Speechmatics alternatives: 12 tools compared (October 2026)

Amberscript is a European speech-to-text service that turns audio and video into transcripts and subtitles, either fully by machine or checked by human editors, for media, education, public sector and healthcare.

Key functions

• Machine transcription in minutes in more than 90 languages
• Machine subtitles generated straight from the audio track
• Amber Notes creates notes from meetings

Compared with Speechmatics

• Different pricing model: flat fee instead of usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: Netherlands.

Check before buying: The pricing page lists machine transcription subscriptions from EUR 19 a month and human transcription from EUR 1.85 per minute; compare both options for your audio volume. Uploaded files are deleted automatically after six months according to the privacy policy; plan your own archive. Single sign-on requires an Enterprise contract. Ask for the data processing agreement, which Amberscript signs on request according to its privacy policy.

Deepgram is a developer platform for speech to text, text to speech and voice agents. Product and engineering teams use it to add transcription or spoken conversations to apps, contact centers and meeting tools, paying per minute or per character.

Key functions

• Nova-3 transcribes streams and files, multilingual including English, German, Spanish and Hindi
• Aura and Flux generate speech with latency from 80 ms according to the vendor
• Voice Agent API combines speech recognition, a language model and speech output in one call

Compared with Speechmatics

• Starts lower: from $0.00 usage-based, Speechmatics from $0.13 usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: United States.

Check before buying: Deepgram processes data in the US by default. A dedicated EU endpoint keeps processing within the EU, and self-hosting is a further option, so review the DPA and transfer terms for the setup you choose. Recording and transcribing calls requires notice or consent under state wiretap laws such as California's two-party consent rule. Costs scale with minutes and characters; model concurrency and volume before committing to Growth.

Descript is a video and audio editor for marketing, sales and communications teams and podcasters that turns recordings into a transcript and lets users edit video by editing text, with AI tools for sound, clips and translation.

Key functions

• Edits video through the automatically created transcript
• Underlord acts as an AI co-editor for editing tasks
• Studio Sound removes background noise and enhances voices

Compared with Speechmatics

• States no EU hosting option; Speechmatics has one.
• Different pricing model: freemium instead of usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: United States.

Check before buying: Descript may use projects to improve its service unless the Share Data setting is turned off, so set this before uploading internal recordings. Data is stored in the United States, and the privacy policy does not link a data processing agreement; request one. Custom avatars and voice features need consent from the person shown.

Gladia is a speech-to-text API for meeting assistants, contact center software and voice agents. It transcribes recorded and live audio in more than 100 languages and enriches the transcript for downstream systems.

Key functions

• Transcription of recordings and live audio in 100+ languages with automatic language detection
• Speaker diarization and word-level timestamps
• Transcript enrichment pushed to a CRM or database via webhooks

Compared with Speechmatics

• Starts higher: from $0.61 usage-based, Speechmatics from $0.13 usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: France.

Check before buying: Check the training setting for your plan: on Starter, model training is not switched off by default, while Growth and Enterprise opt out. Ask where your data will be hosted if you need a region outside France, and request the data processing terms. The security page lists SOC 2 Type II and says ISO 27001 is in progress.

Happy Scribe turns audio and video into transcripts, subtitles and translations with AI and records business meetings, for media, communications, legal and research teams that need text from spoken content.

Key functions

• AI subtitles in more than 150 languages
• AI translation of transcripts and subtitles into more than 80 languages
• AI notetaker for Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom

Compared with Speechmatics

• Different pricing model: flat fee instead of usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: Ireland.

Check before buying: Data is hosted in the EU, and the trust center is the place to request the subprocessor list and compliance documents. Model training on your content only happens if you opt in. The meeting notetaker records participants, so inform them and, in Germany, involve the works council where recordings could monitor employees. SSO and SAML are limited to Enterprise. Minutes beyond the plan allowance cost 0.20 euros each.

Sarvam AI provides APIs and models for translation, speech recognition and speech synthesis in Indian languages, for companies and public bodies that serve customers across India.

Key functions

• Bulbul v3 speaks 10 Indian languages and English with more than 30 voices
• Saaras recognizes speech in 22 Indian languages and English, with speaker diarization in batch mode
• Translation and transliteration for 23 languages

Compared with Speechmatics

• States no EU hosting option; Speechmatics has one.
• Strongest elsewhere: India.

Check before buying: Costs grow with usage, so estimate characters and audio hours per month before integrating. Data is processed in India, which suits companies subject to India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act; for EU personal data, check transfer rules and ask for a data processing agreement.

Auphonic is an Austrian web service that automatically post-processes audio for podcasts, videos and audiobooks. Communication and content teams upload a recording and get balanced levels, less noise, cut filler words and a transcript without audio engineering skills.

Key functions

• Intelligent Leveler balances loudness between speakers, music and speech
• Noise and reverb reduction for background and room noise
• Automatic cutting of filler words, coughs and silence in several languages

Compared with Speechmatics

• Different pricing model: freemium instead of usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: Austria.

Check before buying: Auphonic runs its main servers at Hetzner in Germany and also stores media files in Cloudflare R2. For EU users, the privacy policy says these buckets are restricted to EU jurisdiction; users outside the EU should check the transfer terms. A data processing agreement is available to paying customers on request. The free tier adds a jingle, and unused free credits do not carry over, so estimate your monthly audio hours. Austria and Germany: involve works councils if employee recordings are processed.

ElevenLabs is a voice AI platform that turns text into speech, clones voices, transcribes recordings and dubs audio and video. It serves individual creators through to enterprises, both in a web app and through developer APIs.

Key functions

• Text to speech in more than 70 languages (vendor figure)
• Instant Voice Cloning from a few minutes of audio, Professional Voice Cloning from 30 minutes of recordings
• Scribe transcribes more than 90 languages with speaker labels and word-level timestamps

Compared with Speechmatics

• Different pricing model: freemium instead of usage-based.
• Strongest elsewhere: United States.

Check before buying: Customer data is stored in the US by default, and EU, India or Singapore residency is limited to Enterprise contracts. Cloning another person's voice requires that person's explicit consent; the vendor requires technical verification for Professional Voice Cloning, blocks high-risk voices and publishes an AI speech classifier. Credits are consumed by usage, so estimate monthly volumes before choosing a plan. Healthcare use needs a Business Associate Agreement under HIPAA.