Speech-to-text APIs · Comparison
Amazon Transcribe vs Speechmatics
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Amazon Transcribe | Speechmatics |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Built-in reachTranscription inside your AWS account at $0.006 a minute for batch, with speaker labels, custom vocabulary and language identification in the rate. | Compliance includedTranscription in 55+ languages where your audio stays out of model training unless you opt in, with EU, US and Australian processing for every account. |
| Overall score | 7.0 | 8.1Best |
| Free option | Free trial | Free trial |
| Card to start | –Not measured | No card needed |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0.006/min | $0.24/hr |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per second, no minimum; two channels at no extra charge | Per second, from credits at hourly rates; credit price falls with packs and subscriptions |
| Free credit | 60 minutes a month for 12 months | $100 at sign-up, no card, valid 12 months |
| Streaming rate | $0.01/min ($0.60/h) | Melia 1 $0.40/h; Standard $0.45/h; Enhanced $0.80/h (list) |
| Diarization | Included in batch and streaming, up to 30 speakers | Included; real-time speaker labels on Enhanced, Standard and Linden, not Melia 1 |
| Languages | About 90 languages across 113 language rows (our count) | 55+ (pricing page); 56 for Melia 1 |
| Training on your audio | By default; opt out with an AWS Organizations policy | Only if you opt in (33% off) |
| Retention | Job records 90 days; output in your S3 bucket | Batch files 7 days, delete sooner by API; real-time audio not stored |
| HIPAA BAA | Accepted in AWS Artifact | Sub-BAA through the Trust Center; plan and process not stated |
| EU processing | Six EU regions for batch, four for streaming | EU, US and Australia regions for all customers |
| Self-hosted | Not offered | On-prem containers, virtual appliance and on-device on Enterprise |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 1, 2 and 3 and ISO 27001 (AWS Artifact) | SOC 2 Type II (Trust Center, under NDA); ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
| Console SSO | IAM Identity Center, no extra charge | SAML/OIDC on Enterprise, $280/month add-on |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Amazon Transcribe is the simple choice inside AWS: flat per-minute rates with the main features included and self-serve compliance paperwork. Voice inputs are used to improve the service unless your organization opts out. | From its public pages, Speechmatics has the strictest privacy defaults of the five: no training unless you opt in, 7-day batch retention and real-time audio not stored. Its pricing page leads with discounted rates, and redaction, SSO and on-prem are Enterprise features. |
Evidence: Amazon Transcribe: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Speechmatics: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- Amazon TranscribeStandard batch$0.006/minFlat, US East; billed per second
- Diarization, custom vocabulary and language identification included
- Up to two channels included
- SRT and WebVTT subtitles
- SpeechmaticsPro: Melia 1, pre-recorded$0.24/hrPay-as-you-go list rate; $0.16 with the model-training opt-in
- Speaker diarization included
- 56 languages, code-switching
- Word timestamps included
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Amazon Transcribe 2026-10-16, Speechmatics 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- SpeechmaticsSelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.1/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- SpeechmaticsFree trial, no card needed; scored 8.1/10.
- Highest overall score
- Speechmatics8.1/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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