The wait is over — Soniox v3 is live!

Compare

Soniox vs Azure
for Norwegian speech-to-text

Higher accuracy, real-time translation, and simpler integration than Azure for Norwegian.

Developers choose Soniox for accuracy in Norwegian

Norwegian is spoken by 5.3 million people worldwide — primarily in Norway, with speakers around the world. Developers need transcription and translation that can keep up. Soniox delivers Norwegian speech recognition that works in the real world: accurate across accents, fast in live streaming, and seamless with translation built-in.

Azure Speech-to-Text, while integrated with Microsoft's ecosystem, comes with tradeoffs: lower accuracy in noisy audio, laggier streaming, and more complexity when combining multiple services.

Soniox makes it simple. One API gives you transcription, two-way translation, diarization, timestamps, and confidence – without hidden costs or extra steps.

Higher accuracy in Norwegian speech

Soniox delivers production-ready accuracy on real-world speech: 8.4% WER in Norwegian vs 14.7% for Azure.

Streaming that feels live

Apps feel smooth and human with token-level updates, refinements, and full transcript control in Norwegian.

One API for transcription + translation

Soniox includes transcription + two-way translation and more in Norwegian with one call. Azure requires separate Translator and Custom Speech.

Helping startups and enterprises ship real world voice apps

Samsung
Deliver Health
Avodah
Mobius
Scribe
Agora

See the difference for yourself

Don't just take our word for it. Run the same Norwegian audio through Soniox and Azure in real time and compare live results, side by side.

This demo isn't pre-recorded. It makes real API calls to Azure and Soniox in real time, with each service tuned for its best performance. The framework is open source, so you can inspect or run it yourself.

SONIOX VS AZURE AT A GLANCE

The benchmarks back it up

In a 2025 study across 60 languages and real-world YouTube audio, Soniox reached 8.4% WER in Norwegian vs 14.7% for Azure.

View the full benchmark report

It just gets the words right — any language, any accent, any context. That’s what accuracy is supposed to look like.

Tony Wang,
Cofounder & Chief Revenue Officer at Agora

The fastest and simplest alternative to Azure

Get Norwegian accuracy you can count on.

Your app only works if the transcript is right. Soniox consistently outperforms Azure in Norwegian on messy, real-world speech, like calls, Youtube clips, and multi-speaker conversations.

Norwegian WER Soniox 8.4% vs Azure 14.7%.

Azure accuracy drops outside clean audio.

Deliver real-time experiences in Norwegian that feel natural.

With token-level updates in milliseconds, Soniox keeps captions and assistants responsive. Developers can refine results, finalize early, or detect endpoints, so apps feel smooth and human.

Azure's segment-based streaming lags and lacks developer controls.

Build globally without extra services.

Soniox includes transcription, diarization, timestamps, confidence, and two-way translation in the same stream. One API call works for 60+ languages, including Norwegian.

Azure requires stitching Speech-to-Text with Translator and Custom Speech, adding complexity and cost.

Save more as you scale.

At ~$0.10–0.12/hr, Soniox includes all features in one price. That means you save 2-5x vs Azure's $0.24–0.48/hr, with no add-on Translator fees.

Azure costs more and charges separately for translation/customization.

Pay 2-5x less than Azure

With Soniox, transcription, translation, diarization, timestamps, and confidence are all included in one price. Azure charges more per hour and requires multiple services (Speech-to-Text + Translator + Custom Speech) for the same functionality.

Effective hourly cost

(typical speech)

Soniox

~$0.10/hour (async)
~$0.12/hour (streaming)

Azure

~$0.24–0.48/hour (depending on region/model)

100 hours
1,000 hours
10,000 hours
Soniox (async)
~$10
~$100
~$1,000
Soniox (streaming)
~$12
~$120
~$1,200
Azure
~$24-48
~$240-480
~$2,400-4,800

Takeaway

Soniox costs 2–5x less than Azure, with all features included in one API. At scale, that means saving thousands while reducing integration overhead.


  • Soniox bills per token, which works out to the effective hourly rates above for typical speech.
  • Azure pricing varies by region, model, and usage tier. Translation via Azure Translator is billed separately, and Custom Speech may add further costs.
  • Comparisons use publicly listed rates as of 2025. Benchmarks and pricing are based on real-world audio workloads, with each service configured for best available performance.

Fluent at any speed

Watch Soniox keep up with fast speech in any language

Chinese to English in real time with SONIOX

Chinese to English in real time with SONIOX

Very fast speaking Spanish translated in real time in English with SONIOX!

Very fast speaking Spanish translated in real time in English with SONIOX!

Real time translation from Japanese to English

Real time translation from Japanese to English

Real-Time Translation Demo | From German to English with SONIOX

Real-Time Translation Demo | From German to English with SONIOX

French speech to Text | Leslie Talks About Monster eating a Cake

French speech to Text | Leslie Talks About Monster eating a Cake

Russian to English with SONIOX

Russian to English with SONIOX

Speaking Super Fast in Italian – Soniox still translated every word into English

Speaking Super Fast in Italian – Soniox still translated every word into English

Korean to English in real time with SONIOX

Korean to English in real time with SONIOX

Real-Time from Slovenian to English with SONIOX

Real-Time from Slovenian to English with SONIOX

Valeria Juri Reads Ukrainian Poem “Мовчати” | Live English Translation by Soniox

Valeria Juri Reads Ukrainian Poem “Мовчати” | Live English Translation by Soniox

Frequently asked questions about Soniox vs Azure


1.Is Soniox cheaper than Azure for Norwegian?arrow_downward
Yes. Soniox costs ~$0.10–0.12/hr. Azure costs ~$0.24–0.48/hr depending on region and model, plus extra for translation/customization.

2.Does Azure support more languages than Soniox?arrow_downward
Azure lists 100+, but accuracy is inconsistent. Soniox supports 60+ with production-ready accuracy and built-in two-way translation.

3.Do I need multiple APIs for Norwegian with Azure?arrow_downward
Yes. Azure typically requires combining Speech-to-Text, Translator, and Custom Speech. Soniox includes everything in one call.

4.Does Azure support diarization and timestamps?arrow_downward
Yes, but Soniox provides them faster and in real time.

5.Can Soniox handle multiple languages, such as English and Norwegian, in one stream?arrow_downward
Yes. Soniox auto-detects and supports mid-conversation shifts. Azure requires pre-selecting one language per request.

6.Does Azure support two-way translation?arrow_downward
No. Azure requires Translator as a separate service and typically supports one-way flows. Soniox delivers two-way, in-stream translation in the same API call.

Build faster with one API

Start building

Create your account and generate an API key. Includes $200 in free credits.

Get API key

Explore the docs

Find guides, API reference, and code samples to help you build fast.

docs_add_onView docs

Join our Discord

Ask questions, get feedback, and connect with other builders.

DiscordJoin us