Verified May 14, 2026 · Updated quarterly

How Much Does Transcription Cost in 2026? A Verified Price Reference

By VexaScribe Editorial · Published May 14, 2026 · Verified against vendor pricing pages

Transcription costs range from $0 (self-hosted Whisper) to $1.99 per minute (human transcription via Rev), depending on the method and accuracy you need. AI APIs cost $0.15–$2.04 per hour: AssemblyAI is the cheapest at $0.0025/min ($0.15/hr), Deepgram Nova-3 runs $0.46/hr, AWS Transcribe Tier 1 is $1.44/hr. Consumer AI apps charge $2–$50/month: VexaScribe (formerly NovaScribe) ranges from $2/mo Starter (200 min, $0.60/hr effective) to $20/mo Studio (6,000 min, $0.20/hr effective — competitive with mid-tier APIs), Otter Pro is $8.33/mo annual for 1,200 minutes, Descript Hobbyist is $16/mo for 10 hours. Human transcription is roughly 130–800× more expensive than AI: Rev's human tier starts at $1.99 per minute ($119 per audio hour). For most use cases — podcasts, interviews, meetings, video subtitles — modern AI at 95-97% accuracy is "good enough," and the human premium is only justified for legal depositions, peer-reviewed research, or broadcast-grade content. Below: a cost calculator, cost-by-method, cost-by-volume (5 to 100 hours per month), hidden cost categories most pricing pages don't mention, and use-case-specific recommendations.

Key takeaways

  • →Cheapest API: AssemblyAI Universal-2 at $0.15/hour ($0.0025/min PAYG, no subscription).
  • →Cheapest consumer app: VexaScribe — $2/mo Starter (200 min) entry tier scaling to $20/mo Studio (6,000 min). Effective per-hour drops from $0.60 at Starter to $0.20 at Studio — Studio is competitive with mid-tier APIs.
  • →Cheapest free option: Self-hosted Whisper ($0 forever, requires GPU + Python).
  • →Cheapest with usable free tier: YouTube auto-captions (~85% accuracy, English-primary, only useful if uploading to YouTube).
  • →Human transcription: $1.99/min via Rev — 130–800× more expensive than AI.
  • →Subscription sweet spot: $5–$10/mo tier covers 1,000–2,500 minutes/mo across most consumer apps.
  • →Hidden cost #1: Per-seat pricing — Otter Business at $19.99/seat × 5 people = $99.95/mo, not $19.99.
  • →2026 market shift: Rev moved from per-minute PAYG to subscription-only AI ($25.49–$47.99/seat/mo). Human transcription still PAYG at $1.99/min.

Quick answer: cost per minute & cost per hour

Direct prices across every transcription method, sorted cheapest to most expensive. All prices verified against vendor pricing pages on May 14, 2026.

MethodCost per minuteCost per hour
Self-hosted Whisper$0$0
AssemblyAI Universal-2 (cheapest API)$0.0025$0.15
OpenAI whisper-1 API$0.006$0.36
Deepgram Nova-3$0.0077$0.46
VexaScribe Studio (cheapest consumer app at scale)$0.0033$0.20
Most consumer apps (effective)$0.01–$0.03$0.60–$1.80
AWS Transcribe (Tier 1)$0.024$1.44
Rev AI subscription (per minute amortized)~$0.005~$0.31
Human transcription (Rev)$1.99$119

How to read this table: "Cost per minute" and "cost per hour" are mathematically the same number (×60). Most tools quote one or the other on their pricing page — we've normalized both so you can compare directly. Consumer app rates are "effective" — your actual cost depends on your subscription tier and usage, not a true per-minute rate.

Cost calculator: your monthly transcription bill

Enter how many minutes of audio you transcribe each month. The calculator ranks 13 options from cheapest to most expensive at your volume. Prices verified May 2026.

minutes (10.0 hours/month)

