Soniox Alternatives Compared (2026)
Soniox prices speech-to-text by token and publishes what that works out to: about $0.12 an hour for real-time (streaming) and $0.10 an hour for files, across 60+ languages, with speaker diarization, language identification, smart formatting and translation included in the rate. Its text-to-speech is about $0.70 an hour of generated speech. If you want a second option, the alternatives below: Deepgram Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048/min (a limited-time promotional rate; regular $0.0077/min) or Flux, its voice-agent model, at $0.0065/min, with $200 in free credit; AssemblyAI Universal-Streaming at $0.15/hr and Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime at $0.45/hr; Speechmatics Melia 1 at $0.40/hr real-time and $0.24/hr for files, before its discounts; and Gladia at €0.68/hr real-time and €0.16/hr for files, with €50 in free credits. Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page.
Soniox's hourly rate already includes speaker labels, language detection and formatting. Before you compare, add up the add-ons the other price leaves out.
Deepgram, AssemblyAI, Speechmatics and Gladia compared with Soniox on published speech-to-text pricing: real-time and file rates, add-ons, turn detection and free credits.
Deepgram- Starting price
- Nova-3 streaming $0.0048/min ($0.29/hr); $200 free credit
- Best for
- Streaming speech-to-text for voice agents
AssemblyAI- Starting price
- Streaming from $0.15/hr; $50 free credits
- Best for
- Low-cost streaming and batch transcription
Speechmatics- Starting price
- From $0.24/hr pay as you go (as low as ~$0.12/hr with discounts)
- Best for
- Multilingual transcription with language switching
Gladia- Starting price
- Async from €0.16/hr; real-time €0.68/hr
- Best for
- Real-time multilingual transcription
What to check before you choose
- Put every rate on the same unit. Divided by 60, Soniox real-time is $0.002 a minute and AssemblyAI Universal-Streaming $0.0025. Deepgram lists Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048 a minute (promotional; $0.0077 regular), Speechmatics Melia 1 real-time works out to about $0.0067 a minute before discounts, AssemblyAI Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime to $0.0075, and Gladia lists its real-time rate as €0.0113 a minute.
- Count the add-ons. Soniox bundles diarization, language identification and formatting. Deepgram lists speaker diarization at $0.0020/min and keyterm prompting at $0.0013/min on pay as you go. AssemblyAI streaming lists diarization at $0.12/hr, with keyterm prompting included on Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime and $0.04/hr on Universal-Streaming. Gladia includes custom vocabulary, but its diarization is for files only.
- Building a voice agent? Compare the models made for turn-taking: Deepgram Flux at $0.0065/min (promotional; $0.0077 regular), Speechmatics Linden 1 at $0.30/hr (real-time only), and AssemblyAI Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime at $0.45/hr.
- Need translation? Soniox includes it in the same real-time call at no extra cost. Gladia lists translation as an add-on at €0.05 an hour.
- Decide whether you'll trade your audio for a lower price. Speechmatics takes 33% off if you opt in to model training (and up to 25% more with volume). Gladia's self-serve plan trains on your audio by default, with a free opt-out.
- Mind currency and volume. Gladia bills in euros from prepaid credits, and its file rate falls from €0.16/hr under 100 hours a month to €0.12/hr above 10,000. Deepgram lists lower rates again on its Growth plan.
- Medical audio? AssemblyAI lists Medical Mode at $0.15/hr extra on its streaming models. Speechmatics Oak 1 is $0.30/hr for files, with real-time marked coming soon. Get a BAA signed before any patient calls.
- Test with your own calls: Deepgram gives $200 in free credit, Speechmatics $100, Gladia €50, and AssemblyAI's free tier covers up to 333 hours of streaming. Accuracy claims on these pages come from each vendor's own tests, not your callers.
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Prices from vendors' official pricing pages, checked October 20, 2026. Not sponsored; order isn't a ranking.