Best Speech to Text APIs (2026): 11 Transcription APIs

Every call, meeting, podcast and video holds words you could search, quote or caption. A speech to text API is how software gets at them without someone typing everything out.

The eleven APIs below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the provider's own website, read this week. If you're adding captions for video, my notes on turning on captions in Zoom show how a finished caption experience looks.

Speech to text APIs side by side

I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site names a free plan, a free account, a free tier or an open source version. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Amazon Transcribe	Speech to text service from AWS	Apps already built on AWS	Yes
AssemblyAI	AI models to transcribe and understand speech	Clean, ready-to-use transcripts	Not stated
Azure AI Speech	Microsoft Azure speech services	Microsoft-based businesses	Not stated
Deepgram	Voice AI with STT, TTS and agent APIs	Live conversations and voice agents	Not stated
ElevenLabs	Speech to text model and voice AI	Creators already using voice AI	Yes
Gladia	Audio infrastructure for voice products	Real-time and batch transcription	Not stated
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text	Speech to text from Google Cloud	Apps on Google Cloud	Not stated
Picovoice Leopard	On-device speech to text engine	Transcribing without sending audio	Not stated
Rev AI	Speech to text API	Accuracy across many languages	Not stated
Soniox	Multilingual speech AI platform	Multilingual real-time apps	Not stated
Speechmatics	Speech APIs for voice AI	Accents and many languages	Not stated

Eleven speech to text APIs to compare

Amazon Transcribe

Best for: Companies already on AWS who want speech to text that plugs into their existing cloud setup, with a free tier to start.

AssemblyAI

Best for: Product teams that want transcripts tidied up for them, with filler words removed and names spelled correctly.

Azure AI Speech

Best for: Businesses built on Microsoft tools that want speech to text inside the Azure and Foundry ecosystem.

Deepgram

Best for: Teams building voice agents and live call tools that need speech recognition built for real-time conversation.

ElevenLabs

Best for: Creators and developers who already use voice AI and want speech to text from the same provider, with a free plan.

Gladia

Best for: Startups building voice products that want both real-time and asynchronous speech to text APIs.

Google Cloud Speech-to-Text

Best for: Google Cloud customers who want speech recognition and transcription that integrates with their other Google services.

Picovoice Leopard

Best for: Privacy-sensitive apps that need transcription on the device itself, without sending audio to any server.

Rev AI

Best for: Developers who want a speech to text API with translation options for customers in many languages.

Soniox

Best for: Global products that need real-time speech to text, translation and voice in many languages.

Speechmatics

Best for: Businesses with customers who speak many languages and accents that want multilingual speech to text APIs.

Where to start for your app

• Apps already built on AWS: Amazon Transcribe.
• Live calls and voice agents: Deepgram.
• Transcribing on the device itself: Picovoice Leopard.
• Many languages in real time: Soniox or Speechmatics.
• Tidy transcripts ready to use: AssemblyAI.

A transcript isn't automatically a caption

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative's guidance on WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.2 explains that captions don't only include dialogue. They identify who is speaking and include non-speech information conveyed through sound, such as meaningful sound effects.

So if you're using an API to caption videos, accuracy is only part of the job. Look for speaker labels and timing, and plan to add sound cues where they matter to the meaning.

Real-time versus batch transcription

Real-time transcription processes speech as it happens, which suits live captions, call assistants and voice agents. Speed and low delay matter most.

Batch transcription processes a recording after it ends. It usually suits podcasts, interviews and meeting recordings, where you can wait a little longer for the most accurate result.

Questions to ask before you choose a transcription API

1. Does it support the languages and accents I need?
2. Is there real-time streaming as well as batch?
3. Can it label different speakers?
4. Does it give word-level timestamps for captions?
5. Where is the audio processed and stored?
6. Can I add custom words, such as product names?

Signs you need a better transcription setup

• Someone types up recordings by hand. Automate the first draft.
• Names come out wrong every time. Add custom vocabulary.
• Captions don't show who's talking. Use speaker labels.
• Live captions lag badly. Try a real-time engine.

Do you make a speech to text API? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing a speech to text API

Test with your own audio. Every provider sounds brilliant on clean studio samples, so send each one a few of your real recordings, with your accents, background noise and product names, and compare the results side by side.

Then think about where the audio goes. If recordings include customer details, choose a provider whose data handling you're happy to explain to those customers. For a quick look at style choices once the words are right, my video caption style cheat sheet helps.

Frequently asked questions

What is a speech to text API?

A speech to text API is a service your software calls to turn audio into written text, either live or from a recording.

Which speech to text APIs have a free tier?

Some offer a free tier, free plan or free credits. The free plan column above shows what each provider's own site says.

Can speech to text APIs identify speakers?

Many offer speaker labels, sometimes called diarization, which mark who said each part of the transcript.

Is a transcript the same as captions?

Not quite. W3C explains that captions also identify speakers and include important non-speech sounds.

Can transcription run without the cloud?

Some engines run on the device itself, so audio never leaves the phone, computer or server.

How do I improve transcription accuracy?

Use clear audio, add custom vocabulary for names and jargon, and test several providers with your own recordings.