Speech is Cheap is an Azure Speech alternative for teams processing long recordings through a simple API. The $20 subscription includes 21,600 base minutes, with speaker labels, word timing and sound classification available in the same job. Use Azure when your product needs its speech customization, Azure resource integration or a specific fast transcription model.
21,600 Audio Minutes per Month
$20
Speech is Cheap subscription, base transcription
Azure estimates use East US prices. MAI-2 promotional pricing ends 2026-12-31. Its listed standard rate is 3.6× higher, so budget for the listed standard rate in 2027.
Azure Speech Pricing ; Azure Speech East US Retail Prices ; Microsoft MAI-Transcribe-2 Launch and Promotional Price ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview LimitsChoose the cost and workflow that fit your product.
Speech is Cheap accepts recordings up to 1,440 minutes, including jobs with Parse Speakers. Azure batch diarization is limited to 240 minutes; the MAI-2 enhanced preview currently documents failures around 15 minutes and longer with diarization enabled.
Speech is Cheap Product Facts ; Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Azure Speech Quotas and Limits ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview LimitsAt 100,000 base minutes, Speech is Cheap Subscription costs $92.60. The selected Azure batch path costs $300, fast transcription $600 and the temporary MAI-2 preview rate about $166.67. Include add-ons below to compare the outputs you need.
Speech is Cheap Pricing ; Azure Speech East US Retail Prices ; Microsoft MAI-Transcribe-2 Launch and Promotional PriceEnable Label Audio to classify each segment, including music and silence. Use those labels in JSON or add non-speech cues to SRT and VTT captions from the same job.
Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses ; Speech is Cheap PricingGive users progress updates while their recorded file is processed. Progress SSE returns chronological transcript segments from the job, so your app can show useful output before the final result.
Speech is Cheap Job RequestsAzure offers custom speech models and a broader speech platform. Use those capabilities when your terminology, deployment or existing Azure resources depend on them, and include their separate charges in your budget.
Azure Speech Pricing ; Azure Batch Transcription OverviewAzure offers a fast file-transcription response and the MAI-2 preview with 60-language coverage, code switching and keyword biasing. Words and speakers are included for eligible short files. The introductory rate ends 2026-12-31; budget for higher standard pricing in 2027.
Azure Fast Transcription ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits ; Microsoft MAI-Transcribe-2 Launch and Promotional PriceBatch transcription accepts individual content URLs or a Blob container URL. That suits an application already organized around Azure storage and deferred batch processing.
Azure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Batch Transcription OverviewCompare base transcription and the add-ons your product needs.
| Audio Volume | Speech is Cheap PAYG | Speech is Cheap Subscription | Azure Speech Batch | Azure Speech Fast | Azure Speech MAI-2 Preview Promo Promo Ends 2026-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18,000 minutes | $36.00 | $20.00 | $54.00 | $108.00 | $30.00 |
| 21,600 minutes | $43.20 | $20.00 | $64.80 | $129.60 | $36.00 |
| 25,000 minutes | $50.00 | $23.15 | $75.00 | $150.00 | $41.67 |
| Audio and Features | Speech is Cheap PAYG | Speech is Cheap Subscription | Azure Speech Batch | Azure Speech Fast | Azure Speech MAI-2 Preview Promo Promo Ends 2026-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18,000 minutes + words | $54.00 | $29.00 | $54.00 | $108.00 | $30.00 |
| 18,000 minutes + speakers | $72.00 | $38.00 | $54.00 | $108.00 | $30.00 |
| 18,000 minutes + both | $90.00 | $47.00 | $54.00 | $108.00 | $30.00 |
| 21,600 minutes + words | $64.80 | $30.80 | $64.80 | $129.60 | $36.00 |
| 21,600 minutes + speakers | $86.40 | $41.60 | $64.80 | $129.60 | $36.00 |
| 21,600 minutes + both | $108.00 | $52.40 | $64.80 | $129.60 | $36.00 |
| 25,000 minutes + words | $75.00 | $35.65 | $75.00 | $150.00 | $41.67 |
| 25,000 minutes + speakers | $100.00 | $48.15 | $75.00 | $150.00 | $41.67 |
| 25,000 minutes + both | $125.00 | $60.65 | $75.00 | $150.00 | $41.67 |
Choose your volume and add-ons. Steps mark selected monthly workloads.
$20.00
per month
$43.20
per month
$64.80
per month
$129.60
per month
$36.00
per month
Promo Ends 2026-12-31
-- means no verified price for the selected feature combination in the tables and calculator.
