Soniox vs Speechmatics speech-to-text
Higher accuracy, live streaming, and built in translation in one API.
Developers choose Soniox for real-time fluency worldwide
Speechmatics provides multilingual transcription with customization features like entity formatting and vocabulary controls. It’s a capable transcription service, and for some use cases, that can be a good fit.
But when you need accuracy that holds up in real conversations, streaming that feels live, and translation built in, Soniox is the stronger choice. With one API covering 60+ languages, Soniox is designed for production apps that need to work everywhere.
Leading accuracy
Soniox delivers cleaner transcripts on real conversations, not just controlled audio. Benchmarks show 6.5% WER in English vs ~11–12% for Speechmatics.
Zero delay
Token-level updates keep captions flowing and assistants responsive. Speechmatics streams in larger chunks, which makes apps feel delayed.
Unified API
Soniox handles both transcription and two-way translation across 60+ languages in the same call. Speechmatics only covers transcription.
Helping startups and enterprises ship real world voice apps
See the difference for yourself
Don’t just take our word for it. Run the same audio through Soniox and Speechmatics in real time and compare live results, side by side.
This demo isn’t pre-recorded. It makes real API calls to Speechmatics 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 Speechmatics at a glance
| Feature | Sonioxstt-rt-preview-v2 | Speechmaticsrealtime-enhanced |
|---|---|---|
| Single Multilingual Model | ||
| Language Hints | ||
| Language Identification | ||
| Speaker Diarization | ||
| Customization | ||
| Timestamps | ||
| Confidence Scores | ||
| Translation One Way | ||
| Translation Two Way | ||
| Endpoint Detection | ||
| Manual Finalization |
And the benchmarks back it up.
In a 2025 study across 60 languages and real-world YouTube audio, Soniox reached 6.5% WER in English vs 11-12% for Speechmatics.
View the full benchmark report »
From transcripts to real-time, global speech
Precision for real-world speech.
Soniox is designed for speech as it actually happens: noisy, overlapping, accented, and unscripted. Soniox reached 6.5% WER in English vs ~11–12% for Speechmatics. That means cleaner transcripts with less time spent fixing errors.
Speechmatics performs well on clean or controlled audio, but struggles as conditions get messy.
Real-time that truly feels live.
Live apps need results that keep pace with the conversation. Soniox streams token by token in milliseconds, with refinements, finalization, and endpoint detection for developer control.
Speechmatics streams in larger segments, which adds lag and makes apps feel less responsive.
Global-ready from the start.
With Soniox, one API covers transcription and two-way, in-stream translation across 60+ languages. You can serve global users from day one without stitching services together.
Speechmatics provides transcription only, with no built-in translation.
Simple pricing that scales.
At ~$0.10–0.12/hr, Soniox includes transcription, translation, diarization, timestamps, and confidence in one price.
Speechmatics charges more per hour and only covers transcription. Translation requires another vendor.
Pay 2-3x less than Speechmatics
With Soniox, transcription, translation, diarization, timestamps, and confidence are all included in one price. Speechmatics charges more per hour and only covers transcription. Translation requires another service.
Effective hourly cost (typical speech)
Soniox: ~$0.10/hour (async), ~$0.12/hour (streaming)
Speechmatics: ~$0.25–0.35/hour depending on model and volume
| Soniox (async) | Soniox (streaming) | Speechmatics (typical) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 hours | ~$10 | ~$12 | ~$25-35 |
| 1,000 hours | ~$100 | ~$120 | ~$250-350 |
| 1,000 hours | ~$1,000 | ~$1,200 | ~$2,500-3,500 |
Takeaway: Soniox costs 2–3x less than Speechmatics, while also including translation, diarization, and other features by default.
Notes:
- Soniox bills per token, which works out to the effective hourly rates above for typical conversational speech.
- Speechmatics pricing varies by model and volume tier, but charges per minute/hour for transcription only.
- All comparisons use publicly listed rates as of 2025.
Frequently asked questions about Soniox vs Speechmatics
Is Soniox cheaper than Speechmatics?
Yes. Soniox costs ~$0.10–0.12/hr, while Speechmatics typically charges ~$0.25–0.35/hr depending on model and volume. That makes Soniox about 2–3x less expensive.
Does Speechmatics support translation?
No. Speechmatics provides transcription only. Soniox includes two-way, in-stream translation across 60+ languages in the same API call.
How does Soniox streaming compare to Speechmatics?
Soniox streams token by token in milliseconds, with refinements, manual finalization, and endpoint detection. Speechmatics streams in larger segments, which can feel slower for live use cases.
Does Speechmatics support diarization and timestamps?
Yes, but Soniox provides them in real time with more structured outputs.
Can Soniox handle multiple languages in one stream?
Yes. Soniox auto-detects and supports mid-conversation shifts. Speechmatics requires you to pre-select a single language per request.
Soniox surpasses Speechmatics in any language
Get the most accurate, real-time speech-to-text transcription and translation in 60+ languages
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