Cheapest 3 options at 600 min/mo

#1 · Self-hosted WhisperSelf-hosted
Free forever; requires GPU + Python setup
$0.00
/month
#2 · AssemblyAI Universal-2API
PAYG at $0.0025/min; engineering time required
$1.50
/month
#3 · OpenAI whisper-1 APIAPI
PAYG at $0.006/min; engineering time required
$3.60
/month
See all 12 options ranked
RankOptionCategoryMonthlyPer minute
1Self-hosted WhisperSelf-hosted$0.00$0.0000
2AssemblyAI Universal-2API$1.50$0.0025
3OpenAI whisper-1 APIAPI$3.60$0.0060
4Deepgram Nova-3API$4.62$0.0077
5VexaScribe BasicConsumer app$5.00$0.0083
6Otter Pro (annual)Consumer app$8.33$0.0139
7VexaScribe ProConsumer app$10.00$0.0167
8AWS Transcribe (Tier 1)API$14.40$0.0240
9Descript HobbyistConsumer app$16.00$0.0267
10VexaScribe StudioConsumer app$20.00$0.0333
11Rev AI subscription (Essentials)Consumer app$25.49$0.0425
12Rev Human transcriptionHuman$1194.00$1.9900

Prices verified May 14, 2026 against each vendor's pricing page. Calculator excludes overage rates, per-seat pricing for teams, annual-vs-monthly differences, and hidden costs covered in the "Hidden costs to watch" section below.

4 Transcription Methods Compared

Every transcription option in 2026 fits one of four methods. Understanding the methods explains the 800× price difference between the cheapest and most expensive options.

Method 1: Self-hosted AI (Whisper, pyannote)

$0 cost · Unlimited use · Engineering time required

Run the open-source Whisper Large-v3 model locally on your own hardware. The model is free; you pay only for compute (a single A10 or RTX GPU is enough for personal use). Same accuracy as paid APIs — these tools are built on Whisper.

Best for: developers comfortable with Python, on-premises / air-gapped requirements, or processing thousands of hours per month where commercial pricing becomes prohibitive.

Method 2: AI APIs (AssemblyAI, Deepgram, OpenAI, AWS, Google)

$0.15–$2.04 per hour · PAYG billing · Engineering integration required

Commercial APIs that wrap Whisper or similar models with managed infrastructure, SDKs, and SLAs. Cheapest is AssemblyAI Universal-2 at $0.0025/min. Most expensive enterprise APIs (AWS, Google) charge ~10× more but offer compliance features (HIPAA, SOC 2). See our 12-API comparison for full vendor details.

Best for: engineering teams building transcription into their own product. Below ~500 hours/month, the engineering integration cost exceeds the savings vs a consumer app.

Method 3: Consumer AI apps (VexaScribe, Otter, Descript, TurboScribe, Rev AI)

$2–$50/mo subscription · Web UI · No code

UI-first tools with web dashboards, file upload, transcript editing, and downstream features (summaries, subtitles, integrations). 2–10× more expensive per-hour than APIs but include everything a non-developer needs. 2026 market shift: Rev moved from $0.25/min PAYG to subscription-only AI tier ($25.49–$47.99/seat/mo).

Best for: end-users with regular transcription needs who want a UI and no code. Sub-tier choice depends on volume: $2/mo for occasional use, $5–$10/mo for regular use, $20+/mo for high volume.

Method 4: Human transcription (Rev, Scribie, Verbit)

$1.50–$1.99/min standard · $3–$5/min legal-grade · 12–24 hour turnaround

Trained human transcriptionists handle overlapping speech, accents, technical jargon, and noise conditions that defeat every AI tool. Court-admissible. NDA-protected. The premium is real: $1.99/min × 60 = $119/hour, vs $0.15–$2.40/hour for AI.

Best for: legal depositions, peer-reviewed academic research, broadcast deliverables under regulatory scrutiny, and audio with heavy crosstalk where AI fails. For everyday content, the hybrid approach (AI first draft + freelance human reviewer) costs 70-80% less.

Cost by method: full pricing table

14 tools across all four methods with entry-tier pricing, best-value-tier pricing, and effective per-hour cost. Each row was verified against the vendor's pricing page on May 14, 2026.

ToolMethodEntry tierBest-value tierPer hour
Self-hosted WhisperOpen-source$0$0$0
AssemblyAI Universal-2APIPAYG $0.0025/minPAYG$0.15
OpenAI whisper-1APIPAYG $0.006/minPAYG$0.36
OpenAI gpt-4o-transcribeAPIPAYG $0.006/minPAYG$0.36
Deepgram Nova-3APIPAYG $0.0077/minVolume discount$0.46
AWS TranscribeAPI$0.024/min Tier 1Volume tier (>250K min)$1.44 (Tier 1)
Google Cloud Speech-to-TextAPI$0.024/minVolume tier$1.44
VexaScribeConsumer app$2/mo Starter (200 min)$20/mo Studio (6,000 min)$0.20–$0.60
Otter ProConsumer app$8.33/mo annual (1,200 min)$8.33/mo annual$0.42
Descript HobbyistConsumer app$16/mo (10 hrs)$24/mo Creator (30 hrs)$0.80
TurboScribe UnlimitedConsumer app$10/mo unlimited$10/mo unlimitedVariable
Rev AI (subscription)AI tier$25.49/seat/mo annual (5,000 min)Essentials annual$0.31
Rev HumanHuman$1.99/min startingPAYG$119
Scribie HumanHuman$1.50/min standardStandard 5-day$90

