Cockatoo is a straightforward AI transcription service focused on doing one thing reliably: turning audio and video into accurate text, without the feature sprawl of larger meeting-intelligence platforms.

Upload a file or paste a link and Cockatoo transcribes using modern speech-recognition models, supporting multiple languages and speaker identification, with exports to common document and subtitle formats. Its interface avoids the collaboration-suite complexity of competitors, appealing to users who just want clean text from audio without learning a new workspace. A generous free tier for occasional transcription needs has made it a popular budget option for students, podcasters, and researchers who don't need enterprise meeting features.

Who is it for?

Students transcribing lectures and interviews, podcasters needing show notes and captions, and anyone wanting simple transcription without a full meeting-intelligence subscription.

How much does Cockatoo cost?

A free tier covers limited monthly transcription minutes. Paid plans start around $10 per month for expanded minutes and faster processing, well below premium meeting-AI subscriptions.

Our verdict

Cockatoo won't out-feature AssemblyAI's developer platform or Fathom's meeting intelligence, and doesn't try to. For simple, affordable transcription needs, its no-frills focus and generous free tier make it a sensible budget pick.