Important Update: Local File Credit Consumption Adjustment for Free Plan Users

Transcriptly Team

•Sep 28, 2025•6 min read

We have an important announcement regarding our free plan that we need to share with our community. After careful consideration and analysis of our growing operational costs, we're making a necessary adjustment to how free users consume credits for local file transcriptions.

Key Change: Starting from September 28th, 2025, free plan users will consume 1 credit per 3 minutes of local file content instead of the previous 1 credit per 10 minutes.

Why This Change Is Necessary?

Rapid User Growth and Rising AI Costs

Over the past few months, Transcriptly has experienced tremendous growth, with our user base increasing by over 400% in the last quarter. While we're thrilled to see more people discovering and benefiting from our AI-powered transcription services, this rapid expansion has brought significant financial challenges.

The Reality of AI Transcription Costs:

Every transcription request involves expensive AI processing through OpenAI Whisper API
Server infrastructure costs for file handling and processing
Bandwidth costs for file uploads and downloads
Storage costs for temporary file processing
Quality assurance and error handling systems

Unsustainable Cost Structure

With our previous generous free tier (1 credit per 10 minutes), free users were totally consuming hundreds of credits monthly for local files, creating an unsustainable cost structure that threatened our ability to maintain service quality for all users.

Cost Analysis:

A 60-minute audio file previously cost only 6 credits for free users
The actual AI processing cost for this file is approximately $0.60-1.20
With hundreds of such requests daily, our operational costs became overwhelming

What This Means for You?

Updated Credit Consumption for Free Users

New Local File Credit Structure:

Previous: 1 credit per 10 minutes of content
New: 1 credit per 3 minutes of content
YouTube Videos: Unchanged (1 credit per video regardless of length)

Practical Examples:

30-minute podcast: 10 credits (previously 3 credits)
60-minute interview: 20 credits (previously 6 credits)
90-minute lecture: 30 credits (previously 9 credits)

Still Generous for Trial Users

Even with this adjustment, our free plan remains incredibly generous compared to industry standards:

10 free credits per month = 30 minutes of local file transcription
Perfect for testing our service quality with real content
No time limits on when you use your credits
All features included - no restrictions on AI insights or export formats

Our Commitment to Service Quality

Why We Made This Decision

This change wasn't made lightly. We had to choose between:

Raising prices for paid users (which we didn't want to do)
Reducing service quality (which we refused to consider)
Adjusting free tier to ensure long-term sustainability

We chose option 3 because we believe in providing a sustainable, high-quality service that can serve our community for years to come.

What This Enables Us to Do

With this adjustment, we can:

Maintain fast processing speeds for all users
Invest in better AI models and technology improvements
Expand language support to more languages
Add new features and capabilities
Ensure reliable service without downtime or quality issues

Alternative Options for Heavy Users

Consider Our Paid Plans

If you need more than 30 minutes of local file transcription per month, our paid plans offer excellent value:

Hobby Plan - $9.99/month:

1,000 credits per month
1 credit per 1 minute for local files
Perfect for content creators and regular users
All premium features included

Pro Plan - $19.99/month:

3,000 credits per month
1 credit per 1 minute for local files
Ideal for professionals and businesses
Priority support and advanced features

Annual Plans:

Save 50% with annual subscriptions
Hobby Annual: $59.99/year (equivalent to $5/month)
Pro Annual: $119.99/year (equivalent to $10/month)

One-Time Plan (Coming Soon):

Perfect for occasional users who don't want monthly subscriptions
Flexible credit packages to match your specific needs
Credits valid for one year from purchase date
Great for one-off projects or seasonal work

How to Use Our Services Efficiently

YouTube Transcription (Most Cost-Effective)

For video content, YouTube transcription remains the most cost-effective option:

1 credit per video regardless of length
No file upload required - just paste the URL
Instant processing for most videos
All export formats available

Visit our YouTube Transcript Generator to get started.

Local File Transcription

For audio files, our File Transcript Generator supports:

Multiple formats: MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, MOV, AAC, FLAC, and more
AI-powered processing with high accuracy
Multiple export formats: SRT, VTT, TXT, CSV, PDF, DOCX
Real-time editing and review capabilities

Thank You for Your Understanding

We understand that any change to our free plan can be disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding as we make this necessary adjustment. Our goal is to continue providing you with the best transcription service possible while building a sustainable business that can serve our community for years to come.

Your Feedback Matters

We value your input and are committed to:

Listening to your concerns and suggestions
Providing clear communication about all changes
Offering flexible solutions for different needs
Maintaining transparency in our decision-making

Get Started Today

Try Our Service

Upload a file or paste a YouTube URL to experience our AI transcription quality. With 10 free credits per month, you can still test our service thoroughly before deciding on a paid plan.

Choose Your Plan

Free Plan: 10 credits/month (30 minutes of local files)
Hobby Plan: 1,000 credits/month for $9.99
Pro Plan: 3,000 credits/month for $19.99
Annual Plans: Save 50% with yearly subscriptions
One-Time Plan: Coming soon - pay only when you need credits

This change takes effect on September 28th, 2025. Thank you for being part of the Transcriptly community and for your understanding as we work to provide you with the best possible service.

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