Podcast Transcription Cost Calculator
Category: General Content Difficulty: Beginner Estimated Tokens: 400-600 Version: 1.0.0
Description
Calculate podcast transcription costs across multiple services based on episode frequency, average length, and feature requirements. Provides monthly and annual projections with effective per-hour rates to identify the best value option for your production schedule.
The Prompt
Calculate my podcast transcription costs across different services based on my production schedule.
MY PODCAST DETAILS:
- Episodes per month: [NUMBER]
- Average episode length: [MINUTES]
- Number of speakers per episode: [NUMBER]
- Do I need speaker labels? [YES/NO]
- Do I need timestamps? [YES/NO]
- Output format needed: [TXT/SRT/VTT/JSON]
CALCULATE FOR THESE SERVICES:
1. **BrassTranscripts** (Pay-per-use)
- Single-file: $2.50 (0–15 min) or $6.00 (16–120 min) flat per file
- Bulk batches: Tiered $3.00–$6.00/file across 7 batch sizes (1–5: $6, 6–10: $5, 11–15: $4.75, 16–49: $4.50, 50–99: $4, 100–249: $3.50, 250+: $3)
- Includes speaker ID and all formats
- Note: For consistent weekly podcasts producing 20+ episodes/month, also compare TurboScribe ($10/mo billed annually) — subscriptions can be cheaper for high-consistency users.
2. **Otter.ai** (Subscription)
- Free: 300 min/month
- Pro: $16.99/month for 1,200 min
- Business: $30/user/month for 6,000 min
3. **Temi** (Pay-per-use)
- $0.25/minute
- Speaker ID included
4. **Descript** (Subscription + Transcription)
- Free: 1 hour/month
- Creator: $15/month (10 hours)
- Pro: $30/month (30 hours)
5. **Rev AI** (Pay-per-use)
- $0.25/minute base
- Speaker diarization included
FOR EACH SERVICE, PROVIDE:
- Monthly cost calculation with math shown
- Annual cost projection
- Cost per episode
- Cost per audio hour (effective rate)
- Whether my needs exceed plan limits
- Hidden costs I might miss (speaker ID add-ons, format charges, storage)
THEN RECOMMEND:
- Best option for my specific usage pattern
- Break-even point where switching services makes sense
- What would change my recommendation (more/fewer episodes, longer/shorter)
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Prompt by BrassTranscripts (brasstranscripts.com)
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Best Practices
Use actual numbers: Input your real episode count and length, not aspirational production goals.
Check subscription utilization: Subscriptions only save money at 80%+ capacity utilization.
Include all formats: Some services charge extra for SRT/VTT—factor this into true cost.
Plan for variability: If your production varies month-to-month, pay-per-use may reduce risk.
Use Cases
- New podcast launch - Budget planning before production starts
- Service comparison - Evaluate switching from current provider
- Annual budgeting - Project costs for fiscal planning
- Production scaling - Understand cost implications of increasing episode frequency
Example Output
Input: 4 episodes/month, 45 minutes each, 2 speakers, need speaker labels
BrassTranscripts: 4 × $6.00 = $24/month ($288/year)
- $6/episode, $8/hour effective rate
- All formats included
Otter Pro: $16.99/month for 180 minutes used of 1,200 available
- $16.99/month ($204/year)
- Effective rate: $5.66/hour
- Warning: 85% of paid capacity unused
Recommendation: At 4 episodes/45 min, Otter Pro appears cheaper but wastes 85% of capacity. If production is consistent, Otter wins. If variable, BrassTranscripts reduces risk.