Speech-to-Text Cost: Pricing Transcription by the Minute
Speech-to-text is billed by audio duration, usually per minute, which makes transcription cost a simple function of how many hours you process. This guide shows how to estimate it and compare providers.
Minutes are the meter
Multiply your total audio minutes by the per-minute rate to get the cost. Meeting recordings, call centers and media archives are large minute counts, so small per-minute differences become real money at scale.
Features change the rate
Diarization, timestamps, translation and premium accuracy tiers can raise the per-minute price. Turn on only the features you need, and compare providers on the exact feature set your workflow requires.
Calculators for this topic
Frequently asked questions
How is transcription priced?+
Almost always per minute of audio, sometimes higher for extra features like diarization or premium accuracy.
How do I estimate transcription cost?+
Multiply total audio minutes by the per-minute rate for your chosen provider and feature set.