Help center (FAQ)
We know choosing the right transcription tool is an important decision, and you probably have a lot of questions.
That’s why we’ve gathered the answers to the ones we hear most often. From how Good Tape works, to how we protect your files, to the differences between Free, Pro, and Business, you’ll find it all here in plain language.
General information
What is Good Tape?
Good Tape is a simple but powerful transcription tool that uses AI to turn your audio and video files into text within minutes. You just upload a file, press “Transcribe,” and your transcript is ready to go, no endless typing required. Our platform was built by investigative journalists who knew firsthand how painful manual transcription could be. That’s why Good Tape is designed to be secure, reliable, and easy to use, whether you’re working alone or as part of a team. Click here for more info →
Who is Good Tape for?
In short: anyone who works with audio or video and needs accurate text. Journalists, podcasters, researchers, lawyers, doctors, marketers, academics, creators, the list goes on. If your day involves interviews, meetings, calls, or recordings, Good Tape helps you save hours of work. Instead of typing word-for-word, you get a clean transcript you can analyze, edit, or publish right away. Click here for more info →
What’s Good Tape’s mission?
Our mission is to eliminate the need for manual transcription altogether. We believe your time should go into meaningful work whether that’s reporting stories, serving clients, researching, or creating. By handling the typing for you, Good Tape gives you back hundreds of hours each year so you can focus on what matters most. Click here for more info →
Can I try Good Tape for free?
Yes. With Good Tape Free you can create three transcripts per month, each up to 30 minutes long. You get the exact same experience as our paid plans, the same accuracy, speed, and security, just with a usage cap. It’s a great way to test our quality or to use Good Tape if you only need transcripts occasionally. Click here for more info →
Who is behind Good Tape?
Good Tape was founded by investigative journalists who experienced the frustrations of transcription firsthand. Our leadership team includes:
Lasse Finderup, CEO & Co-founder: sets the overall vision and product direction.
Jakob Steinn, Co-founder & Tech Lead: ensures our infrastructure and security stay rock solid.
Ýmir Gyðuson Gíslason, Dev team lead: develops the AI models that power our transcription and leads our group of developers.
Tav Klitgaard, Chairperson & Co-founder
Behind them is a Copenhagen-based team of engineers, designers, marketers and support specialists. Every line of code, design choice, and customer reply is done in-house by people who genuinely care about your time, your trust, and your work. Meet our entire team
Do you have an app?
Yes. The Good Tape Recorder app is currently being developed for iOS and Android. It lets you record directly on your phone and syncs automatically with your Good Tape account, so there’s no need for manual uploads. It’s perfect for journalists in the field, researchers capturing interviews, or anyone who wants to go from recording to transcript in one seamless step. Click here for more info →
Getting started
How do I get started with Good Tape?
It only takes a few minutes to start using Good Tape. Create a free account, upload an audio or video file, press “Transcribe,” and your transcript will be ready shortly after. There’s no complicated setup, no steep learning curve, and no extra software to install. Just upload, click, and get text. Whether you’re testing with a short clip or processing longer interviews, you’ll see right away how simple the workflow is. Sign up here →
How do I upgrade to Good Tape Pro?
Upgrading is straightforward. Log in to your account, head to Settings, and under “Plan,” click Upgrade to Pro. From there, follow the steps to confirm. Pro gives you unlimited file length, faster processing, speaker labels, AI summaries, smart search, bulk uploads, and more advanced tools that make transcription effortless at scale. You’ll get access instantly after upgrading.
How do I create a team on Good Tape?
Go to Settings → Team → Create a team, and invite your colleagues. Once they join, you’ll have a shared workspace with centralized billing, role-based permissions, and collaboration built right in. It’s the easiest way to keep all your team’s transcripts organized and secure in one place. Team users will have the same features available to them + 20 hours as our standard Pro plan.
Does Good Tape have an API?