Put long recordings, sound labels and progress updates to work in your app.
| Compare | Speech is Cheap | Azure Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Audio Input | Recorded audio and video. Progress SSE returns results for an existing recording. Speech is Cheap Job Requests | Deferred batch, fast file transcription and separate live speech services. MAI-2 uses enhanced mode on the fast path. Azure Batch Transcription Overview ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits ; Azure Speech Pricing |
| File Limits | 0.1 to 1,440 minutes per recording. Direct uploads: under 2 GiB. Speech is Cheap Product Facts | Batch files up to about 0.93 GiB; batch diarization up to 240 minutes. Fast files must be under about 0.47 GiB and 300 minutes. MAI-2 preview diarization has a shorter practical limit. Azure Speech Quotas and Limits ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits |
| Languages | 100 supported languages; optional detection per speech segment. Speech is Cheap Product Facts ; Speech is Cheap Job Requests | Language and feature support depend on the selected path. MAI-2 documents 60 languages, automatic identification and code switching. Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits ; Azure Fast Transcription |
| Outputs | JSON, SRT and VTT. Word timestamps and voice-based speaker labels are paid add-ons. Speech is Cheap Job Responses ; Speech is Cheap Pricing | Batch and fast JSON include phrase and word timing with optional speakers. Response fields and time representations differ between those APIs. Azure Batch Transcription Results ; Azure Fast Transcription |
| Integration | URL or multipart upload, REST, polling, completion webhooks and progress SSE. Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses | Create an Azure Speech resource and use its key and endpoint. Batch accepts content URLs; fast transcription accepts an audio file and definition. Azure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Fast Transcription |
| Audio Labels | Label Audio adds a structured label to each segment, including music and silence. Non-speech sounds appear as caption cues in SRT and VTT. Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Pricing | A matching structured sound-classification output is not documented for the selected batch and fast requests. Azure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits |
| Progress While Processing | Progress updates and chronological transcript segments over SSE from the same recorded job. Speech is Cheap Job Requests | Batch exposes job status; fast transcription returns the result in the request response. Separate live APIs serve live audio. Azure Batch Transcription Overview ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Azure Speech Pricing |
| Support | Initial email response within one business day for subscribers, three for pay as you go. Resolution time is not guaranteed. Speech is Cheap Service Commitments | Azure documentation and account support. MAI-2 is public preview; Microsoft states that preview features do not have the production service-level agreement. Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits ; Azure Speech Pricing |
Use public timing data to plan your recording workflow.
Speech is Cheap's public Benchmarks lets you inspect processing times by recording length and selected add-ons, with sample counts. Use those cohorts to evaluate the kind of audio your product processes.
Choose one recorded-job API for URL submission, optional parsing and result delivery. Map Azure batch and fast responses separately when moving an existing integration.
| Compare | Azure Speech | Speech is Cheap |
|---|---|---|
| Submit | Batch: transcriptions:submit contentUrls / contentContainerUrl Ocp-Apim-Subscription-KeyAzure Batch Transcription Requests | POST <api|upload>/v2/jobs/ api: JSON input_url upload: multipart input_file Authorization: Bearer KEYSpeech is Cheap Job Requests |
| Speaker Labels | Batch: diarizationEnabled Fast: diarization.enabled Phrase-level speaker fieldAzure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Fast Transcription | can_parse_speakers: true output.segments[].speaker_idSpeech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Word Timing | Batch: wordLevelTimestampsEnabled Batch offsets / ticks Fast offsetMillisecondsAzure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Batch Transcription Results ; Azure Fast Transcription | can_parse_words: true output.segments[].words[] start / end in secondsSpeech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Status and Text | Batch: NotStarted / Running Succeeded / Failed Fast: phrases / combinedPhrasesAzure Batch Transcription Results ; Azure Fast Transcription | PENDING / COMPLETED / FAILED CANCELED / UNKNOWN output.segments[].textSpeech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Completion | Batch: get status and files Fast: result in HTTP responseAzure Batch Transcription Results ; Azure Fast Transcription | Webhook: job output Poll GET /v2/jobs/:id Or monitor progress SSE: can_stream_output: trueSpeech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses |
api means https://api.speechischeap.com with JSON input_url. upload means https://upload.speechischeap.com with multipart input_file.
A successful upload always returns an SSE stream with text/event-stream, even with can_stream_output: false. In that mode, the final event contains the asynchronous job response.
curl --request POST \
--url https://api.speechischeap.com/v2/jobs/ \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
"input_url": "https://example.com/recording.mp3",
"webhook_url": "https://your-domain.com/transcription-webhook",
"can_parse_speakers": true,
"can_parse_words": true
}'Example request. Replace the URLs and API key. Both add-ons are billed.
Replace the resource-specific key header and endpoint with a bearer key and the Speech is Cheap jobs endpoint. Use input_url for an accessible file or upload it directly.
Azure Batch Transcription Requests ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Speech is Cheap Job RequestsSpeech is Cheap uses seconds for segment and word start/end values. Convert Azure batch ticks or fast milliseconds as appropriate; do not apply the same conversion blindly to both Azure response formats.
