# Microsoft MAI-Transcribe Review

> Microsoft MAI-Transcribe review: Frontier-lab accuracy STT delivered through Azure Speech. Verified pricing, features, and the strongest alternatives in.

![Microsoft MAI-Transcribe logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/mai-transcribe.png)

Frontier-lab accuracy STT delivered through Azure Speech

Among the 43 speech-to-text tools we track, Microsoft MAI-Transcribe has the 29th-widest language coverage.

See pricing · facts verified Jul 20, 2026

## What we know about Microsoft MAI-Transcribe

Microsoft MAI-Transcribe sits in the speech-to-text apis category, where it is frontier-lab accuracy STT delivered through Azure Speech. We keep this Microsoft MAI-Transcribe profile grounded in primary sources, each fact dated to when we last confirmed it.

Microsoft MAI-Transcribe does not publish a public per-minute rate we have been able to verify, so the price figure here stays blank until we can confirm one. We would rather show nothing than a guessed number; if you have a current Microsoft MAI-Transcribe quote, it is the fastest way for us to close that gap.

On capabilities, Microsoft MAI-Transcribe covers language auto-detection, custom vocabulary / keyterm boosting, and websocket streaming api. Each of those is verified against Microsoft MAI-Transcribe's own docs or dashboard, not marketing copy.

Placed against the 43 speech-to-text tools we track, Microsoft MAI-Transcribe's strongest showing is the 29th-widest language coverage - a spread worth weighing against your own priorities.

In total we track 12 verified facts for Microsoft MAI-Transcribe today, each linking the primary source it came from so you can check our work - and vendor claims we have not measured ourselves are labeled as such on the Microsoft MAI-Transcribe fact sheet below.

## Microsoft MAI-Transcribe pricing

Published rates: batch $0.006/min, verified Jul 20, 2026 ([source](https://microsoft.ai/models/mai-transcribe-1-5/)).

| Monthly volume | Monthly bill (batch) |
| --- | --- |
| 1K min/mo | $6 |
| 10K min/mo | $60 |
| 100K min/mo | $600 |

Sticker rates only; diarization and PII redaction add-ons price in the stack builder.

## Fact sheet

### Pricing

| Fact | Value | Verified | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Batch price per audio minute | 0.006 $/audio-min | Jul 20 | [source](https://microsoft.ai/models/mai-transcribe-1-5/) |
| Pricing model | usage | Jul 20 | [source](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/speech/) |

### Capabilities

| Fact | Value | Verified | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WER (third-party benchmark) | 2.38 % WER | Jul 20 | [source](https://artificialanalysis.ai/speech-to-text) |
| WER (vendor-claimed) | ~4.9 % WER | Jul 20 | [source](https://microsoft.ai/models/mai-transcribe-1-5/) |
| Languages supported | 43 | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Language auto-detection | ✓  Yes | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Speaker diarization | ✗  Not available | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Custom vocabulary / keyterm boosting | ✓  Yes | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |

### Build experience

| Fact | Value | Verified | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Official SDKs | Python, JS, C#, Java, REST | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Max file size / duration | 300 MB per audio file | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Supported audio formats | WAV, MP3, FLAC | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |
| Websocket streaming API | ✓  Yes | Jul 20 | [source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/mai-transcribe) |

Source: https://www.versusref.com/stt/tools/mai-transcribe/