# ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics

> ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics: Speechmatics is our pick, leading for call centers and self-hosted. They split on pricing model and free tier quota.

![ElevenLabs Scribe logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/elevenlabs-scribe.png) ![Speechmatics logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/speechmatics.png)

This is the verified ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics breakdown: ElevenLabs Scribe (Accuracy-led STT API from the leading AI audio company) and Speechmatics (Accuracy-first enterprise STT with flexible deployment (SaaS, container, on-prem)) are Speech-to-text APIs platforms, priced from $0.0037/min and $0.0022/min respectively. The bottom line, head-to-head facts, and true cost tiers follow.

Speech-to-text APIs platforms · 29 facts compared · all sourced · pricing verified Jul 20, 2026

## Bottom line

Speechmatics wins two of the three use cases evaluated, with ElevenLabs Scribe taking none outright. In call centers, Speechmatics delivers 50 concurrent real-time sessions on its Pro plan versus 8 for ElevenLabs Scribe on a base plan, making it far better suited to high-volume contact-center workloads. Its batch rate of $0.00215 per audio minute also undercuts ElevenLabs Scribe's $0.003667 per audio minute, lowering costs at scale. For self-hosted deployments, Speechmatics offers an on-premises option that ElevenLabs Scribe simply does not, a decisive advantage for enterprises with strict data-residency or air-gap requirements. Speechmatics also bundles sentiment analysis, summarization, and speech translation as part of its audio-intelligence suite. Dictation ends in a tie.

## Verdict summary

| Use case | Winner | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Call Centers | Speechmatics | For call centers processing high volumes, per-minute batch cost is the deciding factor. |
| Dictation | Tie | Both Speechmatics and ElevenLabs Scribe are cloud-based speech-to-text APIs, not desktop dictation apps. |
| Self-Hosted | Speechmatics | For teams that need to run speech recognition on their own infrastructure, the single most important question is whether a vendor supports on-premises deployment. |

## ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics: head-to-head facts

| Fact | ElevenLabs Scribe | Speechmatics | Verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Batch price per audio minute | 0.004 $/audio-min ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/pricing/api)) | 0.002 $/audio-min ([source](https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing)) | Jul 20 |
| Streaming price per audio minute | 0.007 $/audio-min ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/pricing/api)) | n/a | Jul 20 |
| Free tier quota | Free plan: 4.5 hr Scribe v2 / 2.5 hr Realtime per mo ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/pricing/api)) | 3,000 min/mo (50 hours) ([source](https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing)) | Jul 20 |
| WER (third-party benchmark) | 2.18 % WER ([source](https://artificialanalysis.ai/speech-to-text)) | 4.05 % WER ([source](https://artificialanalysis.ai/speech-to-text)) | Jul 20 |
| Streaming latency (vendor-claimed) | ~150 ms ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/pricing/api)) | n/a | Jul 20 |
| Languages supported | 90 languages ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/docs/overview/models)) | 56 languages ([source](https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing)) | Jul 20 |
| Speaker diarization | ✓  Included ([source](https://elevenlabs.io/docs/overview/models)) | ✓  Included ([source](https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing)) | Jul 20 |

## ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics pricing: true cost at 3 usage tiers

Monthly bill from published per-minute rates, batch and streaming separately. Sticker rates only; diarization and PII redaction add-ons price in the stack builder.

| Volume | Buyer | ElevenLabs Scribe | Speechmatics | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1K min/mo (batch) | Side project | $3.67 | $2.15 | About 17 hours of audio. Free tiers may cover part of this. |
| 10K min/mo (batch) | Production app | $36.67 | $21.50 | About 167 hours of audio a month. |
| 100K min/mo (batch) | Call-center scale | $366.70 | $215 | About 1,667 hours. Most vendors negotiate volume rates here. |
| 1K min/mo (streaming) | Side project | $6.50 | n/a | About 17 hours of audio. Free tiers may cover part of this. |
| 10K min/mo (streaming) | Production app | $65 | n/a | About 167 hours of audio a month. |
| 100K min/mo (streaming) | Call-center scale | $650 | n/a | About 1,667 hours. Most vendors negotiate volume rates here. |

## ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics: verdicts by use case

### Call Centers → Speechmatics

For call centers processing high volumes, per-minute batch cost is the deciding factor. Speechmatics charges $0.00215 per audio minute versus ElevenLabs Scribe at $0.003667 per audio minute, a 41% cost advantage that compounds dramatically at scale. Both include speaker diarization at no extra charge, so that is a wash. On PII redaction, ElevenLabs Scribe offers it as a paid add-on while Speechmatics does not offer it at all, so neither has a clear edge there. Speechmatics also supports 50 concurrent real-time sessions on its Pro plan versus 8 for ElevenLabs Scribe, and includes sentiment analysis natively, which is essential for QA analytics.