Yes. Our API lets you integrate transcription directly into your own product or workflow. You can request an API key by emailing us here with the subject “API key request.” Billing is separate from standard subscriptions, but the same high standards of security apply, all data is processed on EU servers, encrypted in transit and at rest, and never used for AI training. Documentation is available to help you get started. Click here for more info →
Features and functions
Which file formats does Good Tape support?
We accept nearly every common audio and video format: MP3, M4A, MP4, MOV, WAV, AAC, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, AVI, MKV, WEBM, and more. Each file can be up to 2GB. If you have larger recordings, simply split them into parts before uploading. This flexibility makes it easy to transcribe almost any media file without extra conversion.
How do speaker labels work?
Speaker labels are available in Pro and Business. When you open a transcript, click the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Show speakers.” Good Tape will automatically detect and separate different voices in your recording. You can then rename each speaker for clarity, making it easy to follow multi-person conversations like interviews, meetings, or panel discussions.
Click here for more info →
How can I make sure the right language is transcribed?
Good Tape uses auto-detection, but for best accuracy, you should select the correct language from the dropdown before you transcribe. This ensures the transcript matches the spoken words exactly, especially if your audio includes accents. If your transcript is multilingual conversations, or uncommon dialects, try using auto-detect. Taking a second to set the language upfront helps prevent errors or mistranslations. Click here for more info →
How do I download my transcripts?
Once your transcript is ready, click the three dots in the top-right corner of the page to export it. You can download in plain text (with or without timestamps), as a Word document, as subtitles (.srt), or use custom exports with controls for line breaks and subtitle lengths. That way, you get your transcript in the exact format you need. Click here for more info →
Can I edit transcripts inside Good Tape?
Yes. Open any transcript and double-click to edit. You can play the audio while editing to match words in real time, rename speakers, adjust line length with a slider, and save changes instantly. Once you’re happy, you can re-export the transcript with your edits included. This makes Good Tape not just a transcription tool, but also a full transcription editing workspace. Click here for more info →
How do I change line lengths in my transcript?
In the transcript view, click the three dots in the top-right corner and use the line length slider. Shorter lines are useful for subtitles or easier reading, while longer lines are better for continuous text. You can adjust this anytime, depending on how you want to use the transcript.
What audio player features are built in?
If you enable “Keep audio available for playback” when uploading, your transcript comes with a synced audio player. Hit play, and the text will highlight word-by-word as the audio runs, making it easy to follow along or spot-check tricky parts. This is especially useful for interviews or detailed research where precision matters. Click here for more info →
Can I improve transcription accuracy?
Yes. While Good Tape handles accents and background noise well, you can improve results by using a clear microphone, avoiding overlapping voices, and minimizing background noise during recording. Always choose the correct language before uploading. Even with rough audio, Good Tape usually performs impressively. But for professional use, we recommend giving transcripts a quick review before sharing or publishing.
Accounts and billing
How do I change my login email?
Go to Settings → Manage account → Change email. Enter your new email address, confirm it via the link we send to your inbox, and from then on you’ll log in with the new address. It only takes a minute, and your account history, transcripts, and settings will stay exactly the same.
How do I change my password?
If you’re logged out, click “Forgot password?” on the login page, and we’ll send you a reset link by email. If you’re logged in, go to Settings → Account → Change password to set a new one instantly.
How do I update my billing details?
In your account, go to Settings → Manage subscription → Billing & Shipping Addresses. Here you can update your payment details, add a VAT number, or change your address. Updates apply immediately, and future invoices will reflect the new information automatically.
Where can I find my invoices?
You can find your invoices directly in your settings page.
Can you send invoices directly to me?
Yes. If you prefer invoices by email, just enable monthly invoice emails in your email preferences. They’ll arrive automatically, saving you the trouble of downloading them manually.
How do I delete my account?
Go to Settings → Manage account → Delete account and follow the confirmation steps. This action permanently deletes your account, transcripts, and uploaded files. Once deleted, the data can’t be restored, so make sure you’ve exported anything important first.
How do I manage my subscription?
You can upgrade your monthly account to annual in the settings page
Can I add more hours to my subscription?
