If you want a voice recorder on Android that also gives you text, check your phone first: Google Recorder on Pixel phones and Samsung Voice Recorder with Transcript assist on supported Galaxy devices transcribe their own recordings. If you want more than a transcript, for example an email, meeting notes or a to-do list from what you said, an AI app such as Retexta or Letterly writes that for you. For meetings with a live transcript and speaker labels, Otter and Notta are the specialists. The table below compares all six, as of September 25, 2026.
Retexta is our app. We have tried to be fair: every claim about another app comes from its own help page, pricing page or Google Play listing, linked in the sources, and we say where the others do things better.
| App | Works on | What you get | Free use (per the maker) | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Recorder | Pixel 3 and later, Pixel Tablet | Transcript while you record, search, summaries on Pixel 8 and later | Comes with the phone | None mentioned in Google's help |
| Samsung Voice Recorder | Select Galaxy devices, Android 14 with One UI 6.1 or higher (Transcript assist) | Transcript, translation, summary | "Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free" | Other AI features "may be subject to fees" |
| Otter | Android, iOS, web | Live transcript, speaker identification, meeting notes | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total | Pro $16.99 per user per month billed monthly |
| Notta | Android, iOS, web | Live and file transcription, summaries, translation | 120 minutes a month, up to 3 minutes per conversation | Pro $8.17 per month billed annually |
| Letterly | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, web | Speech rewritten into messages, notes, emails, posts | "Start for free" (limits not on its homepage) | Prices not on its homepage |
| Retexta | Android | Finished text by goal: email, message, meeting summary, notes, journal entry, letter | A few free Pro results to view in the app; copying, sharing, exporting need Retexta Pro or credits | Retexta Pro; Google Play lists in-app items from $2.49 to $79.99 |
Prices in US dollars as shown on each maker's page on September 25, 2026. They change; check before you buy.
Recorder or writer: what you actually need
Voice recorder apps fall into two groups:
- Recorders with a transcript (Google Recorder, Samsung Voice Recorder, Otter, Notta) keep the audio and write down what was said, in order. That is what you want for interviews, lectures you will study word by word, or anything you might need to quote.
- Voice to text writers (Retexta, Letterly) take what you said and write something new from it: an email, a message, clean notes. That is what you want when the recording is only a means to an end, like a voice memo that should become an email.
Many people need both at different times. The good news: the built-in recorders are already on your phone, so you can use one for recording and a writer app for the text.
Google Recorder (Pixel)
Google's help pages say you can use Recorder on Pixel 3 and later phones and Pixel Tablet, and record "up to 18 hours on a single recording." Recorder transcribes while you record; the languages depend on the model (Pixel 6 and later support more). Speaker labels are available on Pixel 6 and later, and summaries on Pixel 8 and later for some languages, processed in the cloud. You can share a transcript as a text file or to Google Docs. Google says Recorder "sends audio to an on-device Google service or app to transcribe it."
Better than Retexta at: long recordings, a live transcript, speaker labels, and it costs nothing extra on a Pixel. Not for you if: you do not have a Pixel, or you want a finished email rather than a transcript.
Samsung Voice Recorder (Galaxy)
Samsung's help page says the Galaxy AI features in Voice Recorder are "available on select phones and tablets running Android 14 with One UI 6.1 or higher." With Transcript assist you can transcribe, translate and summarize a recording, and share the transcript as a text file. Samsung lists 16 languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), German, French, Arabic and Hindi. The Play listing also mentions an Interview mode that records two people with the top and bottom microphones.
Better than Retexta at: being built in on supported Galaxy phones, with free basic AI features. Not for you if: your phone is not a supported Galaxy, or you want text written for a purpose.
Otter
Otter's Play listing describes it as an AI meeting assistant that "records audio, takes notes" and transcribes in real time, with speaker identification, automated summaries and export as PDF, TXT or SRT. It needs an account and an internet connection for transcribing. The free Basic plan includes "300 monthly transcription minutes", a maximum of 30 minutes per conversation and "3 lifetime audio/video file imports". On languages the sources disagree: the pricing page lists "English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese", while the Play listing says "English, Spanish, French only".
