audio model comparison
GPT Transcribe vs MAI-Transcribe-2
GPT Transcribe and MAI-Transcribe-2 are both current audio models, from OpenAI and Microsoft AI. MAI-Transcribe-2 is 63% cheaper per audio minute than GPT Transcribe, $0.001667 vs $0.0045. On Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2, GPT Transcribe scores 3.31 % WER and MAI-Transcribe-2 2.04 % WER (Artificial Analysis, measured October 13, 2026).
Data verified October 13, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-13
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | GPT Transcribe | MAI-Transcribe-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per audio minute | $0.0045 | $0.001667 (better) |
| Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2 | 3.31 % WER (#5 of 6) | 2.04 % WER (#1 of 6) (better) |
| Provider | OpenAI | Microsoft AI |
| Release date | July 28, 2026 | September 3, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | Not reported | Not reported |
| Max output | Not reported | Not reported |
| Input | audio, text | audio |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
GPT Transcribe
Best for
- Transcribing recorded audio files
Watch out for
- Live microphone audio goes to a separate model, gpt-live-transcribe, at $0.017 per minute
- OpenAI's model page does not mention speaker diarization
MAI-Transcribe-2
Best for
- Low-cost multilingual batch transcription
- Meeting and call transcripts with speaker labels
Watch out for
- Azure Speech lists it as a public preview with no SLA, not recommended for production
- The $0.10 per hour price is a limited-time offer until 2026-12-31, and the later price is not published
GPT Transcribe vs MAI-Transcribe-2 FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT Transcribe or MAI-Transcribe-2?
MAI-Transcribe-2 is 63% cheaper per audio minute than GPT Transcribe, $0.001667 vs $0.0045.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, GPT Transcribe or MAI-Transcribe-2?
MAI-Transcribe-2 leads on Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2, 2.04 % WER to 3.31 % WER. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Related comparisons
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- Gemini 3.5 Transcribe vs MAI-Transcribe-2
- Gemini 3.8 Live vs GPT Transcribe
- GPT-4o Transcribe vs GPT Transcribe
- GPT Transcribe vs Grok Voice Transcribe 2.0
- GPT Transcribe vs Scribe v2
- Grok Voice Transcribe 2.0 vs MAI-Transcribe-2
- MAI-Transcribe-2 vs Scribe v2
Production evaluation
Choosing between GPT Transcribe and MAI-Transcribe-2?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty