Two ways to get text from audio
Tools like Whisper-based apps are great at one job: you give them an audio file, they give you text afterwards. Pendict does the other job: it gives you text while the audio is playing, with no file.
What "file first" means
- Record the meeting or lecture (which needs permission in many places).
- Save the file, then upload it.
- Wait for processing, then read the result.
This is fine for archives and podcasts. It is slow when you need the words now, and it requires a recording to exist at all.
What "live from the tab" means
- Open the audio in a browser tab.
- Share that tab with Pendict.
- Read the text as it is spoken, and download it at the end.
No recording, no upload step and no waiting for the end of the event.
Comparison
| Audio-file transcription | Pendict live tab capture | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a recording first | Yes | No |
| When you get text | After the file is processed | While it is spoken |
| Setup | Often an app or a model to run | Open a web page |
| Best for | Archives, existing recordings | Live meetings, classes, streams |
Use both
If you already have a recording, a file-based tool is the right choice. If you want the text right now, from something playing in your browser, use Pendict. See also transcribing any video.