Speech is Cheap is a Speechmatics alternative for teams that want an affordable recorded-audio API with captions and optional segment labels. The $20 subscription includes 21,600 base minutes, with progress SSE for existing recordings. Use Speechmatics when you need its deployment choices, speech customization or included word timing, diarization and model-specific audio events.
21,600 Audio Minutes per Month
$20
Speech is Cheap subscription, base transcription
Speechmatics prices include words and speakers. Standard and Enhanced also include Audio Events; Melia 1 does not.
Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts ; Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Audio EventsChoose the cost and workflow that fit your product.
At 21,600 base minutes, Speech is Cheap Subscription costs $20 versus $46.44 for Speechmatics Melia 1. At 5,400 minutes, our PAYG plan costs $10.80 versus $11.61. Compare the add-ons your product needs below.
Speech is Cheap Pricing ; Speechmatics Pricing and Volume DiscountsSpeech is Cheap accepts direct uploads under 2 GiB. Speechmatics multipart uploads must be under approximately 0.93 GiB, with larger inputs submitted by URL. A larger direct-upload allowance can remove a storage step for your users.
Speech is Cheap Product Facts ; Speechmatics Batch Limits ; Speechmatics Batch InputSpeech is Cheap offers JSON, SRT and VTT, with optional sound labels on segments or non-speech cues in captions. Speechmatics documents text, JSON and SRT; its Audio Events use a separate events structure.
Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses ; Speechmatics Batch Output ; Speechmatics Audio EventsGive 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 RequestsSpeechmatics offers SaaS regions and on-premises deployment options. Use those when the application requires a particular deployment arrangement, and verify model availability in that environment.
Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts ; Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Audio EventsWords and speaker diarization are included across the selected models. Standard and Enhanced also offer Audio Events and additional customization features. For some combinations, those inclusions produce a lower total than separately billed add-ons.
Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts ; Speechmatics Model ComparisonStandard and Enhanced support realtime as well as batch transcription. Use the realtime API when your product needs live audio ingestion; Melia 1 is batch-only.
Speechmatics Model ComparisonCompare base transcription and the add-ons your product needs.
| Audio Volume | Speech is Cheap PAYG | Speech is Cheap Subscription | Speechmatics Melia 1, Early Access | Speechmatics Standard | Speechmatics Enhanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,500 minutes | $25.00 | $20.00 | $26.88 | $50.00 | $83.33 |
| 25,000 minutes | $50.00 | $23.15 | $53.75 | $100.00 | $166.67 |
| 50,000 minutes | $100.00 | $46.30 | $98.90 | $184.00 | $306.67 |
| 100,000 minutes | $200.00 | $92.60 | $184.90 | $344.00 | $573.33 |
| Audio and Features | Speech is Cheap PAYG | Speech is Cheap Subscription | Speechmatics Melia 1, Early Access | Speechmatics Standard | Speechmatics Enhanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,500 minutes + words | $37.50 | $26.25 | $26.88 | $50.00 | $83.33 |
| 12,500 minutes + speakers | $50.00 | $32.50 | $26.88 | $50.00 | $83.33 |
| 12,500 minutes + audio labels | $27.50 | $21.25 | -- | $50.00 | $83.33 |
| 25,000 minutes + words | $75.00 | $35.65 | $53.75 | $100.00 | $166.67 |
| 25,000 minutes + speakers | $100.00 | $48.15 | $53.75 | $100.00 | $166.67 |
| 25,000 minutes + audio labels | $55.00 | $25.65 | -- | $100.00 | $166.67 |
| 50,000 minutes + words | $150.00 | $71.30 | $98.90 | $184.00 | $306.67 |
| 50,000 minutes + speakers | $200.00 | $96.30 | $98.90 | $184.00 | $306.67 |
| 50,000 minutes + audio labels | $110.00 | $51.30 | -- | $184.00 | $306.67 |
| 100,000 minutes + words | $300.00 | $142.60 | $184.90 | $344.00 | $573.33 |
| 100,000 minutes + speakers | $400.00 | $192.60 | $184.90 | $344.00 | $573.33 |
| 100,000 minutes + audio labels | $220.00 | $102.60 | -- | $344.00 | $573.33 |
Choose your volume and add-ons. Each step doubles the audio minutes.
$92.60
per month
$200.00
per month
$184.90
per month
$344.00
per month
$573.33
per month
-- 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 | Speechmatics |
|---|---|---|
| Audio Input | Recorded audio and video. Progress SSE returns results for an existing recording. Speech is Cheap Job Requests | Batch plus realtime on Standard and Enhanced. Melia 1 is a batch-only early-access model. Speechmatics Model Comparison |
| File Limits | 0.1 to 1,440 minutes per recording. Direct uploads: under 2 GiB. Speech is Cheap Product Facts | Multipart uploads under approximately 0.93 GiB. Larger files can be fetched by URL. The cited batch limits do not specify a universal audio-duration maximum. Speechmatics Batch Limits ; Speechmatics Batch Input |
| Languages | 100 supported languages; optional detection per speech segment. Speech is Cheap Product Facts ; Speech is Cheap Job Requests | 55+ languages on the pricing page, with model-specific availability. Melia 1 adds automatic multilingual handling; supported regions differ by model. Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts ; Speechmatics Model Comparison |
| 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 | Text, JSON and SRT. Timed words and speaker labels are included. Standard and Enhanced can also return a separate audio_events array. Speechmatics Batch Output ; Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Audio Events |
| Integration | URL or multipart upload, REST, polling, completion webhooks and progress SSE. Speech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses | Bearer authentication with file or fetch_data URL input. Completion notifications, polling and a synchronous wait option are documented. Speechmatics Batch Input ; Speechmatics Batch Notifications ; Speechmatics Synchronous Batch Requests |
| 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 | Standard and Enhanced: timed music, laughter and applause events, plus speech/silence summary totals. Melia 1 does not support Audio Events. Speechmatics Audio Events ; Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts |
| Progress While Processing | Progress updates and chronological transcript segments over SSE from the same recorded job. Speech is Cheap Job Requests | Batch notifications deliver completion or output. A wait option can hold the response for a finished result; incremental realtime events use the separate live API. Speechmatics Batch Notifications ; Speechmatics Synchronous Batch Requests ; Speechmatics Model Comparison |
| 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 | Support, deployment and model availability depend on the plan. Check early-access restrictions before choosing Melia 1 for a production workflow. Speechmatics Pricing and Volume Discounts ; Speechmatics Model Comparison |
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.