### Dictation → Tie

Both Speechmatics and ElevenLabs Scribe are cloud-based speech-to-text APIs, not desktop dictation apps. Neither publishes details about platform support (Windows, macOS, iOS), local on-device processing, AI formatting features like auto-punctuation or correction, one-time purchase pricing, or word processor integrations. The attributes most critical to this use case, specifically which platforms the app runs on, whether audio stays on device, and how the app is priced, are simply not covered for either tool.

### Self-Hosted → Speechmatics

For teams that need to run speech recognition on their own infrastructure, the single most important question is whether a vendor supports on-premises deployment. Speechmatics explicitly offers a self-host and on-prem option, while no such capability is documented for ElevenLabs Scribe. That difference alone is decisive for this use case. Model-weights licensing details, hardware requirements, maintenance status, and parameter counts are not available for either tool, so those factors cannot differentiate the two. What can be confirmed is that Speechmatics supports self-hosting and ElevenLabs Scribe does not, making the choice straightforward for any team that needs local deployment for data sovereignty, latency, or compliance reasons.

## ElevenLabs Scribe vs Speechmatics: common questions

### Is Speechmatics cheaper than ElevenLabs Scribe?

For batch transcription, Speechmatics charges about $0.13/hr versus ElevenLabs Scribe's roughly $0.22/hr, making Speechmatics the cheaper option per audio minute. For streaming, Speechmatics has no published per-minute rate at the same tier, while ElevenLabs Scribe adds about $0.39/hr. On free tiers, ElevenLabs Scribe offers 4.5 hr/mo compared to Speechmatics' much larger 50 hr/mo allowance, making Speechmatics more generous before any charges apply.

### Does Speechmatics or ElevenLabs Scribe have a larger free tier?

Speechmatics offers a much larger free tier: 3,000 minutes (50 hours) per month. ElevenLabs Scribe's free plan gives 4.5 hours of batch transcription or 2.5 hours of real-time per month. If you need to prototype at volume without paying, Speechmatics has a clear edge.

### Is Speechmatics or ElevenLabs Scribe better for HIPAA-compliant healthcare apps?

Speechmatics offers a HIPAA BAA broadly, while ElevenLabs Scribe makes its HIPAA BAA available at the enterprise tier only. If you need HIPAA coverage without committing to an enterprise contract, Speechmatics is the more accessible choice.

### Which tool supports more languages, Speechmatics or ElevenLabs Scribe?

ElevenLabs Scribe supports 90 languages, compared to 56 for Speechmatics. Both tools include automatic language detection, so neither requires you to specify the language upfront. For multilingual workflows, ElevenLabs Scribe covers a notably wider range.

### How do Speechmatics and ElevenLabs Scribe compare on transcription accuracy?

In third-party benchmarks, ElevenLabs Scribe achieves a 2.18% word error rate while Speechmatics scores 4.05% WER. A lower WER means fewer transcription errors, so ElevenLabs Scribe holds a clear accuracy advantage.

### Does either tool support self-hosting or on-premises deployment?

Speechmatics offers a self-host and on-premises deployment option, while no equivalent option is listed for ElevenLabs Scribe. If your organization requires data to stay entirely within your own infrastructure, Speechmatics is the viable choice.

### Which tool offers PII redaction, and what does it cost?

ElevenLabs Scribe offers PII redaction as a paid add-on at $0.001167 per audio minute (roughly $0.07 per hour). Speechmatics does not offer PII redaction at any tier. If removing sensitive personal data from transcripts is a requirement, ElevenLabs Scribe is the only option of the two.

### Does Speechmatics include built-in summarization and sentiment analysis?

Speechmatics includes summarization, sentiment analysis, speech translation, chapters, and topics as audio-intelligence add-ons. ElevenLabs Scribe does not list summarization or sentiment analysis among its features. Teams that need these insights alongside transcription may find Speechmatics a more complete solution.

Source: https://www.versusref.com/stt/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-speechmatics/