the past 11 years, and never had any long-standing issues. It is my DAILY workhorse for transcription -- at least for all my first-pass-to-audio drafts, but for challenging audios most times I will switch to another brand second-audio-pass, i.e. for proofreading.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

The ability to generate automated timestamps. The feature allowing audio tweaks; volume boost, etc. Feature of being able to queue a number of projects all at once, to line up work in order of priority. I've used Express Scribe Pro DAILY for 11 years, and never had a single malfunction issue, except for a few freezes here and there, but restarting the program immediately fixed each freeze. Also loved that it plays both audio and video recordings.

Cons:

I have two: (1) The timestamping feature could be improved, wherein after one has typed a lengthy document (say 150-page long Word doc); and one with countless timestamped inaudibles littered throughout, if there were a new feature embedded in the timestamped section that would say "NEXT" when the mouse is hovered over the timestamp, meaning clicking "NEXT" would jump/leap forward to the next timestamped section in the document, this would save a bunch of time, instead of having to use the "find" feature in Word to locate each one. This helps a transcriptionist when they reach the stage of wanting to zoom in just to each inaudible-timestamped section, one after the other, to make a last-ditch effort to clear up inaudible words prior to submitting. (2) There are other transcription software where the sound quality is a tad, wee-bit sharper, and when it comes to transcribing challenging audio qualities, I usually have to move to another software during proofing to ensure I catch every word when audio quality is bad. For example, FTW appears to have a tad crisper hearing quality in detecting some words during bad-quality recordings.

Vendor Response

Hi Delores, Thank you so much for your review. We're glad you found our scribing software useful. Thank you for your feedback as well, we've passed this onto the development team.

Replied October 2020

Verified

Reviewer

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed March 2018

I have been using this software for years, and it is easily transferred from one PC to another

I was able to train people on the software remotely without issue, due to its ease of use. I earn money doing transcription using it, so I gain monetary benefits as well.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

This product continues to work even if you never update to the newest version. Sometimes newer is not better, and the time it takes to learn a newer version is always lost time. I like that this is reliable no matter what version I use.

Cons:

This software does not always load the audio files the first time. It may take 1-2 times to load a file before the audio completely downloads, but that is rare and always resolves.

Vendor Response

Hello there, Thank you for contacting us. We apologize for any inconvenience may have caused. If you continue to encounter any issues or have further questions, our Support Team will be more than glad to assist you here: https://www.nch.com.au/support/supportcontact.html?software=Scribe -NCH Software Team

Replied December 2019

Verified

Reviewer

Primary/ Secondary Education

201-500 employees

Used other for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed July 2019

Simple and Effective Transcription Software

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

Express Scribe was very easy to use. I had only had experience with one other transcription program before this, but I had no problems learning this one. It was easy to connect to my footpedal, but it also has hot keys for those who don't use a pedal. The volume and speed controls met my needs. I used it along with a word processing software to complete my short-term (6-12 months) job of medical transcription. For the price, it was great.

Cons:

It would have been nice to have more audio filters. I didn't see options to adjust mid-range tones, though it did have an option to eliminate background noises. This was fine for the relatively quiet and clear medical transcription files I was transcribing. For those transcribing files with groups or garbled speakers, you may want to consider something with more options. (I never needed to use the background noise filter, so I can't vouch for how well it worked.)

Verified

Reviewer

E-Learning

2-10 employees

Used other for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed February 2019

Great App

Very happy with this software - great complement to the audio recorders from Olympus and others. Well done. Many thanks.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I love simplicity and Express Scribe has that in spades. I've used it to transcribe interviews from 3 different research studies. Like the ability to filter, enhance and slow the audio down. Great cheap option with all that I needed for my work.

Cons:

Probably setting the hotkeys to control and pause the audio - often conflicts with other apps

Verified

Reviewer

Used daily for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed May 2018

Absolutely fantastic!

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

I personally love the way you can slow down or speed up audio by percentage. That makes such a huge difference with transcription!

Cons:

I wish there were more options to raise/lower levels of audio. That would help transcriptionists hear different speakers, adjust the audio levels as needed, etc.

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