Transcription Rates in 2026: The Full Rate Card by Provider

Transcription rates in 2026 span from $0.067 per minute (PlainScribe, pay-as-you-go) to $0.25/min for premium AI and about $1.50/min for human transcription. Subscriptions add a second axis, charging $10–$80+ per month instead of per minute. This rate card lays out what every major provider charges so you can match a rate to your volume.

TL;DR

• Lowest AI rate: PlainScribe at $0.067/min ($4/hour), pure pay-as-you-go.
• Standard AI range: $0.10–$0.25/min (Scribie, Temi, Rev AI).
• Human rate: ~$1.50/min (Rev) — 22x the cheapest AI rate.
• Subscription rates: $10–$80+/month flat (TurboScribe, Descript, Trint).
• Breakeven: a $16.99/mo plan only beats $0.067/min above ~4.2 hours/month.

Two Kinds of Transcription Rates

Providers quote rates in two incompatible ways, which is why comparisons get confusing.

• Per-minute (pay-as-you-go): you pay a fixed rate for each minute of audio. Easy to compare; your cost scales cleanly with usage. PlainScribe ($0.067/min) and Rev ($0.25/min AI) work this way.
• Per-month (subscription): a flat fee covers some or unlimited minutes. The headline rate hides the real per-minute cost, which depends entirely on how much you transcribe. TurboScribe ($10/mo) and Descript ($24–$33/mo) work this way.

To compare honestly, convert subscription rates into an effective per-minute cost at your real volume.

Per-Minute Rate Card

| Provider | Rate | Per audio hour | Type | |---|---|---|---| | PlainScribe | $0.067/min | ~$4.00 | AI, pay-as-you-go | | Scribie (AI) | ~$0.10/min | ~$6.00 | AI, pay-as-you-go | | Sonix (PAYG) | ~$0.167/min | ~$10.00 | AI, pay-as-you-go | | Rev (AI) | $0.25/min | ~$15.00 | AI, pay-as-you-go | | Temi | $0.25/min | ~$15.00 | AI, pay-as-you-go | | Rev (human) | $1.50/min | ~$90.00 | Human, pay-as-you-go |

Subscription Rate Card

| Provider | Monthly rate | Includes | Type | |---|---|---|---| | TurboScribe | $10/mo | Unlimited | AI subscription | | Happy Scribe | $10–$25/mo | Tiered minutes | AI subscription | | Descript | $24–$33/mo | Editor + transcription | AI subscription | | Trint | $80+/mo | Team features | AI subscription | | Otter.ai | Free tier + paid Pro (per seat) | Live-meeting focus | AI subscription |

Verdict: For variable or sub-10-hour monthly volume, PlainScribe's $0.067/min is the lowest real rate. Flat subscriptions only win at consistent high volume.

Matching a Rate to Your Volume

Use these rules of thumb:

• Under ~4 hours/month or variable: pay-as-you-go at $0.067/min. At 2 hours you pay $8.04; you never pay for a quiet month.
• 4–15 hours/month: compare. PlainScribe at 10 hours is $40.20; a $13.99 flat plan is cheaper if you hit that volume every month.
• 15+ hours/month, consistently: a flat unlimited plan like TurboScribe ($10/mo) usually has the lowest per-minute rate.

A $16.99/month subscription only undercuts $0.067/min once you transcribe about 254 minutes (4.2 hours) every single month — miss that in a slow month and you've overpaid. PlainScribe's prepaid credits ($10 minimum ≈ 150 minutes) stay valid for one year, so seasonal users don't forfeit unused balance.

What Else Affects the Rate You Pay

• Accuracy tier: AI services cluster around comparable accuracy on clean audio; human transcription costs more for noisy or technical work.
• Add-ons: translation, timestamps, verbatim, and subtitle export carry surcharges on some platforms. PlainScribe bundles 47-language translation, SRT/VTT export, and AI summaries at the base rate.
• Per-seat fees: team tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies bill per user, which multiplies the effective rate for groups.

For the full side-by-side with volume tables, see the 2026 transcription pricing comparison.

Reading Rate Cards Without Getting Burned

Provider rate cards are written to look favorable. A few habits keep you honest:

• Convert everything to per-minute at your volume. A "$10/month unlimited" plan is only cheap if your usage is high and steady; at 90 minutes a month it's $0.11/min, dearer than PlainScribe's $0.067.
• Check what the rate excludes. Translation, timestamps, verbatim, and subtitle export are common upsells. A low base rate plus three add-ons can cost more than an all-inclusive rate.
• Count the seats. Per-seat tools multiply the quoted rate by your team size. A $19/seat plan is $95/month for five people.
• Read the renewal terms. Promotional rates often jump after the first term, and annual plans may not refund unused months.

Against all of these, a single flat $0.067/min pay-as-you-go rate with no add-on surcharges is the easiest number to trust, because what you see is what you pay.

FAQs

What are typical transcription rates per minute? AI transcription rates run $0.067–$0.25/min in 2026: PlainScribe at $0.067, Scribie around $0.10, Sonix around $0.167, and Rev/Temi at $0.25. Human transcription is about $1.50/min. Subscriptions replace per-minute rates with $10–$80+/month flat fees.

What is the lowest transcription rate available? Among per-minute AI services, PlainScribe's $0.067/min (about $4/hour) is the lowest standard rate. Flat unlimited subscriptions like TurboScribe ($10/month) can yield a lower effective rate, but only for users who consistently transcribe many hours each month.

How do I compare per-minute rates to monthly subscriptions? Divide the monthly fee by the minutes you realistically transcribe each month. A $16.99 plan over 150 minutes is $0.113/min; over 50 minutes it jumps to $0.34/min. Compare that effective rate to a flat $0.067/min pay-as-you-go rate.

Do transcription rates include translation and subtitles? Not always. Many providers charge extra for translation, timestamps, or subtitle exports. PlainScribe includes transcription and translation across 47 languages plus SRT/VTT and TXT/CSV export at its base $0.067/min rate.

Are human transcription rates worth it? Human rates (~$1.50/min) are worth the 22x premium over the cheapest AI when you need 99%+ accuracy on legal, medical, or heavily accented audio. For podcasts, meetings, and general content, AI rates at $0.067/min are sufficient.

Lock In the Lowest Rate

Pay $0.067/min with no subscription and no per-seat fee. Start free with 30 minutes — no credit card — then see the pricing page. Compare every provider in the 2026 pricing comparison, or read how individual service rates stack up.