Turn a Lecture Into Notes You Can Study From
Hit record at the start of class, or upload a recording you already have. You get back a searchable transcript, chapters split by topic, and AI notes built from the “Lecture Notes” template: main points, key terms, and anything the lecturer flagged as important. Ask a question about the lecture and get an answer that points back to the moment it was said.
This records the lecture, transcribes it, and builds the notes in one pass, on a phone in a lecture hall, a laptop in a Zoom class, or an uploaded file.
What you get with every recording:
- A transcript with speaker identification, in 100+ languages (see accuracy)
- Chapters (chapters with timestamps) so a long lecture is split by subject
- AI notes from the Lecture Notes template: key points, terms, and takeaways
- AI chat with any recording, so you can ask a question and get an answer grounded in the transcript
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Free plan: 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each, with AI chat
ScreenApp is building quiz and flashcard generation (coming soon). Until it ships, use AI chat to turn the transcript into practice questions or flashcard-style Q&A: ask it to quiz you on a chapter or list the key terms with definitions.
How to Turn a Lecture Into Notes
- Start recording, or upload a file. Press record at the start of class on your phone or laptop, or upload an MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, or MOV you already have.
- Let it process. Speech is transcribed with speaker identification, and chapters are inserted where the topic changes.
- Open the notes. Run the Lecture Notes template for a written summary, jump to any chapter by timestamp, or ask AI a question about what was said.
Accuracy depends on the audio. A phone near the lecturer transcribes well; a recording from the back of a large hall with side conversations will have gaps. See how we measure accuracy.
For video files or YouTube links without live recording, use the video to notes converter. For voice memos or podcasts, use audio to notes. If you just want the transcript without the notes template, the plain lecture recorder covers that.
AI Lecture Note Taker vs Other Apps
| Feature | ScreenApp | Otter.ai | Knowt | Mindgrasp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each, with AI chat | 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation | Not stated | Free, no sign-up |
| Languages | 100+ | 6 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $8.33/month annual | Not stated | Not stated |
Sources, checked 2026-09-17: screenapp.io/accuracy#languages, ScreenApp pricing, otter.ai/pricing
vs Otter.ai: Otter’s free plan is 300 minutes a month, capped at 30 minutes per conversation, which breaks for a single long lecture. Otter has no quiz or flashcard output either. Otter Pro is $8.33 a month annual.
vs Knowt: Knowt records a live class and creates notes, flashcards, podcasts, and practice tests from it, and generates flashcards from lecture notes, but its lecture page does not state a free-plan minute limit or a price. ScreenApp does not build quizzes or flashcards; it gives a transcript, chapters, and AI notes instead.
vs Mindgrasp: Mindgrasp is free with no sign-up and creates flashcards, quizzes, and an AI tutor from lecture content, but its lecture page does not confirm live recording built into the product. ScreenApp records live from a phone or browser and keeps the recording, transcript, and notes together in one account.
Who Uses a Lecture Note Taker
Undergraduates. Record a multi-course schedule on a phone, search the transcript for the moment a professor defined a term, and open the AI notes before an exam instead of retyping handwritten pages.
Graduate students. Capture seminars, thesis committee meetings, and conference panels. Speaker labels separate the question from the answer so you can quote the right person later.
Online learners. Upload a Coursera, edX, or recorded class video and get the same chapters and notes as a live recording.
International students. Review a native-language lecture at your own pace after class, or transcribe an English lecture and translate the transcript to read back in your first language (transcript and caption translation).
Lecturers and teachers. Record your own class and share the transcript and notes with students who missed it or need the material in another format.