How to read "per hour": For PAYG (APIs), this is the literal rate × 60. For subscriptions, it's computed as monthly tier ÷ included minutes, then ×60. "Variable" on TurboScribe Unlimited means the per-hour cost drops with usage (at 50 hours/month, $10 ÷ 50 = $0.20/hour effective).

Cost by volume: 5 / 20 / 50 / 100 hours per month

The single most useful table for choosing a tool. Same options across four volume levels — pick your monthly usage and read across. Prices include subscription floor where applicable.

Tool5 hrs/mo20 hrs/mo50 hrs/mo100 hrs/mo
Self-hosted Whisper$0$0$0$0
AssemblyAI PAYG$0.75$3.00$7.50$15.00
OpenAI whisper-1 API$1.80$7.20$18.00$36.00
Deepgram Nova-3$2.31$9.24$23.10$46.20
AWS Transcribe Tier 1$7.20$28.80$72.00$144.00
VexaScribe Starter/Basic/Pro/Studio$2 Starter$5 Basic$10 Pro$20 Studio
Otter Pro (annual)$8.33$8.33 (cap)Need Business $19.99Need Business $19.99
Descript$16 Hobbyist$24 Creator$50 Business + overageCustom Enterprise
TurboScribe Unlimited$10$10$10$10
Rev AI Essentials$25.49$25.49 (~83 hr cap)$25.49 (cap exceeded)Need Pro $47.99
Rev Human ($1.99/min)$597$2,388$5,970$11,940

Reading guide: At 5 hours/mo, almost everything is cheap — pick on UX. At 20 hours/mo, AI APIs and entry-tier subscriptions tie. At 50 hours/mo, flat-rate plans (VexaScribe Pro $10, TurboScribe $10) crush per-hour pricing. At 100 hours/mo, VexaScribe Studio ($20) or self-hosted Whisper are the only practical AI choices. Rev Human at any volume becomes prohibitive above 1 hour/month.

AI vs Human: when is each worth it?

Human transcription is 130–800× more expensive per minute than AI. The premium is real but only worth it for specific scenarios. Here's the honest decision framework.

Use AI when:

  • ✓95-97% accuracy is acceptable (podcasts, interviews, internal meetings)
  • ✓You have time to proofread proper nouns (names, brands, technical terms)
  • ✓Volume exceeds 1 hour/month (human cost compounds fast)
  • ✓You can edit the transcript yourself (or already plan to)
  • ✓Audio is clean — single speaker or 2–4 cooperative speakers

Use Human when:

  • →Legal depositions (court-admissible record required)
  • →Peer-reviewed academic research (publication-grade accuracy)
  • →Broadcast deliverables (FCC/regulatory standards)
  • →Heavy overlap, crosstalk, or debate audio (AI fails here)
  • →Specialized vocabulary AI can't learn (rare medical, legal, technical terms)
  • →Final-draft content where editing time costs more than the human transcription

The hybrid approach (most professionals do this)

Use AI for the first-pass draft at $0.15–$0.60/hour. Then pay a freelance human reviewer $20–$40/hour (on Upwork, Fiverr, or your own contractor network) to clean it up. Total cost: $20–$40/hour vs $119/hour for pure-human Rev — 70-80% savings without sacrificing accuracy on the parts that matter.

This works because AI gets the structure, timing, and 95%+ of words right; the human reviewer focuses on the proper nouns, unclear sections, and overlapping speech. The cognitive load on the reviewer is dramatically lower than transcribing from scratch.

Hidden costs to watch

Six cost categories vendors don't put on their pricing pages. Each one has surprised buyers with bills 2–10× larger than expected.

