Is Voice Memos or Notes better for transcription?

They support the same iPhones (iPhone 12 or later) and the same languages. Voice Memos is better for a library of recordings you can search later. Notes is better when the recording belongs to a page of notes, like a class or a meeting.

Do I need an app to transcribe voice memos on iPhone?

Not for basic transcripts. Voice Memos does it for free in supported languages. An app helps when you want timestamps on the text, exports like TXT or SRT, or transcripts of audio files and videos from elsewhere.

Can Voice Memos or Notes export subtitles?

Not in the steps Apple documents. Both let you view and copy the transcript. For SRT subtitles you'd need to build the file by hand or use an app like Linen Pro.

Which option keeps my recordings most private?

Linen transcribes on your iPhone and never uploads your audio, and it works in airplane mode once a language is downloaded. For Apple's apps, see Apple's own privacy information for Voice Memos and Notes.

Can I use more than one?

Yes, and many people do. Record in Voice Memos as usual, read short memos right there, and share the long or important ones to Linen when you want timestamps or a file.

Voice memo to text: Notes, Voice Memos or an app?

We built Linen after seeing how often people pay by the minute, or upload private audio to a server, just to read what they said. We wanted transcription on the phone, private, with no minutes to buy. But we’ll be straight with you: your iPhone already does a good job for many people. This guide compares the three options fairly so you can pick the one that fits.

The short version

	Voice Memos	Notes	An app like Linen
Cost	Free	Free	3 free transcripts, then Pro
Record new audio	Yes	Yes, inside a note	Yes, even with the screen locked
Existing recordings	Your Voice Memos	Recordings made in Notes	Voice Memos, Files, videos from Photos
Search	Titles and transcripts	Find in a transcript	Find in one memo; across all with Pro
Tap text to play	Select a term to move the playhead	Tap the text you want to hear	Tap a paragraph, highlighted as it plays
Export	Copy	Copy or add to the note	Copy and TXT; SRT and audio with text in Pro
Requirements	iPhone 12 or later, iOS 18+	iPhone 12 or later, iOS 18+	iOS 26

Apple lists the same languages for Voice Memos and Notes: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Voice Memos transcription isn’t offered in every country or region.

Voice Memos: best for everyday memos

Voice Memos is the app most people already use, and since iOS 18 it transcribes your recordings.

What it does well:

Zero setup. Record as normal, then tap the recording, tap the More button and choose View Transcript or Copy Transcript.
Live text. While recording, swipe up from the top of the waveform to watch the words appear.
Search. The search field finds recordings by words in the title or the transcript.
Your back catalog. Apple says recordings made in iOS 17 or earlier are transcribed automatically when you open them.
Summaries. On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, Writing Tools can summarize a transcript.

Where it stops: your options are viewing and copying the text. There’s no file export or subtitle option in Apple’s steps, and those steps cover recordings in Voice Memos, not audio files or videos from elsewhere.

Notes: best for meetings and lectures

The Notes app can record audio inside a note and transcribe it. Tap the attachment button, then Record Audio.

What it does well:

Your notes and the recording together. You can type your own notes while it records, then keep the transcript right in the same note.
Tap to hear. In the transcript, tap the text you want to hear and the audio plays from there.
Find in Transcript to jump to a word.
Add Transcript to Note turns the spoken words into editable text in the note.
Summaries with Apple Intelligence on supported iPhones.

Where it stops: it’s built around recordings you make in Notes. For a memo you already have, Voice Memos is simpler. Export is copy or add to the note.

A dedicated app: best when you need more than the text

This is where Linen fits. It uses Apple’s on-device speech engine (SpeechAnalyzer, new in iOS 26), so it requires iOS 26. Your audio is never uploaded, and it works in airplane mode once a language is downloaded (each language downloads once).

What it adds:

Audio from anywhere. Share a recording from Voice Memos, pick an audio file in Files, or choose a video from Photos and Linen pulls the audio out.
Paragraphs with timestamps. Tap a paragraph to play from that point. The playing paragraph is highlighted.
Listening controls. Play at 1x, 1.5x or 2x, and skip 10 seconds.
Exports. Copy text or save TXT for free. Linen Pro adds SRT subtitles (each cue at most 2 lines of 42 characters) and sharing the audio with its text.
Search. Find inside one memo for free. Search across every transcript with Pro.
Long recordings. Record in the app with the screen locked, and with Pro there’s no length limit.

Where it stops: it costs money past the free tier, and it needs iOS 26. The free version covers your first 3 transcripts, up to 5 minutes each, with no card. Linen Pro is $29.99 a year with a 3-day free trial, or $4.99 a week.

How to choose

1. You record short memos and want to read them. Use Voice Memos. It’s free and already on your phone.

2. You’re in a class or meeting and taking notes anyway. Use Notes, so the recording and your notes live together.

3. You need to find moments by time, or work with long recordings. Use an app with timestamps and tap to play, like Linen.

4. The audio is in a video or a file. Use an app that imports it. Apple’s documented transcript steps cover recordings made in their own apps.

5. You’re making subtitles. Use an app that exports SRT. See how to make SRT subtitles on iPhone.

A setup that works for a lot of people

You don’t have to pick just one. Keep recording in Voice Memos as you always have. Read the quick ones right there. When a memo matters, a long interview, a lecture, a family story, share it to Linen for a timestamped transcript you can keep as a file.

For step-by-step instructions, see how to transcribe a voice memo on iPhone and how to get a transcript from a video on your iPhone.