Inside the front cover: the library’s bookplate and a date due slip.
Kiwi’s Library Book 7 of 7
Listen
Speech into text, and text into speech
Recordings into searchable text, readings into audio, and your voice into typing.
Transcripts mishear names and numbers. Check quotes against the recording, and ask before you record a lecture.
4 chapters, 8 tools
Start with one bookmark
Pick the one that sounds like tonight.
Contents
Each chapter is one job, cheapest first.
Bookmark 1 of 3
If you are behind on lectures
Transcribe it, question it, keep what matters.
Tonight, only this
Transcribe the oldest lecture. Ask it three questions. Make five cards.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free
Buzz (opens in a new tab)
Transcribes audio on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded.
Free, exactly: Everything. Long recordings are slow on older laptops.
Accuracy varies by language
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
Free, exactly: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
-
Free
Anki (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards that come back just before you would forget them.
Free, exactly: Everything.
Bookmark 2 of 3
If you cannot always follow the speaker
Captions on the devices you already have.
Tonight, only this
Turn on live captions on your laptop and test them on a lecture video.
Your accessibility office can arrange official captions.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free
Live captions on your device (Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android)
Your device captions whatever it plays or hears. Nothing to install.
Free, exactly: Everything. Live only, with no saved transcript.
Languages vary by system
-
Free
Live Transcribe (opens in a new tab)
Google’s app that captions speech on your phone as it is spoken.
Free, exactly: Everything. Live captions only, not recordings.
Android only
Bookmark 3 of 3
If the reading pile is too big
Turn reading time into listening time.
Tonight, only this
On your next walk, listen to the reading you are furthest behind on.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free tier
ElevenReader (opens in a new tab)
Reads your PDFs and articles aloud in natural voices.
Free, exactly: 10 hours a month.
Check the priceAI: check its output
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
Free, exactly: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
Chapter 1
Captions in the room
Captions for whatever is playing, or whoever is speaking.
The price ladder
Captions in the room
-
Free
Live captions on your device (Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android)
Your device captions whatever it plays or hears. Nothing to install.
- Use it for
- Following a lecture or video live.
- Costs
- Free, in recent Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
- Free, exactly
- Everything. Live only, with no saved transcript.
Languages vary by system
Check your device’s accessibility settings.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free
Live Transcribe (opens in a new tab)
Google’s app that captions speech on your phone as it is spoken.
- Use it for
- Following a fast lecturer live.
- Costs
- Free.
- Free, exactly
- Everything. Live captions only, not recordings.
Android only
No iPhone version.
Checked Nov 2026
Chapter 2
Transcribe a recording
The free desktop apps keep recordings on your own computer.
The price ladder
Transcribe a recording, part 1 of 3
-
Free
Buzz (opens in a new tab)
Transcribes audio on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded.
- Use it for
- Free transcripts of recorded lectures, in many languages.
- Costs
- Free and open source for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Free, exactly
- Everything. Long recordings are slow on older laptops.
Accuracy varies by language
Accuracy drops outside the best-supported languages. Test ten minutes first.
Checked Nov 2026
Transcribe a recording, part 2 of 3
-
Free
Vibe (opens in a new tab)
Transcribes audio and video offline on your own computer, and tells speakers apart.
- Use it for
- Full lectures, privately, with no time limit.
- Costs
- Free and open source for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Accuracy varies by languageAI: check its output
Test ten minutes first.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
TurboScribe (opens in a new tab)
Upload a recording, get a transcript, in many languages.
- Use it for
- Transcripts without installing anything.
- Costs
- Unlimited is $10 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly.
- Free, exactly
- 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes each.
AI: check its output
Your audio is uploaded to their servers.
Checked Nov 2026
Transcribe a recording, part 3 of 3
-
Free tier
Otter.ai (opens in a new tab)
Records a lecture and gives you a searchable transcript and a summary.
- Use it for
- Live transcripts in its four languages.
- Costs
- Pro is $16.99 a month.
- Free, exactly
- 300 minutes a month, at most 30 minutes per recording, and 3 imported files in total.
Paid upgrade is expensiveOnly English, French, Spanish, JapaneseAI: check its output
Other languages will not transcribe.
Checked Nov 2026
Speak instead of typing
-
Free
Handy (opens in a new tab)
Hold a shortcut, speak, and it types for you. Works offline.
- Use it for
- Brain dumps and first drafts.
- Costs
- Free and open source for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
AI: check its output
Checked Nov 2026
Chapter 4
Listen to your readings
For commutes and tired eyes.
The price ladder
Listen to your readings
-
Free tier
ElevenReader (opens in a new tab)
Reads your PDFs and articles aloud in natural voices.
- Use it for
- Readings on the bus or on a walk.
- Costs
- Paid plans add listening hours.
- Free, exactly
- 10 hours a month.
Check the priceAI: check its output
Paid prices are not confirmed.
Checked Nov 2026
At the back
About this book
Prices are in US dollars, checked in November 2026. They change and vary by country.
Tools are ordered by what they cost each month to use at all. No affiliate links, no paid places.
Inside the back cover.