1. Per-seat pricing

A 5-person team on Otter Business at $19.99/seat = $99.95/mo total, not $19.99. Per-seat pricing scales linearly — for teams, factor headcount × seat price. Flat-rate alternatives (TurboScribe $10/mo unlimited, VexaScribe $35/mo team plan) are 3-10× cheaper at 5+ seats.

2. Overage rates

Going 100 minutes over your monthly plan often costs $0.10–$0.50/min — sometimes more than upgrading to the next tier would have. Always set usage alerts at 80% and 95% of your plan limit. Some tools (Rev AI Pro) don't allow overage and simply stop processing until next month.

3. Feature gating

Speaker diarization, AI summaries, custom vocabulary, and API access are often locked to higher tiers. A $2/mo plan that excludes diarization isn't useful for multi-speaker audio. Always confirm the features you need are on your tier before committing.

4. Annual vs monthly billing lock-in

Annual billing typically saves 17–30%, but locks you in. If you might switch tools in 6 months, monthly billing ($16.99 Otter Pro) beats annual ($8.33/mo if you cancel after month 4 = $33.32 effective vs the same 4 months monthly at $67.96 — but if you actually use it 12 months, annual saves 51%).

5. Format export fees

A few tools charge extra for SRT/VTT export above their base tier. Most modern tools include all formats free — but verify before subscribing. Sonix bills SRT/VTT export as part of subscription but PAYG users pay per export.

6. API rate limits and retry costs

Streaming APIs that disconnect (WebSocket timeouts, mobile network changes) often require you to retry, and each retry consumes more minutes. Implement exponential backoff and cap retry attempts. Production-grade streaming integration can cost 10–30% more than the headline per-minute rate.

Cost by use case

Different use cases land on different tools. Concrete monthly cost estimates for the five most common scenarios.

Podcast transcription cost

For a weekly 30-minute podcast: 4 episodes × 30 min = 120 minutes/month (2 hours).

  • →AI per-episode cost: $0.075 (AssemblyAI), $0.18 (OpenAI), $0.23 (Deepgram), ~$0.10 (VexaScribe amortized)
  • →Human per-episode cost: $60 (Rev Human at $1.99/min × 30 min)
  • →Annual cost (weekly 30-min podcast): $24/year on VexaScribe Starter, $20/year on TurboScribe Unlimited, or $36/year on OpenAI API
  • →Anchor recommendation: VexaScribe Starter ($2/mo for 200 min) covers a weekly 30-min podcast for $24/year
See full podcast tool comparison →

Interview transcription cost

For thesis-scale research: 20 interviews × 60 min = 1,200 minutes (20 hours).

  • →AI total cost: $3.00 (AssemblyAI), $7.20 (OpenAI), $9.24 (Deepgram), $5/month on VexaScribe Basic
  • →Human total cost: $2,388 (Rev Human at $1.99/min × 1,200 min)
  • →Hybrid recommendation (saves 95%): AI all 20 interviews for ~$5–$10 total, then pay a freelance human reviewer $20–$40/hour to clean up the 3-5 you'll quote directly
  • →For journalists doing 2 interviews/week (~50 hours/year): VexaScribe Basic at $5/month = $60/year covers the entire workload
See interview tool comparison →

Video subtitles cost

For YouTube creators: 4 videos × 15 min = 60 minutes/month (1 hour).

  • →Free option: YouTube auto-captions ($0, ~85% accuracy, English-primary)
  • →AI dedicated SRT generation: $0.15/month (AssemblyAI), $0.36 (OpenAI), or $2/month on VexaScribe Starter for higher accuracy + bulk upload
  • →For high-volume creators (50+ videos/mo): VexaScribe Studio at $20/mo or self-hosted Whisper
  • →Pro tip: subtitled videos retain 40-60% more viewers on social platforms — the $2/mo subscription often pays for itself in ad revenue within the first month
Try VexaScribe's SRT generator free →

Meeting transcription cost

For a 5-person team with 1 hour of meetings per person per workday: 5 × 1 × 20 = 100 hours/month total.

  • →Flat-rate team plans win at this scale: VexaScribe Studio $20/mo flat, TurboScribe Unlimited $10/mo flat
  • →Per-seat pricing scales painfully: Otter Business $19.99/seat × 5 = $99.95/mo, Fireflies Pro $19/seat × 5 = $95/mo
  • →AI API direct: AssemblyAI PAYG at 100 hours = $15.00/month (cheapest), but requires engineering integration with your meeting recording workflow
  • →Hidden cost: meeting transcription requires bot capability OR upload workflow — pure API doesn't capture live meetings without recording infrastructure
See meeting tool comparison →

Free options that actually work

"Free" usually means time-limited, file-limited, or platform-coupled. Five options that genuinely deliver — honest about each catch.

