IBM Watson Speech to Text vs noScribe
IBM Watson Speech to Text
ibm.com
noScribe
noscribe.deSide by side
| Figure | IBM Watson Speech to Text | noScribe |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.02/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · AI transcription tools | 9.0 (#6) | 8.3 (#22) |
| Spec score · Transcription Software | 8.7 (#11) | 8.4 (#20) |
| Spec score · Audio Transcription Software | 8.6 (#17) | 8.4 (#21) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Armonk, New York, United States | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Integrations | IBM documents a pre-built phone assistant integration combining watsonx Assistant, Speech to Text, and Watson Text to Speech. | Transcripts can be opened in MS Word or LibreOffice and imported into QDA software such as MAXQDA or QualCoder; WebVTT can be used with EXMARaLDA. |
| Intended users | IBM identifies customer self-service, agent assistance, and call analytics as use cases, and describes Plus as intended for small businesses and development or testing by larger enterprises. | The project began for qualitative social research and is also used in journalism, medicine, companies, government agencies, and NGOs. |
| Speaker identification | Yes | Yes |
Plans
IBM Watson Speech to Text
- LitePriced on request
- Plus$0.02 a month
- PlusPriced on request
- LiteFree
- PremiumPriced on request
In their own words
IBM Watson Speech to Text
IBM Watson Speech to Text has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
noScribe
noScribe is a free, open-source desktop app for transcribing interviews and sensitive recordings with AI models running locally on the computer. It uses Whisper-based models for transcription and pyannote for speaker recognition, with support for around 60 languages. Its editor aligns text with audio playback so users can review and correct transcripts. Research tools let users mark pauses and overlapping speech, add timestamps, and choose whether filler words are included. The app accepts almost any audio or video format and exports formatted HTML, plain text, or WebVTT subtitles. Transcripts can be opened in MS Word or LibreOffice, or imported into QDA software such as MAXQDA or QualCoder. The maker estimates a one-hour interview takes about one to three hours to transcribe; NVIDIA CUDA acceleration can reduce processing time. Current versions support Windows 10 and require macOS 14 or later. Linux binaries are not available for version 0.8; users are directed to version 0.7 or manual installation. It is licensed under GPL-3.0.