2 models compared on the same benchmark — accuracy, latency, price, language coverage and capabilities. Speechmatics Enhanced leads on raw accuracy; Azure Speech is fastest; Speechmatics Enhanced covers the most languages; Azure Speech is cheapest.
Verdict · who wins what
Most accurate
Speechmatics Enhanced
12.3% WER
Speechmatics
Fastest
Azure Speech
0.3× realtime
Microsoft Azure
Most languages
Speechmatics Enhanced
48 languages
Speechmatics
Cheapest
Azure Speech
$0.0060/min
Microsoft Azure
Comparing
2 models · same benchmark
1
Azure Speech
Microsoft Azure
Azure default STT model — 140+ languages, diarization, word timestamps
2
Speechmatics Enhanced
Speechmatics
Highest accuracy model — 55+ languages, best-in-class
Speechmatics Enhanced
Azure Speech
field · 32 models
lower-left is better
general
legal
medical
noisy
technical
uk
us
Latency p99
2.0s
12.1s
Final drain
0ms
—
Real-time factor
1.01×
—
Flicker
13.2%
—
Cadence
1.7/s
—
$36.00
$49.68
1,000 hours
$360.00
$496.80
Yes
Auto-detect language
No
Yes
Live / streaming
Yes
No
Custom vocabulary
No
Yes
Max file size
1 GB
1 GB
Max duration
4 h
No limit
Compliance
Is Azure Speech or Speechmatics Enhanced more accurate?
Speechmatics Enhanced is more accurate, with a 12.3% word error rate versus 15.3% for Azure Speech, on our standardized benchmark.
Which is cheaper, Azure Speech or Speechmatics Enhanced?
Azure Speech is cheaper at $0.0060/min versus $0.0083/min for Speechmatics Enhanced.
Should you choose Azure Speech or Speechmatics Enhanced?
Choose Azure Speech for speed and lower cost; choose Speechmatics Enhanced for accuracy and language coverage.