ToolLimitAccuracyCatchVerdict
Self-hosted WhisperUnlimited, free forever95-97% (Whisper Large-v3)Requires GPU + Python expertiseBest for technical users
YouTube auto-captionsUnlimited if video is on YouTube~85% clean EnglishOnly useful if YouTube is your platformBest free for YouTubers
VexaScribe 30-min trial30 minutes, one-time, no card95-97%One-time trial onlyBest free standalone SRT
TurboScribe free3 files/day, 30-min limit each95-97% (Whisper-based)Daily file count caps usageBest free for occasional use
Otter free300 min/mo, 30-min recording cap~89% English-primaryEnglish-primary, 30-min cap per recordingBest free for English meetings

Truly unlimited free use requires self-hosting Whisper or hosting on YouTube. For a one-off standalone SRT file from any audio or video, no account needed for the first 30 minutes — try VexaScribe's SRT generator.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to transcribe one hour of audio?

One hour of audio costs $0 to $119, depending on method. Self-hosted Whisper: $0. AssemblyAI API: $0.15/hour. OpenAI Whisper API: $0.36/hour. Deepgram Nova-3: $0.46/hour. AWS Transcribe Tier 1: $1.44/hour. Consumer apps: $0.20–$2.40/hour (depending on subscription tier). Rev Human transcription: $119/hour (starting at $1.99/min). For most use cases, AI transcription at $0.15–$2.40/hour is good enough; the $119/hour human premium is only justified for legal depositions, peer-reviewed research, or broadcast deliverables.

What is the cheapest transcription service in 2026?

Strictly cheapest with no card: self-hosted Whisper at $0 (requires GPU + Python). Cheapest commercial API: AssemblyAI Universal-2 at $0.0025/min ($0.15/hour) pay-as-you-go. Cheapest consumer app: VexaScribe (formerly NovaScribe) — entry at $2/month for 200 minutes (Starter, $0.60/hr effective) scaling down to $20/month for 6,000 minutes (Studio, $0.20/hr effective — competitive with mid-tier APIs). Cheapest with usable free tier: YouTube auto-captions (~85% accuracy, English-primary, only useful if you're uploading to YouTube anyway). TurboScribe free tier offers 3 files per day at 30 minutes each.

Why is human transcription so much more expensive than AI?

Human transcription costs roughly 130–800× more than the cheapest AI option ($1.99/min vs $0.0025/min). The premium reflects three things: (1) human transcriptionists handle overlapping speech, crosstalk, and accents that defeat every AI tool, (2) human work is court-admissible while AI is not, and (3) skilled transcriptionists earn $20–$30/hour minimum, plus QA review time. For most use cases — podcasts, interviews, internal meetings — modern AI at 95-97% accuracy is sufficient. The human premium is only justified for legal depositions, peer-reviewed research, or broadcast deliverables under regulatory review.

Are there any truly free transcription services?

Five genuinely free options work for specific use cases. (1) Self-hosted Whisper — free forever, unlimited, requires Python + GPU. (2) YouTube auto-captions — free, ~85% English accuracy, only useful if uploading to YouTube anyway. (3) VexaScribe free 30-minute trial — one-time, no card required. (4) TurboScribe free tier — 3 files/day at 30 min each. (5) Otter free tier — 300 min/month, English-primary, 30-min cap per recording. Truly unlimited free requires self-hosting; everything else has time, file, or quantity limits.

How much does it cost to transcribe a 30-minute podcast?

A 30-minute podcast episode costs $0–$60 depending on method. Free: YouTube auto-captions (if uploading), self-hosted Whisper. AI APIs: $0.075 (AssemblyAI), $0.18 (OpenAI), $0.23 (Deepgram). Consumer apps amortized over a $2/mo subscription: roughly $0.50–$2 per episode. Rev Human: $60 ($1.99/min × 30 min). For weekly podcasters publishing 4 episodes/month (~2 hours total), VexaScribe Starter at $2/month covers the year for $24 total — cheaper than a single hour of human transcription.

Is paying $1.99/min for Rev Human worth it?

