Speechmatics Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Speechmatics uses custom pricing as of May 2026. Contact Speechmatics directly for a personalized quote. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Yes, Speechmatics offers a freemium plan as of May 2026. The free tier includes 13 features with limits on real-time stt and batch stt. Pricing verified from 5 sources by CostBench.
Speechmatics offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 240 minutes/month free Real-time Speech-to-Text (resets monthly)
- 240 minutes/month free Batch Speech-to-Text (resets monthly)
- 1 million characters/month free Text-to-Speech (~20 hours, English only)
- 55+ languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin
- 2 concurrent real-time sessions
- 1 batch job per second
- 3 concurrent Voice Agent conversations
- Per-second billing precision (no rounding up)
- No credit card required to start
- Multi-region cloud (US, EU, or Australia)
- Standard and Enhanced accuracy models
- Speaker diarization, custom dictionary, language identification
- Community support via documentation
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time STT | 240 minutes/month (resets monthly) | Unlimited/Higher |
| Batch STT | 240 minutes/month (resets monthly) | Unlimited/Higher |
| Text-to-Speech | 1 million characters/month (English only) | Unlimited/Higher |
| Concurrency | 2 real-time sessions | Unlimited/Higher |
| Batch rate | 1 job per second | Unlimited/Higher |
| Voice Agent | 3 concurrent conversations | Unlimited/Higher |
| Support | Documentation only (no email support) | Unlimited/Higher |
| SLA | None | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like advanced automation
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Speechmatics branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Speechmatics free?
Yes, Speechmatics offers a freemium plan with 13 core features included. However, there are limits on real-time stt, batch stt that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Speechmatics's free plan?
Speechmatics's free plan includes: 240 minutes/month free Real-time Speech-to-Text (resets monthly), 240 minutes/month free Batch Speech-to-Text (resets monthly), 1 million characters/month free Text-to-Speech (~20 hours, English only), 55+ languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, 2 concurrent real-time sessions, and 8 more features. Key limits include Real-time STT: 240 minutes/month (resets monthly), Batch STT: 240 minutes/month (resets monthly), Text-to-Speech: 1 million characters/month (English only).
03 What's NOT included in Speechmatics's free plan?
The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have Speechmatics branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Speechmatics's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $0/minute.
05 Is Speechmatics's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Speechmatics's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.