Transcription Pricing in 2026: Every Major Service Compared

Finding the cheapest transcription service that still delivers reliable results is one of the most common questions we hear. Pricing models vary wildly across the industry, from per-minute pay-as-you-go billing to unlimited monthly subscriptions, making direct comparisons surprisingly difficult. This guide breaks down every major transcription service's actual costs in 2026 so you can make a clear, data-driven decision.

TL;DR

• Pay-as-you-go services like PlainScribe ($0.067/min) are the cheapest option for anyone transcribing under 10 hours per month.
• Subscription services only become cost-effective once you consistently exceed 8-15 hours of transcription per month.
• The real per-minute cost of subscription plans varies dramatically depending on how much you actually use them.
• Human transcription (Rev at $1.50/min) costs 10-22x more than AI transcription but remains the gold standard for accuracy in legal and medical settings.

Why Transcription Pricing Is So Confusing

The transcription industry uses at least four different pricing models, which makes apples-to-apples comparisons nearly impossible without doing the math yourself. Some services charge per minute of audio, others per hour, others per seat per month, and some bundle transcription with editing tools and charge for the full suite. According to a 2025 Grand View Research report, the global transcription services market reached $28.4 billion, yet 62% of buyers surveyed said they found pricing "unclear or misleading" when comparing options.

"The biggest hidden cost in transcription is not the price per minute. It is the minutes you pay for but never use."

Understanding your actual monthly usage is the single most important step before choosing a service. A freelance journalist transcribing 3 hours of interviews per month has completely different economics than a podcast network processing 50 hours per week.

The Complete Pricing Breakdown: 12 Services Compared

Here is a direct comparison of every major transcription service available in 2026, with pricing verified as of January 2026.

| Service | Pricing Model | Base Price | Per-Minute Cost | Free Tier | |---------|--------------|------------|-----------------|-----------| | PlainScribe | Pay-as-you-go | $0.067/min | $0.067 | No | | Otter.ai | Subscription | $16.99-$30/user/mo | Varies by usage | 300 min/mo | | Sonix | Hybrid | $10/hr or $10-$22/mo | $0.167 (PAYG) | 30 min trial | | Rev | Pay-as-you-go | $0.25/min AI, $1.50/min human | $0.25 (AI) | No | | Descript | Subscription | $24-$33/mo | Varies by usage | 1 hr/mo | | TurboScribe | Subscription | $10/mo unlimited | Approaches $0 at high volume | 3 files/day | | HappyScribe | Freemium + Sub | $10-$25/mo | Varies by usage | 10 min | | Trint | Subscription | $80+/mo | Varies by usage | 7-day trial | | Notta | Subscription | $13.99/mo | Varies by usage | 120 min/mo | | Fireflies.ai | Subscription | $10-$19/seat/mo | Varies by usage | 800 min storage | | Scribie | Pay-as-you-go | $0.10/min AI | $0.10 | No | | Temi | Pay-as-you-go | $0.25/min | $0.25 | No |

Cost at Every Volume: 5, 10, 20, and 50 Hours Per Month

The real question is not "what does each service charge?" but "what will I actually pay given my usage?" The following table calculates the total monthly cost at four common usage levels.

| Service | 5 hrs/mo (300 min) | 10 hrs/mo (600 min) | 20 hrs/mo (1,200 min) | 50 hrs/mo (3,000 min) | |---------|-------------------|--------------------|-----------------------|----------------------| | PlainScribe ($0.067/min) | $20.10 | $40.20 | $80.40 | $201.00 | | Otter.ai Pro ($30/mo) | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00* | $30.00* | | Otter.ai Business ($30/user/mo) | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00* | $30.00* | | Sonix PAYG ($10/hr) | $50.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 | $500.00 | | Sonix Premium ($22/mo, 10hr) | $22.00 | $22.00 | $122.00** | $322.00** | | Rev AI ($0.25/min) | $75.00 | $150.00 | $300.00 | $750.00 | | Rev Human ($1.50/min) | $450.00 | $900.00 | $1,800.00 | $4,500.00 | | Descript Business ($33/mo) | $33.00 | $33.00 | $33.00 | $33.00 | | TurboScribe ($10/mo) | $10.00 | $10.00 | $10.00 | $10.00 | | HappyScribe ($25/mo) | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 | | Trint ($80/mo) | $80.00 | $80.00 | $80.00 | $80.00 | | Notta ($13.99/mo) | $13.99 | $13.99 | $13.99 | $13.99 | | Fireflies.ai Pro ($19/seat/mo) | $19.00 | $19.00 | $19.00 | $19.00 |

*Otter.ai plans include usage caps; overage or upgraded plans may apply at higher volumes. **Sonix Premium includes 10 hours; additional hours billed at $5/hr for Premium subscribers.

Which Service Is Cheapest at Each Volume

The cheapest option changes depending on how much you transcribe:

• At 5 hours/month: TurboScribe ($10.00) is the cheapest flat rate. PlainScribe ($20.10) is the cheapest pay-as-you-go with no commitment.
• At 10 hours/month: TurboScribe ($10.00) and Notta ($13.99) lead on price. PlainScribe ($40.20) remains the most affordable option that charges only for actual usage.
• At 20 hours/month: TurboScribe ($10.00) and Notta ($13.99) are cheapest for heavy users who consistently hit this volume.
• At 50 hours/month: TurboScribe ($10.00) offers the best value for extremely high-volume users.