Worth it for: legal depositions (court-admissible record), peer-reviewed academic research (publication-grade accuracy), broadcast deliverables (FCC/regulatory standards), or audio with heavy overlap/crosstalk that defeats AI. Not worth it for: podcasts, interview drafts, internal meetings, training videos, or anything where you'll edit the transcript anyway. Hybrid approach (recommended by most professionals): use AI for the first draft at $0.15–$0.60/hour, then pay a freelance human reviewer $20–$40/hour to clean it up. Total cost: 70–80% less than pure human transcription.

What's the difference between AI transcription tools and AI APIs?

Both run the same underlying AI models (often Whisper or vendor variants), but the cost and integration are different. AI APIs (AssemblyAI $0.15/hr, Deepgram $0.46/hr, OpenAI $0.36/hr) require engineering — you write code to upload files and process responses. Consumer apps (VexaScribe $0.20–$0.60/hr, Otter $0.42/hr+, Descript $0.80–$1.60/hr) cost 2–10× more per hour but include a UI, file management, web dashboard, and no code. The break-even is roughly 500 hours/month — below that, the engineering time to build with an API outweighs the savings.

Do transcription services charge per minute or per word?

Per minute, almost universally. Both AI APIs and human services bill by audio duration, not transcript length. Per-second billing (AWS Transcribe) and per-word billing are both rare. The standard unit is the audio minute — silence and pauses count. This matters because a 30-minute interview with 5 minutes of dead air still costs the same as 30 minutes of dense speech. If your audio has long silences (lectures, paused interviews), trimming silence with Audacity or similar before upload can cut costs by 10-20%.

What's the cheapest way to transcribe video content?

Cheapest path for video: extract the audio track (use ffmpeg or any video editor) and submit it to an AI tool. For YouTube videos: use YouTube's free auto-captions if you're uploading anyway. For dedicated SRT subtitle files: VexaScribe at $0.01/min (cheapest consumer app with SRT export), or self-hosted Whisper for unlimited free use. Most consumer apps and APIs accept video files directly (MP4, MOV, MKV) — they extract audio internally. You don't need to convert to MP3 first unless your upload bandwidth is slow.

How can I estimate my monthly transcription cost?

Use the calculator above on this page. Or do the math: take your monthly audio hours × the per-hour cost of your chosen tool. Example: a podcaster recording 4 hours/month picks VexaScribe Basic ($5/mo for 1,000 min) — total cost $5/month. A journalist conducting 20 interviews of 30 min each (10 hours total) on AssemblyAI PAYG = 10 × $0.15 = $1.50. A 5-person team using Otter Business at $19.99/seat = $99.95/month flat. For high-volume use (50+ hours/month), VexaScribe Studio ($20/mo flat) or self-hosted Whisper become the cheapest options.

Methodology & disclosure

Verification window. All prices, free-tier limits, plan structures, and feature claims were verified against vendor pricing pages between May 8 and May 14, 2026. We update this page quarterly because transcription pricing changes frequently — the "Verified" badge at the top of the page shows the last verification date.

Methodology. We use vendor list pricing only — no negotiated enterprise discounts, no beta tier pricing, no insider rates. Per-minute and per-hour rates are computed from monthly tier ÷ included minutes, then ×60. PAYG rates are taken directly from vendor pricing pages. For Rev specifically, we document the 2026 shift from per-minute PAYG to subscription-only AI tier.

What we ignored. Marketing claims of "industry leading" without published benchmarks, accuracy claims without dataset disclosure, vendor-paid analyst reports, "starting from" prices that conceal real entry costs.

Conflict of interest. This page is published by VexaScribe (formerly NovaScribe). VexaScribe appears in tables where pricing honestly places it (cheapest consumer app entry tier at $2/mo). We don't crown VexaScribe on accuracy, features, or any category VexaScribe doesn't lead on. No affiliate relationships with any vendor listed; received no compensation for inclusion, ranking, or placement. Outbound vendor links use rel="noopener" only (not nofollow) — competitors are authoritative entities and there's no SEO reason to withhold authority signals. Editorial standards: see our editorial standards.

What changed since last update? First publication, May 14, 2026. Notable 2026 market shifts documented: Rev moved from $0.25/min PAYG to subscription-only AI tier; Deepgram Nova-3 launched at $0.0077/min batch; AWS Transcribe Tier 1 pricing simplified to $0.024/min. Future updates will be reflected in the "Verified" badge and datePublished/dateModified schema fields.

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