{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "Cost per hour of audio across transcription services",
  "description": "Every vendor in this category prices in plans, seats, included minutes and overage; none publishes a cost per hour of audio. This document is that arithmetic, done for each of them, from their own published prices.",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "TranscribeCat",
    "url": "https://www.transcribecat.com",
    "comparisonPage": "https://www.transcribecat.com/compare"
  },
  "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
  "reverificationDeadlineDays": 90,
  "methodology": [
    "Every figure was read from the vendor's own pricing page on the date above, and is stored with the exact line it came from.",
    "Month-to-month billing, not the discounted annual rate: a no-commitment price and a twelve-month-committed price are not the same product.",
    "Cost per hour is the cheapest published plan that covers the monthly volume, divided by that volume, plus overage where the vendor publishes one.",
    "A null is a number the vendor does not publish. It is never an estimate.",
    "TranscribeCat's own figure is produced by the code that charges the card."
  ],
  "license": "Free to quote and cite with attribution to https://www.transcribecat.com/compare. If a figure is wrong, tell us and we will correct it whichever way it goes.",
  "transcribecat": {
    "name": "TranscribeCat",
    "url": "https://www.transcribecat.com",
    "pricingModel": "per-hour",
    "usdPerHourOfAudio": 2,
    "minimumChargeUsdPerFile": 2,
    "subscription": false,
    "seats": false,
    "allowanceExpires": false,
    "chargedOnFailure": false,
    "costPerHourUsd": {
      "2h_per_month": 2,
      "10h_per_month": 2,
      "40h_per_month": 2
    }
  },
  "vendors": [
    {
      "id": "turboscribe",
      "name": "TurboScribe",
      "url": "https://turboscribe.ai",
      "pricingUrl": "https://turboscribe.ai/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "flat-unlimited",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Unlimited",
          "monthlyUsd": 20,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 10,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": null,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$10/month billed yearly, or $20/month billed monthly"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "3 transcripts per day, each file up to 30 minutes, lower processing priority",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": null
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 10,
          "basis": "$20.00/month spread over 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2,
          "basis": "$20.00/month spread over 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 0.5,
          "basis": "$20.00/month spread over 40 h"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 10,
      "caveat": "The September 5 pricing retrieval was indirect because automated requests were blocked. On September 10, the official homepage was readable and confirmed the same subscription prices, free allowance and file limits. The annual rate requires a $120 yearly payment."
    },
    {
      "id": "happyscribe",
      "name": "Happy Scribe",
      "url": "https://www.happyscribe.com",
      "pricingUrl": "https://www.happyscribe.com/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "subscription",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Basic",
          "monthlyUsd": 17,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 8.5,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 120,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.2,
          "perSeat": null,
          "source": "$17 / month … 120 minutes of AI Transcription, Subtitling, and Translation per month … Additional credits at $0.20/min"
        },
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "monthlyUsd": 29,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 19,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 600,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.2,
          "perSeat": null,
          "source": "$29 / month … 600 minutes of AI Transcription, Subtitling, and Translation per month … Additional credits at $0.20/min"
        },
        {
          "name": "Business",
          "monthlyUsd": 89,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 59,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 6000,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.2,
          "perSeat": null,
          "source": "$89 / month … 6,000 minutes of AI Transcription, Subtitling, and Translation per month … Additional credits at $0.20/min"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "10-minute one-time trial of AI Transcription, Subtitling and Translation",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": null
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 8.5,
          "basis": "Basic at $17.00/month covers 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2.9,
          "basis": "Pro at $29.00/month covers 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2.225,
          "basis": "Business at $89.00/month covers 40 h"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 44.5,
      "caveat": "Human proofreading is a separate add-on from $2.00/min ($1.90/min on Business) and is not part of the AI figures above. The overage rate is the number that matters for the comparison: $0.20/min is $12.00 per hour of audio."
    },
    {
      "id": "otter",
      "name": "Otter.ai",
      "url": "https://otter.ai",
      "pricingUrl": "https://otter.ai/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "subscription",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "monthlyUsd": 16.99,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 8.49,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 1200,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$16.99 /user/month … 1200 in-app recording minutes … Up to 90 mins/meeting"
        },
        {
          "name": "Business",
          "monthlyUsd": 30,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 19.99,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": null,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$30 /user/month … Unlimited meetings + in-app recordings … Up to 4 hours/meeting"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "300 monthly transcription minutes, 30 minutes per conversation, up to 5 workspace members",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": 300
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 8.495,
          "basis": "Pro at $16.99/month covers 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 1.6989999999999998,
          "basis": "Pro at $16.99/month covers 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 0.75,
          "basis": "Business at $30.00/month, no stated allowance"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 8.5,
      "caveat": "Otter is built around meeting capture rather than file upload, and its allowance is stated in recording minutes. The Business plan advertises unlimited meetings and publishes no overage, so an hourly rate for it is undefined and the comparison must say so rather than pick a number."
    },
    {
      "id": "rev",
      "name": "Rev",
      "url": "https://www.rev.com",
      "pricingUrl": "https://www.rev.com/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "subscription",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Essentials",
          "monthlyUsd": 29.99,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 25.49,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 5000,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$29.99 per seat/month … 5,000 AI transcription & caption minutes/seat/month (English & Spanish)"
        },
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "monthlyUsd": 59.99,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 47.99,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 10000,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$59.99 per seat/month … 10,000 verbatim AI transcription minutes/seat/month (37+ languages, including Spanglish)"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "45 AI transcription & caption minutes per month, English only",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": 45
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 14.995,
          "basis": "Essentials at $29.99/month covers 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2.9989999999999997,
          "basis": "Essentials at $29.99/month covers 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 0.7497499999999999,
          "basis": "Essentials at $29.99/month covers 40 h"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 15,
      "caveat": "Rev also sells human transcription at $1.99/min, which is a different product and is not in the figures above. The AI allowance is large; the thing that costs a light user money is that it is a per-seat subscription that renews whether or not it is used."
