Speech-to-text APIs · Comparison
Amazon Transcribe vs AssemblyAI vs Speechmatics
3 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 | AssemblyAI | 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 includedA transcription API whose BAA, training opt-out and retention controls are self-serve on paid accounts, with diarized batch audio from $0.17 an hour. | 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 | 8.4Best | 8.1 |
| Free option | Free trial | Free trial | Free trial |
| Card to start | –Not measured | No card needed | No card needed |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0.006/min | $0.15/hr | $0.24/hr |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per second, no minimum; two channels at no extra charge | Per second of pre-recorded audio; streaming by session time, idle included; multichannel per channel | Per second, from credits at hourly rates; credit price falls with packs and subscriptions |
| Free credit | 60 minutes a month for 12 months | $50 at sign-up, no card, does not expire | $100 at sign-up, no card, valid 12 months |
| Streaming rate | $0.01/min ($0.60/h) | Universal-Streaming $0.15/h; Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime $0.45/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 | Batch +$0.02/h; streaming +$0.12/h (beta in the docs) | Included; real-time speaker labels on Enhanced, Standard and Linden, not Melia 1 |
| Languages | About 90 languages across 113 language rows (our count) | 99 on Universal-2; 18 on Universal-3.5 Pro | 55+ (pricing page); 56 for Melia 1 |
| Training on your audio | By default; opt out with an AWS Organizations policy | By default; paid accounts opt out online, free accounts cannot | Only if you opt in (33% off) |
| HIPAA BAA | Accepted in AWS Artifact | Signed online at no cost on paid plans | Sub-BAA through the Trust Center; plan and process not stated |
| EU processing | Six EU regions for batch, four for streaming | EU endpoint for batch and streaming, same price as US | EU, US and Australia regions for all customers |
| Self-hosted | Not offered | Streaming only, $20,000 upfront commitment | 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 2; ISO 27001:2022 | SOC 2 Type II (Trust Center, under NDA); ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
| Console SSO | IAM Identity Center, no extra charge | SAML/OIDC add-on, $199/month per connection | 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, AssemblyAI combines the lowest 500-hour price here with compliance controls you switch on yourself: a BAA, a training opt-out and retention as short as an hour. A few add-on prices differ between its pages. | 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; AssemblyAI: 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.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Amazon Transcribe review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Amazon Transcribe when
- You already run on AWS and want IAM, CloudTrail and S3 integration with no extra vendor account.
- Pick AssemblyAI when
- You want a lower 500-hour price ($85 a month, computed), retention you set yourself and a $50 credit.
From our AssemblyAI review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick AssemblyAI when
- You want the lower 500-hour price ($85 against $120 a month, computed) and a BAA you can sign online.
- Pick Speechmatics when
- You want audio kept out of training by default and streaming diarization at no extra cost on Enhanced and Standard.
From our Speechmatics review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Speechmatics when
- You want audio kept out of training by default and streaming speaker labels at no extra cost.
- Pick AssemblyAI when
- You want a BAA signed online, PII redaction as a per-hour add-on and a lower 500-hour price ($85 a month, computed).
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
- AssemblyAIUniversal-2, pre-recorded$0.15/hrBilled per second; 99 languages
- Diarization +$0.02/h
- Keyterm prompting included (pricing page)
- PII redaction +$0.08/h
- Word timestamps and confidence included
- 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, AssemblyAI 2026-10-16, Speechmatics 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- AssemblyAISelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 3 self-serve products here (8.4/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- AssemblyAIFree trial, no card needed, and the highest score of the 2 that skip the card (8.4/10).
- Highest overall score
- AssemblyAI8.4/10 (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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