How to get transcripts that say who spoke for solo consultants, coaches and freelance journalists in 2026

Q: What file size and length does Connections Storage accept?

Recordings longer than 6 hours are rejected. Files larger than 4 GB are refused. Check the length and size of your recording before uploading. If a recording is over either limit, split it into shorter parts first, then transcribe each part.

Q: Is there a free plan for Connections Storage?

There is a plan named Connections Free. A paid plan named Connections Pro is $39.99 a month and gives premium access across every Connections product. A higher plan named Connections Business is $99.99 a month, with higher limits across every Connections product. Check which limits apply to the work you need before you sign up, since the limits decide whether the free plan covers your sessions.

How solo consultants, coaches and freelance journalists can get transcripts that label each speaker, with steps, tool options and mistakes to avoid.

By Uncommon Comforts · 2026-10-13

Uncommon Comforts is published by the team behind Connections, whose products are compared here alongside other tools.

Record clear audio with more than one voice, pick a transcription tool that labels speakers, turn labels on, then check and rename the speakers before you export. Connections Storage, made by the team that publishes this site, is one option, and other services in this category are worth comparing before you choose.

Option	Speaker labels	Search inside transcripts	Caption file download	Plans and prices
Connections Storage	Yes, can be turned on or off ^[1]	Header search across the whole Drive ^[1]	SRT or VTT files ^[1]	A plan named Connections Free ^[1], a paid plan at $39.99 ^[1], and a higher plan at $99.99 ^[1]
Otter.ai	not published	not published	not published	not published
Rev	not published	not published	not published	not published
Trint	not published	not published	not published	not published

What you need before you start

Before you ask for a transcript that says who spoke, gather a few things.

You need a clear recording of the session or interview, saved as one audio or video file. Speaker labels work best when people take turns, so a recording where two people talk over each other often will be harder to sort. Know roughly how many people are on the recording, because labels only separate voices when there is more than one. A recording with one person speaking will not give useful labels.

Check the file itself too. Note its length and size, since some tools refuse very long or very large files. Decide what you need the finished transcript for: reading it, searching for a quote, or making captions. That choice narrows which tool fits. Finally, have an account ready with whichever service you pick, and check whether it has a free tier with limits or requires a paid plan from the start.

Step by step

Follow these steps to get a transcript that says who spoke.

Record the session or interview. Use the recording setup you already have. Ask people to avoid talking at the same time, and use separate microphones where you can.
Save the recording as one file. Export or download it so it sits as a single audio or video file on your computer. Common formats such as MP3, M4A, WAV, or MP4 are widely accepted, but check the list the service publishes.
Check the length and size. Write both down before you upload, so a refused file does not catch you by surprise.
Choose a tool that labels speakers. Not every transcription service does. Look for a feature called speaker labels or speaker identification. Speaker labels tag each line with the person who said it, and that is the core requirement here.
Upload the file. Sign in, find the upload or import option, and select the file. Wait while the service processes it, since longer recordings take longer.
Turn speaker labels on. Some services apply labels by default and others need a setting switched on. Check, and confirm each line now shows a speaker tag.
Review and correct the labels. Read the transcript against the recording. Fix lines credited to the wrong person, especially where speakers overlap or a question and answer run together.
Rename the speakers. Replace generic labels such as Speaker 1 with real names or roles, such as Coach or Client. This makes the transcript usable later.
Export the transcript. Save it as text, as a caption file such as SRT or VTT, or as a searchable document, depending on what you need. Keep a copy somewhere you control in case the account changes.

Afterwards, search inside the transcript for a topic or quote instead of rereading the whole thing. That habit saves time when you review a session or check a quote before using it.

Tools that can do it

Several services can produce transcripts with speaker labels. The table below compares what this page can state for each one.