Keep bearer authentication and adapt the job configuration, timed-word parser and notification payload. Choose native VTT or segment labels when those outputs simplify your application.
| Compare | Speechmatics | Speech is Cheap |
|---|---|---|
| Submit | POST /v2/jobs Regional API; multipart config data_file or fetch_data.urlSpeechmatics Batch Quickstart ; Speechmatics Batch Input | POST <api|upload>/v2/jobs/ api: JSON input_url upload: multipart input_file Authorization: Bearer KEYSpeech is Cheap Job Requests |
| Speaker Labels | transcription_config.diarization Value: speaker alternatives[].speakerSpeechmatics Batch Quickstart ; Speechmatics Batch Output | can_parse_speakers: true output.segments[].speaker_idSpeech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Word Timing | results[]: word / punctuation start_time / end_time alternatives[].contentSpeechmatics Batch Output | can_parse_words: true output.segments[].words[] start / end in secondsSpeech is Cheap Job Requests ; Speech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Status and Text | Job status and transcript endpoint results[] in json-v2 outputSpeechmatics Batch Output ; Speechmatics Synchronous Batch Requests | PENDING / COMPLETED / FAILED CANCELED / UNKNOWN output.segments[].textSpeech is Cheap Job Responses |
| Completion | notification_config Poll, or use synchronous waitSpeechmatics Batch Notifications ; Speechmatics Synchronous Batch Requests | 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.
Move the regional Speechmatics job configuration to the Speech is Cheap jobs request. Both use bearer keys, but the keys and multipart field names are provider-specific.
Speechmatics Batch Quickstart ; Speechmatics Batch Input ; Speech is Cheap Job RequestsSpeech is Cheap groups words inside segments and puts speaker_id on the segment. Both services express their documented word timings in seconds; adapt nesting, punctuation and speaker attribution before rendering the result.
Speechmatics Batch Output ; Speech is Cheap Job ResponsesIf your application consumes audio_events, map the categories deliberately. Speech is Cheap segment labels do not reproduce Speechmatics’ event taxonomy or summary object. Validate the output your UI needs on representative audio.
Speechmatics Audio Events ; Speech is Cheap Job ResponsesReview 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. The calculator discounts only the usage above 30,000 monthly minutes for each selected model by 20%. It does not assume the separate opt-in model-training discount or negotiated enterprise terms.
Yes. Standard and Enhanced include Audio Events for music, laughter and applause, plus speech and silence summary totals. Melia 1 does not. Speech is Cheap Label Audio instead labels transcript segments, so compare the schemas alongside the price.
Yes. Enable Parse Words and Parse Speakers in the same Speech is Cheap job. Word start and end values remain seconds, with words nested inside segments and speaker_id on the segment. Speechmatics includes these features in its selected base rates.
Yes. Speech is Cheap offers native VTT as well as SRT and JSON. The cited Speechmatics batch output reference lists text, JSON and SRT. Direct VTT output can remove a conversion step from your caption workflow.
The linked sources support the prices, product boundaries and migration details on this page.
Speechmatics describes model speed differences and offers synchronous waiting for a batch result. Those descriptions do not compare identical audio against Speech is Cheap. Measure both from the same start and finish points, including queue time and selected features, before claiming an end-to-end speed advantage.
Speech is Cheap Benchmarks ; Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Synchronous Batch RequestsChecked
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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 PricingSpeechmatics lists batch rates of $0.129, $0.24 and $0.40 per hour for Melia 1, Standard and Enhanced. Calculations divide those exact rates by 60. The automatic 20% discount applies only to usage above 500 hours, or 30,000 minutes, per model and processing type each month. The separate 33% model-training discount requires data-use opt-in and is excluded.
Speechmatics Pricing and Volume DiscountsAll three models include word timing and speaker diarization. Melia 1 is early access and has a reduced feature set. The table shows words, speakers and audio labels separately; combine them in the calculator.
Speechmatics Model Comparison ; Speechmatics Pricing and Volume DiscountsThe 1 GB multipart limit converts to approximately 0.93 GiB using decimal units. URL-fetched files can be larger. No universal maximum audio duration is inferred from the multipart byte limit.
Speechmatics Batch Limits ; Speechmatics Batch InputWith Label Audio selected, Standard and Enhanced totals include Speechmatics Audio Events at no extra charge. They return timed music, laughter and applause events plus speech/silence summary totals. Speech is Cheap returns labels on transcript segments. Melia 1 has no Audio Events support, so its totals are unpriced for this selection.
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