Best Transcription Model for Meeting Bots in 2026
Finding the best transcription model for your meeting bot can significantly impact accuracy, cost, and latency. We analyzed real usage data from thousands of meeting bots to help you choose the best transcription model for your use case.
Usage Distribution in Practice
Looking at our data, we see a clear pattern:
| Model | Usage | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Soniox | 27% | Async |
| No transcription | 22% | - |
| Whisper (OpenAI) | 14% | Async |
| AssemblyAI | 13% | Async |
| Other | 24% | Mix |
Why 22% Choose No Transcription
Surprisingly, almost a quarter of all bots run without a transcription model. These are users who:
- Only want audio/video recording: They process the recording later with their own tooling
- Use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key): They send the audio to their own transcription account
- Build custom pipelines: The audio goes to their own AI model or fine-tuned Whisper variant
The Top 3 Explained
1. Soniox (27%): The Price/Quality Champion
Soniox is by far the most popular model. Why?
- Sharp pricing: $0.10/hour for async, one of the cheapest options
- Excellent transcription accuracy: Very reliable word-for-word output
- Custom vocabulary: Useful for industry jargon or product names
- Realtime variant available: Same quality, streamed live
- Decent diarization: Works well for most cases, though not always perfect with overlapping speakers
Ideal for: Teams processing many meetings who want to control costs without sacrificing quality.
2. Whisper (14%): The Reliable Classic
OpenAI's Whisper is an open-source model that changed the industry. With us:
- Lowest price: $0.04/hour, the cheapest option
- Broad language support: 90+ languages out-of-the-box
- No diarization: Cannot distinguish who is speaking (important limitation!)
- Async only: No realtime variant
Ideal for: Simple use cases where you just need a transcript, without speaker labels. Think: content repurposing, searchable archives, or as input for your own AI.
3. AssemblyAI (13%): The Feature-Rich Option
AssemblyAI offers more than just transcription:
- Profanity filter: Automatically censor swear words
- Custom vocabulary: Train the model on your terminology
- Good diarization: Reliable speaker identification
- Realtime available: For live applications
Ideal for: Professional applications where you need extra features, like compliance-sensitive environments or customer calls.
The Premium Option: Gladia
While not in our top 3 by usage (most of our users are cost-conscious startups), Gladia deserves a mention as the premium choice:
- Highest accuracy: Consistently ranked among the best for transcription quality
- Strong diarization: Excellent speaker identification, even with overlapping speech
- Enterprise features: Advanced formatting, punctuation, and language detection
- Higher price point: Significantly more expensive than alternatives
Ideal for: Enterprise teams where accuracy is paramount and budget is secondary. If you're building for industries like legal, medical, or high-stakes sales where every word matters, Gladia is worth evaluating.
Realtime vs. Async: When to Choose What?
Only ~8% of all bots use a realtime model. That's because:
Async (92%) is more popular because:
- Cheaper (no realtime surcharge)
- Higher accuracy (model can use context from the entire conversation)
- Simpler to implement
Realtime (8%) is needed when:
- You want to show live captions
- An AI agent needs to respond during the conversation
- Immediate action is required based on what's being said
The most popular realtime option is Soniox Realtime: the same price/quality balance as the async variant.
How to Choose the Right Model
Pricing note: All prices below are transcription costs only. Skribby's base rate is $0.35/hour for the meeting bot + audio recording. Add the transcription cost for your total. See our pricing page for full details.
Start with these questions:
-
Do you need speaker labels?
- Yes → Soniox, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Rev AI, or Gladia
- No → Whisper (cheapest)
-
Does it need to be realtime?
- Yes → Soniox Realtime or Deepgram Realtime
- No → Async variants (cheaper + more accurate)
-
What's your budget?
- Minimal → Whisper ($0.04/hour)
- Balanced → Soniox ($0.10/hour)
- Premium features → AssemblyAI or Deepgram
- Best-in-class → Gladia
-
Need specific features?
- Profanity filter → AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Speechmatics
- Custom vocab → Soniox, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Whisper
- Highest diarization accuracy → Gladia, Rev AI
Our Recommendation: Best Transcription Model Overall
For most developers looking for the best transcription model, we recommend Soniox. It offers the best balance between price, quality, and features. If you find you have specific needs (realtime, certain languages, compliance features), you can easily switch: Skribby normalizes the output so your code keeps working the same way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest transcription model?
Whisper is the cheapest at $0.04/hour. However, it doesn't support speaker diarization. If you need to know who said what, Soniox at $0.10/hour is the most affordable option with diarization included.
Which transcription model has the best accuracy?
For pure transcription accuracy, Gladia is widely considered top-tier, though it comes at a premium price. For most use cases, Soniox, Deepgram Nova-3, and AssemblyAI all perform excellently at more accessible price points. We recommend testing with your actual audio to find the best fit.
What's the difference between realtime and async transcription?
Async transcription processes audio after the meeting ends: it's cheaper and often more accurate because the model can use the full context. Realtime transcription streams results live during the meeting, which is essential for live captions or AI agents that need to respond mid-conversation.
Does Whisper support speaker diarization?
No. OpenAI's Whisper model does not identify different speakers. If you need speaker labels (who said what), use Soniox, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Rev AI, or Gladia instead.
Which model has the best speaker diarization?
For diarization accuracy, Gladia and Rev AI are generally considered the strongest. Soniox offers good diarization at a lower price point, though it may struggle with heavily overlapping speakers or very similar voices.
Can I switch transcription models without changing my code?
Yes. Skribby normalizes the output format across all providers. You can switch from Whisper to Deepgram to Soniox without modifying how you handle the transcription response.
Which model should I use for non-English meetings?
For non-English languages, Whisper offers the broadest support with 90+ languages. Soniox and Deepgram also support many languages with strong accuracy. Check our transcription models documentation for the full language list per provider.
What does "no transcription" mean in the usage data?
About 22% of bots run without a transcription model. These users either process audio themselves, use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) to handle transcription directly with providers, or only need the raw audio/video recording.
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Have questions about which model fits your use case best? Get in touch or join our Discord community.