Connections Storage is made by the team that publishes this site. Recordings are transcribed, and you can turn speaker labels on or off for your transcripts. ^[1] A voice that has been recognized is tagged in your other recordings, so a returning client or a repeat interview subject can be labeled across sessions. ^[1] Recordings are filed in one folder per day, and each one is named by the time it was recorded. ^[1] The transcript appears under the audio player, and clicking a line plays the recording from that point. ^[1] You can download a transcribed recording's captions as an SRT or VTT file. ^[1] The header search looks across the whole Drive, matching names and what was said in recordings. ^[1] Speech is transcribed for 25 European languages and for other languages. ^[1] Connections Free is a plan with limits, and going over a limit stops the action instead of billing you. ^[1] A paid plan named Connections Pro is $39.99 a month and gives premium access across every Connections product. ^[1] A higher plan is priced at $99.99. ^[1] A further plan offers 2 TB of storage, described as the widest ceilings on the ladder. ^[1] The production tier is flat, never a per-user meter, and gives premium access across every product. ^[1] Storage is a web app with no native Windows, Mac, iOS or Android apps. ^[1] Connections apps can be installed as a PWA, which is a web app added to your home screen. ^[1] Recordings longer than 6 hours are rejected. ^[1] Files larger than 4 GB are refused. ^[1]

Other services in this category include Otter.ai, Rev, and Trint. This page has no verified facts about them, so before choosing, check whether each one labels speakers, lets you search the transcript, offers caption downloads, and what it charges.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid these mistakes when getting speaker-labeled transcripts.

Uploading a low-quality recording. Background noise, echoes, and overlapping speech make speaker identification harder. Record in a quiet room, and use separate microphones when you can.

Forgetting to turn speaker labels on. A plain transcript can come back with no speaker tags at all. Check the settings before you rely on the result.

Skipping the review step. Labels are often close but not exact. A coach credited as the client, or a journalist credited as the source, can make the transcript misleading. Read it against the audio.

Not checking file limits first. A long interview can exceed a tool's maximum length or file size. Check both before uploading so a failed upload does not cost you time.

Leaving generic speaker names in place. Labels such as Speaker 1 are hard to use later. Rename them to real names or roles before you file or share the transcript.

Deleting the original recording. Keep the audio after you have the transcript. If a label is wrong or a passage is unclear, the audio is the reference to check against.

Frequently asked questions

How do speaker labels work in transcription?

Speaker labels tag each line of a transcript with the person who said it. The tool compares the voices in the audio, groups similar ones, and assigns a label to each group. Labels often start as generic names such as Speaker 1 and can be renamed to real names. Accuracy depends on recording quality and on how clearly people take turns, so read the result against the recording before you rely on it.

Can Connections Storage recognize the same speaker across recordings?

Yes. A voice that has been recognized is tagged in your other recordings. ^[1] A returning client or a repeat interview subject can therefore appear with a label in new sessions. Check the first few labels in each new recording, because a voice that changes with illness or a poor microphone may still need correcting.

What file size and length does Connections Storage accept?

Recordings longer than 6 hours are rejected. ^[1] Files larger than 4 GB are refused. ^[1] Check the length and size of your recording before uploading. If a recording is over either limit, split it into shorter parts first, then transcribe each part.

Is there a free plan for Connections Storage?

There is a plan named Connections Free. ^[1] A paid plan named Connections Pro is $39.99 a month and gives premium access across every Connections product. ^[1] A higher plan named Connections Business is $99.99 a month, with higher limits across every Connections product. ^[1] Check which limits apply to the work you need before you sign up, since the limits decide whether the free plan covers your sessions.

Can the transcript be downloaded as a caption file?

Yes, you can download a transcribed recording's captions as an SRT or VTT file. ^[1] The transcript also appears under the audio player, and clicking a line plays the recording from that point. ^[1] Keep the original recording too, so you can check any line against the audio.

A plan is priced at $99.99 (9999 cents). ^[1] A plan offers 2 TB of storage, described as the widest ceilings on the ladder. ^[1]

Try Connections Storage

Sources

Connections Storage's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)