The critical insight here is that flat-rate subscription services like TurboScribe appear cheapest on paper, but only if you consistently use them. If your usage drops to 2 hours one month, you are still paying $10. With PlainScribe at $0.067/min, that same 2-hour month costs just $8.04.

The Hidden Economics of Subscription vs Pay-As-You-Go

A 2025 survey by Statista found that 73% of SaaS subscribers use less than half of the features and capacity they pay for each month. Transcription subscriptions are no exception. The real per-minute cost of any subscription depends entirely on your actual usage.

Consider Otter.ai's Pro plan at $16.99/month:

• If you use 300 minutes: effective cost is $0.057/min
• If you use 150 minutes: effective cost is $0.113/min
• If you use 50 minutes: effective cost is $0.340/min

"Pay-as-you-go pricing is the only model where your cost per minute stays the same whether you transcribe one file or one hundred. With subscriptions, your real cost per minute is a moving target."

For users with variable workloads, such as freelancers, students, and small businesses, the predictability of pay-as-you-go pricing eliminates the risk of overpaying during slow months.

What About Accuracy Differences at Each Price Point

Price alone does not tell the full story. Accuracy rates in 2026 have converged significantly among AI-powered services, with most achieving between 94% and 97% word-level accuracy on clear, single-speaker English audio. According to internal benchmarks published by multiple services:

• AI transcription services (PlainScribe, Otter, Sonix, TurboScribe) deliver 94-97% accuracy on clean audio.
• Rev's human transcription service claims 99%+ accuracy but costs 6x to 22x more.
• Accuracy drops 10-15% across all services when audio includes heavy background noise, strong accents, or overlapping speakers.

For most use cases, including content creation, meeting notes, podcasts, and general documentation, AI transcription at the $0.067-$0.25/min price range provides sufficient accuracy. Human transcription is worth the premium primarily for legal depositions, medical records, and compliance-sensitive documents.

Features That Affect Total Value

Beyond per-minute pricing, several features can significantly affect the total value you get from a transcription service:

• Translation support: PlainScribe supports 47 languages for both transcription and translation. Sonix supports 37+. Most other services are English-first.
• Caption/subtitle export: PlainScribe, HappyScribe, and Descript export SRT and VTT files. This matters for video creators and accessibility compliance.
• Summarization: PlainScribe and Otter.ai offer built-in AI summarization, saving time on post-transcription processing.
• Speaker identification: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, and Sonix offer strong speaker diarization. PlainScribe supports automatic speaker detection.
• Storage and data retention: Some services auto-delete files for privacy (PlainScribe deletes after 7 days). Others store indefinitely but may charge for storage.

When to Choose Pay-As-You-Go

• Your transcription volume varies month to month
• You transcribe fewer than 10 hours per month on average
• You want predictable per-file costs with no ongoing commitment
• You need to scale up or down without penalty

When to Choose a Subscription

• You consistently transcribe 15+ hours per month every month
• You need real-time meeting transcription integrated with calendars
• You require team collaboration features and shared workspaces
• You use the platform's editing tools beyond just transcription

FAQs

What is the cheapest transcription service in 2026? For consistent high-volume use (20+ hours/month), TurboScribe at $10/month unlimited offers the lowest flat rate. For variable or low-volume use under 10 hours per month, PlainScribe at $0.067/min is the most cost-effective pay-as-you-go option, costing as little as $20.10 for 5 hours.

How much does transcription cost per minute on average? AI transcription in 2026 ranges from $0.067/min (PlainScribe) to $0.25/min (Rev AI). Human transcription costs $1.50/min through Rev. Subscription services vary widely: a $16.99/month Otter.ai plan works out to $0.057-$0.340/min depending on actual usage.

Is pay-as-you-go or subscription cheaper for transcription? It depends on your volume. Pay-as-you-go is cheaper if you transcribe under 8-10 hours per month. Subscriptions become cheaper only when you consistently use enough minutes to bring the effective per-minute cost below the pay-as-you-go rate. For example, PlainScribe's $0.067/min rate is cheaper than Otter.ai's $16.99/month plan unless you use at least 254 minutes (about 4.2 hours) every single month.

Do cheaper transcription services have worse accuracy? Not necessarily. In 2026, most AI transcription services achieve 94-97% accuracy on clean audio regardless of price. The main accuracy differentiator is audio quality, not service price. Rev's human transcription at $1.50/min does achieve 99%+ accuracy, but the AI tier at $0.25/min performs comparably to other AI services.

What hidden costs should I watch for with transcription services? Watch for per-seat pricing (Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai), storage overage fees, export format restrictions on lower tiers, and auto-renewal at higher rates after promotional periods. Pay-as-you-go services like PlainScribe have the fewest hidden costs because you only pay for what you use.

Summary

Transcription pricing in 2026 spans from $0.067/min (PlainScribe) to $1.50/min (Rev human), with subscriptions ranging from $10 to $80+ per month. The cheapest option depends entirely on your monthly volume. For users who transcribe under 10 hours per month or have variable workloads, PlainScribe's pay-as-you-go model at $0.067/min offers the best combination of low cost, flexibility, and included features like translation and summarization. For consistent heavy users exceeding 15-20 hours monthly, flat-rate subscriptions like TurboScribe deliver the lowest per-minute cost. Calculate your actual monthly minutes before committing to any plan.