    },
    {
      "id": "sonix",
      "name": "Sonix",
      "url": "https://sonix.ai",
      "pricingUrl": "https://sonix.ai/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "subscription",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Pay As You Go",
          "monthlyUsd": null,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": null,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 0,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.16666666666666666,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "Additional hours on any subscription plan are billed at $10/hr."
        },
        {
          "name": "Core",
          "monthlyUsd": 25,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 22.92,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 300,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.16666666666666666,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$25/month … 5 hours of transcription per month"
        },
        {
          "name": "Advanced",
          "monthlyUsd": 50,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 45.83,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 1200,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.16666666666666666,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$50/month … 20 hours of transcription per month"
        },
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "monthlyUsd": 80,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 73.33,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 2400,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 0.16666666666666666,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$80/month … 40 hours of transcription per month"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "30-minute one-time trial credit, no card required",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": null
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 12.5,
          "basis": "Core at $25.00/month covers 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 5,
          "basis": "Advanced at $50.00/month covers 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2,
          "basis": "Pro at $80.00/month covers 40 h"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 40,
      "caveat": "The overage figure is a unit conversion of a published hourly rate, not an independent number: $10/hr ÷ 60. Sonix is the only vendor here that publishes an hourly price at all, and it is five times ours."
    },
    {
      "id": "descript",
      "name": "Descript",
      "url": "https://www.descript.com",
      "pricingUrl": "https://www.descript.com/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "subscription",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Hobbyist",
          "monthlyUsd": 24,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 16,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 600,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$24/month … 10 hours of transcription per month, per editor"
        },
        {
          "name": "Creator",
          "monthlyUsd": 35,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 24,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 1800,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$35/month … 30 hours of transcription per month, per editor"
        },
        {
          "name": "Business",
          "monthlyUsd": 65,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": 50,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": 2400,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": null,
          "perSeat": true,
          "source": "$65/month … 40 hours of transcription per month, per editor"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": {
        "description": "60 minutes of transcription per month per editor, 720p export",
        "includedMinutesPerMonth": 60
      },
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 12,
          "basis": "Hobbyist at $24.00/month covers 2 h"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 2.4,
          "basis": "Hobbyist at $24.00/month covers 10 h"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 1.625,
          "basis": "Business at $65.00/month covers 40 h"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": 17.5,
      "caveat": "Descript is a video editor that transcribes, not a transcription service, so most of what the subscription buys is not transcription. The allowance is per editor and publishes no overage rate — running out means waiting or upgrading. Monthly-versus-annual was read off the page's own billing toggle rather than assumed."
    },
    {
      "id": "gotranscript",
      "name": "GoTranscript",
      "url": "https://gotranscript.com",
      "pricingUrl": "https://gotranscript.com/transcription-services",
      "pricingModel": "per-minute",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Human transcription, 5-day turnaround (English)",
          "monthlyUsd": null,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": null,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": null,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 1.2,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$1.20 per minute, 5-day turnaround, English"
        },
        {
          "name": "Human transcription, 1-day turnaround (English)",
          "monthlyUsd": null,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": null,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": null,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 1.6,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$1.60 per minute, 1-day turnaround, English"
        },
        {
          "name": "Human transcription, 6–12 hour turnaround (English)",
          "monthlyUsd": null,
          "annualMonthlyUsd": null,
          "includedMinutesPerMonth": null,
          "overagePerMinuteUsd": 2.75,
          "perSeat": false,
          "source": "$2.75 per minute, 6-12 hour turnaround, English"
        }
      ],
      "freeTier": null,
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": 72,
          "basis": "per minute of media, no subscription"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": 72,
          "basis": "per minute of media, no subscription"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": 72,
          "basis": "per minute of media, no subscription"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": null,
      "caveat": "GoTranscript is human transcription, which is a different product with a different accuracy ceiling — it belongs in this index because buyers compare it to us on price, and the honest answer is that it is roughly thirty-six times the cost and correspondingly more accurate on hard audio. Their advertised $1.02/min headline is the 5-day English rate at a published 15% bulk discount, not the rate a first-time buyer pays."
    },
    {
      "id": "trint",
      "name": "Trint",
      "url": "https://trint.com",
      "pricingUrl": "https://trint.com/pricing",
      "pricingModel": "unpublished",
      "verifiedOn": "2026-09-05",
      "plans": [],
      "freeTier": null,
      "costPerHourUsd": {
        "2h_per_month": {
          "usd": null,
          "basis": "publishes no prices"
        },
        "10h_per_month": {
          "usd": null,
          "basis": "publishes no prices"
        },
        "40h_per_month": {
          "usd": null,
          "basis": "publishes no prices"
        }
      },
      "cheaperThanTranscribecatAboveHoursPerMonth": null,
      "caveat": "Trint publishes no prices. Verified on 2026-09-05: trint.com/pricing, /plans, /en/pricing and /product/pricing all answer HTTP 404, their sitemap contains no pricing URL, and the plan catalogue behind app.trint.com/plans loads from an authenticated API. Third-party figures circulate; none of them is on Trint's own site, so none is recorded here. \"You have to ask\" is the honest entry, and for a buyer comparing on cost it is also the most useful one."
    }
  ]
}