Azure Batch Transcription Results ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Speech is Cheap Job ResponsesEnable Parse Speakers and Parse Words explicitly, then select a completion webhook or recorded progress SSE. Check long-file behavior with your actual audio rather than extending the MAI-2 preview estimate beyond its documented boundary.
Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview LimitsReview retention and private mode when saving transcripts. Speech is Cheap results are retrievable by job ID, so treat those IDs as sensitive.
A Production Migration
Metacast
Metacast's result versus its previous, unnamed provider
Podcast Transcription
When Metacast's previous provider stopped completing transcription jobs, its team moved production to Speech is Cheap over a weekend. The new API became its primary transcription engine.
Read the Case Study"It's now our primary transcription engine."
Yes. Speech is Cheap supports compatible recordings up to 1,440 minutes with Parse Speakers enabled. Azure batch diarization has a 240-minute limit, and Microsoft documents MAI-2 preview diarization failures around 15 minutes and longer.
The MAI-2 promotion ends 2026-12-31. This calculator uses its introductory rate of approximately $0.001667 per minute. Microsoft lists standard MAI transcription at $0.006 per minute in East US, 3.6× higher. Budget for the higher standard rate in 2027 and confirm the applicable rate before deployment. These examples use 10-minute files within the preview limits.
Yes. Set can_stream_output to true for Speech is Cheap recorded progress SSE. Your app can show progress updates and chronological segments while processing continues, then consume the completed job output.
Speech is Cheap uses the same seconds-based start and end fields for segments and words. Map your Azure phrase and word fields once, account for their original units, and use the resulting consistent timing structure throughout your application.
The linked sources support the prices, product boundaries and migration details on this page.
Azure separates deferred batch processing from fast transcription. Its batch guidance allows substantial queue and processing time, while fast transcription responds to the file request. Compare the path you intend to buy against the same audio and timing boundary; these product descriptions do not establish a measured speed ranking against Speech is Cheap.
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Select Subscription or PAYG on the pricing page. Check included minutes, overage and add-ons for the workload you compared above.
All prices are in USD. Examples use single-channel, whole-minute files no longer than 10 minutes, with selected features on every file. Audio must meet each model's format and size requirements. These are calculated prices, not a claim of equal accuracy or throughput. Totals are rounded to cents.
Speech is Cheap PAYG costs $0.002 per billed minute. Subscription costs $20 per month for 21,600 base minutes, then $0.000926 per extra minute. Unused included minutes expire each month.
Speech is Cheap rounds every file up to a whole minute for base transcription and all enabled add-ons. Subscription totals include the monthly fee, base overage and add-ons on all enabled-job minutes. Partial-minute files increase its billed minutes.
Parse Speakers adds $0.002 per PAYG minute or $0.001 on subscription. Word-Level Timestamps adds $0.001 per PAYG minute or $0.0005 on subscription. Label Audio adds $0.0002 per PAYG minute or $0.0001 on subscription.
Speech is Cheap PricingAzure East US lists batch at $0.18 per hour and fast transcription at $0.36, equivalent to $0.003 and $0.006 per minute. MAI-2 preview pricing is $0.10 per hour through 2026-12-31. Its listed standard rate is $0.006 per minute, 3.6× the promotion. At 100,000 minutes that is $600 instead of $166.67. Use the listed standard rate to budget for 2027, subject to future Microsoft pricing changes.
Azure Speech East US Retail Prices ; Azure Speech Pricing ; Microsoft MAI-Transcribe-2 Launch and Promotional PriceWord timing and speaker diarization are included in the selected paths. MAI-2 enhanced mode documents diarization failures at about 15 minutes and longer, so its combined-feature estimates apply only to shorter recordings. Batch is deferred processing; Fast and MAI-2 use the fast transcription path. Check API-version and preview availability requirements before deployment.
Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview Limits ; Azure Batch Transcription Overview ; Azure Fast Transcription ; Azure Speech PricingDecimal 1 GB and 500 MB limits convert to approximately 0.93 GiB and 0.47 GiB. Azure batch diarization and fast transcription have separate duration limits; MAI-2 preview has the additional diarization constraint described above.
Azure Speech Quotas and Limits ; Azure MAI-Transcribe Features and Preview LimitsAn equivalent segment-level sound-classification output is unverified for the selected Azure paths.
Estimates exclude tax, trial credits, negotiated discounts, multichannel charges, storage and network charges, and unselected features. Published automatic volume discounts and explicitly labeled promotions are included where stated. Paid Speech is Cheap API access requires a payment method; the free browser demo requires neither an account nor a card.
Speech is Cheap Pricing See All Speech is Cheap Prices