audio model comparison
MAI-Transcribe-2 vs MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming are both current audio models, from Microsoft AI. MAI-Transcribe-2 is 81% cheaper per audio minute than MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming, $0.001667 vs $0.009.
- Lower price per audio minute
- MAI-Transcribe-2$0.001667 against $0.009
- Newer release
- MAI-Transcribe-2-StreamingOct 2026 against Sep 2026
Data verified October 29, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-29
Side by side
MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming, line by line
Prices in effect today, compared at the same tier wherever both list one. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | MAI-Transcribe-2 | MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price per audio minute | $0.001667 (better) | $0.009 |
| Independent benchmarks | ||
| Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2 | 2.04 % WER (#1 of 6) | Not measured |
| Specs | ||
| Provider | Microsoft AI | Microsoft AI |
| Release date | September 3, 2026 | October 1, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | Not reported | Not reported |
| Max output | Not reported | Not reported |
| Input | audio | audio |
| Output | text | text |
No independent benchmark has scored both models yet. Each rank counts the current models scored on that benchmark.
Charts
Against every current audio model
Where MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming land among the current models of their task, on every independent benchmark, on price and on context.
Where each stands
Only MAI-Transcribe-2 has a current Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2 score: #1 of 6. Each bar is the share of current models it beats.
Independent benchmarks
Artificial Analysis AA-WER v2
MAI-Transcribe-2:#1of 6
2.04% WER · ahead of 100%
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming: Not scored
Price and context
Price per audio minute
MAI-Transcribe-2:#1of 14
$0.001667 · cheaper than 92%
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming:#11of 14
$0.009 · cheaper than 15%
Cost
What each costs
Example workloads at each provider's listed rates, then every other rate either one lists. The cheaper figure in each row is highlighted.
The same work, priced
For 100 hours of audio, MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming costs 5.4 times as much as MAI-Transcribe-2, at each provider's listed rates.
100 hours of audio
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming costs 5.4× as much
- MAI-Transcribe-2
- $10
- MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
- $54
| Workload or rate | MAI-Transcribe-2 | MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Example workloads | ||
| 100 hours of audio | $10 (better) | $54 |
Verdict
When to choose each
MAI-Transcribe-2
Where it leads
- Lower price per audio minute, $0.001667 vs $0.009
- Supports speaker diarization
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
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
Where it leads
No measured lead over MAI-Transcribe-2 in this data.
Best for
- Live captions and voice agents
- Multilingual calls where speakers switch languages
Watch out for
- Microsoft Foundry lists it as a preview
- The $0.54 per hour price is introductory until the end of 2026, and the later price is not published
From benchmark to production
Building on MAI-Transcribe-2 or MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming?
Public scores rarely hold on your own data. We test both models on your real tasks, then build the agent or pipeline around the one that wins.
FAQ
MAI-Transcribe-2 vs MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming FAQ
Which is cheaper, MAI-Transcribe-2 or MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming?
MAI-Transcribe-2 is 81% cheaper per audio minute than MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming, $0.001667 vs $0.009.
How much would 100 hours of audio cost with MAI-Transcribe-2 or MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming?
100 hours of audio comes to $10 with MAI-Transcribe-2 and $54 with MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming at their listed rates.
How do MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming differ in features?
Only MAI-Transcribe-2 supports speaker diarization.
Further reading
More on MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
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- GPT Transcribe vs MAI-Transcribe-2
- GPT Transcribe vs MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
- MAI-Transcribe-2 vs Scribe v2
- MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming vs Scribe v2 Realtime
Production evaluation
Choosing between MAI-Transcribe-2 and MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming?
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