2 models compared on the same benchmark — accuracy, latency, price, language coverage and capabilities. Soniox STT (Async) leads on raw accuracy; Azure Speech is fastest; Soniox STT (Async) covers the most languages; Soniox STT (Async) is cheapest.
Verdict · who wins what
Most accurate
Soniox STT (Async)
8.7% WER
Soniox
Fastest
Azure Speech
0.3× realtime
Microsoft Azure
Most languages
Soniox STT (Async)
25 languages
Soniox
Cheapest
Soniox STT (Async)
$0.0017/min
Soniox
Comparing
2 models · same benchmark
1
Azure Speech
Microsoft Azure
Azure default STT model — 140+ languages, diarization, word timestamps
2
Soniox STT (Async)
Soniox
Soniox async batch transcription — one multilingual model across 60+ languages with speaker diarization, per-word timestamps, and automatic language identification, at a low flat token-based rate.
Azure Speech
Soniox STT (Async)
field · 32 models
lower-left is better
general
legal
medical
noisy
technical
uk
us
Latency p99
2.0s
6.2s
Final drain
0ms
—
Real-time factor
1.01×
—
Flicker
13.2%
—
Cadence
1.7/s
—
$10.08
1,000 hours
$360.00
$100.80
No
Auto-detect language
No
Yes
Live / streaming
Yes
No
Custom vocabulary
No
No
Max file size
1 GB
No limit
Max duration
4 h
5 h
Compliance
—
Is Azure Speech or Soniox STT (Async) more accurate?
Soniox STT (Async) is more accurate, with a 8.7% word error rate versus 15.3% for Azure Speech, on our standardized benchmark.
Which is cheaper, Azure Speech or Soniox STT (Async)?
Soniox STT (Async) is cheaper at $0.0017/min versus $0.0060/min for Azure Speech.
Should you choose Azure Speech or Soniox STT (Async)?
Choose Azure Speech for speed; choose Soniox STT (Async) for accuracy, lower cost, and language coverage.
