The Google Cloud Speech-to-Text alternative that takes a file or a URL

Google Cloud's batch API reads audio from a Cloud Storage bucket and returns an operation you poll. The Scriptivox API takes a file or a URL and sends a signed webhook when the transcript, speaker labels and subtitles are ready.

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Scriptivox vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text

What each one gives you, side by side.

	Scriptivox	Google Cloud Speech-to-Text
Free plan
Free plan	3 files a day, up to 30 minutes each	V1 API: 60 minutes a month free. New Google Cloud customers get up to $300 in credits
Cheapest paid plan
Cheapest paid plan	Pro: $20/month, or $10/month billed yearly	V2: $0.016/min for the first 500,000 minutes a month, down to $0.004; dynamic batch $0.003/min
How much it transcribes
How much it transcribes	Pro: no daily or monthly cap, files up to 10 hours	Pay per minute of audio, billed per second; each audio channel billed separately
Transcription languages
Transcription languages	100+, detected for you	Over 125 (85+ on Chirp 3, its latest model)
Speaker labels
Speaker labels	Yes, on every plan	Yes, speaker diarization, set per request
Transcript exports
Transcript exports	PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV	API results; SRT and WebVTT captions from V2 batch requests only
API
API	Yes	It is an API, with a no-code console for testing files
File size
File size	Up to 5 GB per file	Batch: up to 8 hours per file, from Cloud Storage. Direct requests: 10 MB or 1 minute

Google Cloud Speech-to-Text details are from its own pages, checked on October 27, 2026. Google prices are its list prices in US dollars for the V2 Standard models. The Scriptivox prices in the table are for the web app; the API has its own pay-as-you-go pricing on the Transcription API page. Sources: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text pricing, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text overview, Quotas and limits (docs), WebVTT and SRT captions (docs), Speaker diarization (docs).

Why developers use the Scriptivox API instead

Send a file or a URL, no bucket

Google's batch API reads audio from Cloud Storage, and its direct requests stop at 10 MB or about 1 minute. The Scriptivox API takes uploads up to 5 GB, or a URL to the file.

Webhooks instead of polling

Google batch requests return an operation you poll for the result. The Scriptivox API sends an HMAC-SHA256 signed webhook when the transcript is ready.

Speakers, timestamps and subtitles together

Google writes SRT and WebVTT captions only from V2 batch requests. The Scriptivox API returns speaker labels for up to 10 speakers, word-level timestamps with confidence scores, and SRT or VTT subtitles.

When Google Cloud Speech-to-Text may suit you better

Google Cloud streams recognition results in real time and lets you choose between models, including Chirp 3 and models tuned for phone calls, video and medical dictation.
It lists over 125 languages and, for teams already on Google Cloud, offers regional endpoints for data residency and customer-managed encryption keys.
Its price falls with volume, to $0.004 a minute above 2 million minutes a month, and dynamic batch costs $0.003 a minute if you can wait for results.

Switching takes a few minutes

Get an API key

Send a file or a URL

Upload audio or video up to 5 GB, or pass a URL. The language is detected for you.

Receive the result by webhook

A signed webhook tells your app when the transcript is ready, with speaker labels, word-level timestamps and SRT or VTT subtitles.

Scriptivox and Google Cloud Speech-to-Text: common questions

Is Scriptivox a Google Cloud Speech-to-Text alternative?

Yes, for transcribing recorded audio and video: send a file or a URL and get back text with speaker labels, word-level timestamps and SRT or VTT subtitles, in 100 languages with automatic language detection. If you need Google's streaming recognition or its phone-call and medical models, Google Cloud is built for that.

Do I need a Cloud Storage bucket?

No. The Scriptivox API accepts a direct upload of up to 5 GB, or a URL to the file. Google's batch API reads audio from Cloud Storage, and its direct requests are limited to 10 MB or about 1 minute of audio.

How do I get started with the Scriptivox API?

Sign up for a free account, get your API key from the dashboard and send your first file. The API accepts MP3, MP4, WAV, FLAC, M4A, MOV and other common audio and video formats, and returns plain text, JSON with word-level timestamps, SRT or VTT.

How much does Scriptivox cost?

The free plan transcribes 3 files a day, each up to 30 minutes long. Pro is $20 a month, or $120 a year, with no daily or monthly cap and files up to 10 hours.