Yes. If you’re on Pro and run out of hours, you can instantly buy extra hours in 20 hour blocks. These extra hours are applied right away, so you don’t lose momentum mid-project.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept most major debit and credit cards. Larger organizations or enterprise clients can also request invoicing if they prefer.
How do I change my payment method?
Go to Settings → Manage subscription → Payment methods. From there, you can add a new card, update an existing one, or remove an old one. The changes take effect immediately.
Does Good Tape have a referral program?
Yes. Invite a friend or colleague using your personal referral link in your settings page. When they sign up, you both benefit: they get a head start with Good Tape, and you receive rewards such as free transcription hours. It’s a simple way to share Good Tape and save on your own subscription.
Your data and security
How secure is Good Tape?
Security is at the core of how we operate. All files are encrypted during transfer (TLS) and storage (AES-256). Processing happens only on EU servers, and we comply fully with GDPR. Our systems are built to keep your data private and protected at every step. Click here for more info →
How does Good Tape handle my data?
Your files are encrypted both in transit and at rest. By default, they’re deleted after transcription unless you’ve chosen to keep audio available for playback. Pro and Business users can also request a signed DPA. Only a small, vetted team could theoretically access files, but we never will without your explicit permission. Click here for more info →
Do you provide a DPA for professionals?
Yes. If you’re on Pro or Business, you can get a signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA). This ensures compliance for professional and enterprise use cases. Click here for more info →
Does Good Tape use my files to train AI?
No. Unlike some competitors, we never use your files for training, analytics, or anything beyond transcription. Your data stays yours, always. Click here for more info →
What happens to my files after transcription?
By default, your audio and video files are deleted as soon as the transcript is generated. If you enable playback, the files are kept until you delete the transcript, and once the transcript is deleted, the files are too. This way, you’re always in control of your data. Click here for more info →
Troubleshooting
Why is my transcription incomplete or showing errors?
Most issues can be solved quickly. Try clearing your browser cookies and re-uploading, or log out, restart your device, and log back in before uploading again. If the problem persists, email support with a screenshot and transcript link, and we’ll help you fix it fast. Contact us →
Why are random or repeated words showing in my transcript?
This can occasionally happen with long silences, noisy recordings, or heavily compressed files. Trimming problem sections before uploading often solves it. If it keeps happening, send us the transcript link and we’ll take a closer look. Click here for more info →
Why does my transcript cut off or stop early?
This is rare, but it sometimes occurs with very long files. The best solution is to split your recording into chunks of 45–60 minutes before uploading. If a transcript does cut off, we can delete the broken file and restore your used time, just send us the link. Click here for more info →
Why is my transcript blank after upload?
If the transcript page is blank, the upload may have failed. Refresh the page to confirm. Failed uploads are automatically deleted within a week, and no time is deducted. Just re-upload the file to try again. Still not working? Contact us →
Why isn’t the audio player working?
The synced audio player only works if you enable “Keep audio available for playback” during upload. If you didn’t, you’ll need to re-upload with that option enabled. If you did and it still fails, contact support so we can investigate. Contact us →
Why is the website running slowly?
Performance is usually smooth, but some versions of Safari can cause lag. If you’re experiencing slow speeds, switching to Chrome or Firefox often solves the issue.
Customer support
How can I contact Good Tape for help?
Just email us and a real human will reply. We don’t outsource support. Our in-house team knows the product inside and out, so you’ll always get clear, useful answers. Contact us →
Is support available in multiple languages?
Our main support language is English, but we do our best to help in other languages as well. If we can’t reply fluently, we’ll still make sure you get the assistance you need.
Can I share feedback or suggestions?
Absolutely. We love hearing from users. Send your ideas to us or leave us a review on Google or Trustpilot. Many of our best features started as user suggestions, so your input truly shapes our roadmap. Contact us →
What if I have a dispute?
So far, we’ve never had one. But if it ever happens, our approach is simple: fairness first. We’ll work with you to resolve the issue quickly, transparently, and in good faith, because building long-term trust matters more to us than any short-term win.
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