Simple Pay-As-You-Go Transcription Pricing
No subscription lock up. Top up a credit balance with any amount you like — one credit transcribes one hour of audio. Start with 30 free minutes.
$4/ audio hour
Add any amount to your balance. One credit = one hour of audio.
2 hr 30 min of audio
Add $40 more to unlock 5% bonus credits.
2.5 base credits plus 0 bonus credits.
One payment, not a subscription. Credits sit in your balance and expire one year after purchase. Sales tax or VAT is added at checkout where required — it does not reduce the credits you receive.
One Balance, Not a Stack of Packs
Whatever you pay becomes credit in your account. A $250 top-up is a single $250 purchase — not 25 copies of the $10 one. Top up more at once and you earn bonus credits.
| You pay | Bonus credits | Credits added | Audio you can transcribe | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | — | 2.5 | 2 hr 30 min | $4.00/hr |
| $25 | — | 6.25 | 6 hr 15 min | $4.00/hr |
| $50 | +5% (0.63 credits) | 13.13 | 13 hr 8 min | $3.81/hr |
| $100 | +10% (2.5 credits) | 27.5 | 27 hr 30 min | $3.64/hr |
| $250 | +15% (9.38 credits) | 71.88 | 71 hr 53 min | $3.48/hr |
Any whole-dollar amount from $10 to $500 works — these are just shortcuts.
Compare Transcription Service Pricing
See how PlainScribe stacks up against other transcription services
| Service | Pricing Model | Cost per Minute | Cost for 1 Hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlainScribe | Pay-as-you-go | $0.067 | $4 |
| Rev (AI) | Pay-per-minute | $0.25 | $15.00 |
| Rev (Human) | Pay-per-minute | $1.50 | $90.00 |
| Otter.ai | Monthly subscription | $16.99/month* | Varies by usage |
*Subscription-based pricing requires monthly commitment regardless of usage
Why Choose Pay-As-You-Go?
No Monthly Fees
Only pay when you transcribe. No recurring charges eating into your budget.
A Full Year to Use Credits
Paid credits stay in your account for one year from purchase. Use them whenever you need — no monthly quota to burn through.
30 Free Minutes
Try before you buy. Every new account gets 30 minutes of free transcription.
Transparent Pricing
$4 per audio hour. No hidden fees, no surprise charges, no fine print.
Bulk Savings
Top up $50 or more and you earn bonus credits — up to 71.88 credits for $250, an effective $3.48 per audio hour.
Multi-Language Support
Same low price for 47 languages. No extra charges for non-English content.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does pay-as-you-go pricing work?
With PlainScribe you top up a credit balance instead of paying a subscription. One credit transcribes one hour of audio and costs $4. Add any whole-dollar amount from $10 to $500 in a single payment - there are no packs, tiers or plans to choose between, and larger top-ups earn bonus credits. No monthly fees and no commitments.
Do I have to buy fixed credit packs?
No. You choose a dollar amount and that whole amount becomes credit in your account, so $250 is one purchase of $250 of transcription - not 25 separate $10 packs. Your balance is simply what you paid divided by the $4 hourly rate, plus any volume bonus.
Do bigger purchases cost less per hour?
Yes. Top-ups of $50 or more earn bonus credits on top of the credits you paid for: 5% at $50, 10% at $100 and 15% at $250. A $250 top-up therefore yields 71.88 credits, an effective $3.48 per audio hour.
Are there any hidden fees?
No hidden fees whatsoever. Every dollar you top up becomes credit at $4 per audio hour, less any volume bonus. There are no setup fees and no processing fees. Sales tax or VAT is added at checkout where the law requires it, shown before you pay, and never converted into credits - so a $250 top-up always buys the same amount of transcription no matter where you are.
Do credits expire?
Paid PlainScribe credits expire one year after purchase. You can use them any time during that one-year period.
Is there a free trial?
Yes! New users receive 30 minutes of free transcription to try PlainScribe. This allows you to test our AI transcription quality before making any purchase.
How does PlainScribe compare to subscription services?
Unlike subscription services that charge monthly fees whether you use them or not, PlainScribe uses pay-as-you-go pricing with prepaid credits. This can save occasional users hundreds of dollars compared to recurring subscriptions.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) through our secure payment processor. Your payment information is never stored on our servers.
Ready to Start Transcribing?
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