Better than Retexta at: live meeting transcripts, speaker identification, calendar and meeting integration, and apps beyond Android. Not for you if: you mainly need emails or letters from your voice, or you work in a language Otter does not list.
Notta
Notta's Play listing names "58 languages" for transcription and translation "into 42 languages", live transcription and imported files, and export as txt, docx, pdf or srt. Its pricing page shows a free plan with "120 transcription minutes/month", "Up to 3 minutes per conversation" and "50 file uploads/month", and Pro at $8.17 per month billed annually. The Play listing describes the free import differently ("view the first 3 minutes of transcription for free").
Better than Retexta at: many transcription languages, export formats, translation of transcripts, and web access. Not for you if: your recordings are longer than 3 minutes and you want to stay on the free plan.
Letterly
Letterly is the closest to Retexta: its Play listing says it turns your voice into "clear, structured, well-written text" for messages, notes, emails, social posts and more, supports "50+ languages" (its website says "90+"), and can also just transcribe. It runs on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and the web, and its optional dictation feature can place text directly into other apps. Its homepage says "Start for free" but does not show limits or prices.
Better than Retexta at: more platforms, and typing dictated text straight into other apps. Not for you if: you want ready-made templates for meeting summaries, letters to institutions or lecture notes.
Retexta
Retexta is a cloud voice to text and AI writing app for Android. You tap New task, choose what you want (on the start screen: Write a message, Summarize a meeting, Reply to a message, Explain something; the rest, such as Take notes, Journal entry and Transcript only, under More templates), record or import audio, and get the finished text. On the result screen you can change the text type, writing style, language or length without recording again. Output comes in 50+ languages.
What to know before you install:
- Free to try, with limits. New users get a few free Pro results to view in the app. Copying, sharing, exporting and screenshots of results need Retexta Pro or credits, and so does everything after the free results, Transcript only included. Import audio and every goal except Transcript only are part of Retexta Pro.
- Not a keyboard. You speak in Retexta, not in other apps' text fields.
- No share target. Retexta does not appear in other apps' share menus. To use a recording from another app, save it as a file and tap Import audio.
- Audio stays on the phone for 30 days. After that the app deletes the recording to save storage. Use Export audio in the recording's menu if you want to keep it.
- Android only. There is no iPhone or web version.
Where Retexta is strong: the text you get is meant to be used as is after a read-through: an email in the tone you chose, a meeting summary with decisions and action items, notes sorted into a task list. Where others are better: see the sections above.
Which one should you pick?
| If you want | Try |
|---|---|
| A free transcript and you have a Pixel | Google Recorder |
| A free transcript and you have a recent Galaxy | Samsung Voice Recorder |
| Live meeting transcripts with speaker names | Otter or Notta |
| Your voice turned into finished text on several devices | Letterly |
| Your voice turned into an email, notes or a meeting summary on Android | Retexta |
Whichever app you use: ask before you record other people. Google's own help page says to "get permission from others before recording them", and some places require the consent of everyone in the conversation.
Keep reading
Already have recordings? See how to transcribe a voice memo on Android and MP3 to text. For comparisons focused on transcription, read the best transcription apps for Android. For students: record a lecture and turn it into notes. More about the app: Retexta, voice to text for Android.
Sources
Checked by FLAME Apps on September 25, 2026. Prices and plans change; the makers' pages are authoritative.
- Pixel Phone Help, Create, edit & delete a recording on your Pixel device: devices, 18-hour recordings, on-device transcription, permission note.
- Pixel Phone Help, Create, edit & manage transcriptions: languages by device, summaries on Pixel 8 and later in the cloud.
- Pixel Phone Help, Save & share recordings & transcripts: share as .txt or to Google Docs.
- Samsung US Support, Use Voice Recorder with Galaxy AI on Galaxy phones or tablets: requirements, languages, cost note, sharing.
- Google Play, Voice Recorder (Samsung): recording modes.
- Otter, Pricing and Google Play, Otter: plans, limits, languages, features.
- Notta, Pricing and Google Play, Notta: plans, limits, languages, export.
- Letterly, letterly.app and Google Play, Letterly: features, platforms, languages.
- Google Play, Voice to Text: AI Dictation (Retexta): in-app purchase range. Retexta features and limits as shown in the app (release 2026.1.23).
