9 Best Lecture Recording Apps for Students

Maybe you’ve heard of popular study hacks like the Pomodoro Technique, spaced repetition, or mnemonic devices. As great as these methods are for boosting learning retention, there’s an even better way to get the most out of your classes and maximize your study sessions. 

Enter lecture recording apps — also known as apps that record lectures and take notes for you. 

Lecture recording apps are the secret ingredient for staying focused during class. These tools capture every detail and convert lectures to text summaries so you don’t have to stress over taking notes or memorizing everything in the moment. This way, you get to engage with the live lecture and review lessons at your own pace — a true win-win.

Here’s a guide to nine lecture recording apps to level up your learning.

The best 9 lecture recording apps

Here’s a list of nine popular tools to help you focus more on active listening and less on trying to jot down every word. 

1. Otter

Otter is the leading lecture recording app for students, thanks to its ease of recording and lecture transcription for both in-person and online courses. 

The AI-powered notetaker is your trusted teammate for a whole slew of tasks. You can record on your mobile device using the Otter app or have Otter join Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams sessions to transcribe in real time, summarize key points, and make notes on lecture slides — meaning you never lose any of the ideas or insights shared during class.

But what really sets Otter apart is the conversational AI. Just ask Otter a question about your recorded lecture, and it’ll provide clear, concise answers to streamline your review process and make sure you ace that upcoming exam.

Benefits:

• Fast and accurate speech-to-text capabilities
• Works for in-person and across virtual meeting platforms
• Automatically summarizes lectures 
• Ignores filler words during transcription
• Can generate content specific to lectures, like study guides
• Customizable templates and keywords
• Available in English, French, and Spanish

2. Loom

Loom captures video and audio straight from your screen, webcam, or both. The Loom app also makes automatic transcripts and lets you leave comments and reactions.

Benefits:

• Simple setup
• Option to embed recordings on Notion, Gmail, and Slack
• Easily crop videos and add comments for clarity

Drawbacks:

• Does not offer the highest-resolution recording
• The paid version comes with a hefty price tag

3. Zoom

Zoom comes with two recording options to choose from, depending on your needs. Local Recording lets you tape lectures and save the video files directly to your computer. Cloud Recording saves your lectures to the cloud so they don’t take up storage space. 

Benefits:

• Automatic audio transcription for cloud recordings
• Integrates with third-party tools like Google Calendar
• Supports collaboration and annotation during lectures

Drawbacks:

• Only works for Zoom meetings 
• Automatic transcription only available with paid plans
• Local recordings take up significant space on your computer

4. VEED

VEED’s online screen recording captures audio or video alongside the presentation slides from your lectures. You can merge new recordings with existing files to add extra details or explanations where needed. 

Benefits:

• Translate transcripts into over 100 languages
• Add real-time recordings to existing video content
• Upgrade video quality with editing capabilities

Drawbacks:

• The VEED interface has a significant learning curve
• Transcript downloads are only available with paid plans

5. Trint

Trint lets you record audio or video straight from your phone or browser and instantly turn that recording into a transcript. Then edit your transcript, call out key points, and collaborate with classmates. If you're watching a live-streamed lecture, Trint can pull audio from a URL (or integrate it with streaming software).

Benefits:

• Support for more than 40 languages
• Transcribe audio or video to text almost instantly
• Customizable dictionary to improve transcript accuracy

Drawbacks:

• Need an internet connection to record and transcribe
• Only Trint Enterprise customers can use the mobile app

6. Evernote

Evernote lets you record audio in the app itself, and then play back new and existing recordings from inside your notes. Evernote syncs information across all your different devices so you can review relevant notes and recorded lectures from anywhere. 

Benefits:

• Easy process for recording and storing audio notes
• Turns audio, video, and images into text in just a few clicks
• Transcription is possible through a dictation feature

Drawbacks:

• Basic playback controls offering limited functionality
• Can’t transcribe pre-recorded files

7. Movavi

Movavi’s Screen Recorder captures HD screen and webcam footage, records audio from your computer and mic, and creates picture-in-picture videos. Movavi’s editing tools also let you trim and zoom in on lectures.

Benefits:

• Professional editing features to enhance recordings
• Upload lectures directly to YouTube and Google Drive
• Export videos to MP4, AVI, MOV, and more

Drawbacks:

• Can’t generate transcriptions or automatic text summaries
• Doesn’t come with built-in cloud storage

8. Supernotes

The Supernotes app records lecture audio as you type or write notes. Its tagging and folder system keeps your notes organized and easy to find. 

Benefits:

• A user-friendly interface that keeps notes structured
• Share notes via export, email, or direct collaboration
• Automatic syncing across all devices

Drawbacks:

• Offline recording is not available 
• No dedicated audio editing features

5 features to look for in a lecture recording and transcription tool

When choosing a lecture recording and transcription tool, look for features that stop note-taking from becoming a chore. Here are a few features to keep an eye out for:

1. AI-powered assistance: Tools like Otter AI Chat do more than just transcribe — they let you ask questions and generate content specific to your lecture. This enhances the learning experience more than just notes can.
2. Speed: A good tool should transcribe lectures to text quickly so you don’t have to wait hours to review your notes. Real-time transcription is especially helpful for keeping up with fast-paced lectures.
3. Accuracy: High-quality transcription software should capture speech with minimal errors, even in challenging audio conditions. Opt for lecture recording apps that you can trust to ensure reliable note-taking.
4. Integrations: A tool that works with Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams can save valuable time by automatically transcribing lectures directly from your online classes — no switching between software.
5. Editing and organization: The ability to edit transcripts, highlight key points, and organize notes into folders or tags can make studying more efficient and stress-free.

Capture every word, focus on learning with Otter

A good lecture recording app does more than just jot down notes. Otter’s the software Swiss Army knife you’re looking for.

Ready to transform your lecture experience? With Otter, you can easily transcribe lectures in real time, generate AI-powered summaries, and use Otter Chat to get instant answers to your burning questions. No more scrambling to take notes — just focus on learning and Otter will do the heavy lifting for you. 

Try Otter today and take your notes to the next level.