Every service quotes its price differently, per minute, per month, per API call, which makes them impossible to compare. So put in how many hours you transcribe a month and this shows the real cost per audio hour for each one, and reveals exactly when a monthly subscription beats paying as you go.
Rates reviewed 11 July 2026. Indicative published pricing in USD; subscription value depends on using the included hours.
That is about 600 minutes of recordings. Change it and every row re-ranks by your real cost.
| Service | Type | Pricing | $/audio hour | Your monthly cost | Turnaround | Best for |
|---|
AI runs from near-free to about $15 per audio hour depending on app versus pay-as-you-go. Human transcription is roughly $40 to $120 per hour. Developer APIs are cheapest per hour but need coding to use.
Only if you use the included hours. A $17 plan with 20 hours is under a dollar an hour if you fill it, but $17 an hour if you do one. Enter your real monthly hours above to see the honest ranking.
AI is now 85 to 95 percent accurate on clear audio and far cheaper, so it is the default for meetings and drafts. Human still wins for legal, medical, strong accents, poor audio or anything published verbatim.
Yes, several tools have free tiers. Fathom and Otter offer generous free meeting transcription, and Notta and Fireflies include free monthly minutes. They cap your hours, so heavier use pushes you onto a paid plan.