Head to head · Speech-to-text · October 2026 research run
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against MiniMax Speech-to-Text's 48.4 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do speech-to-text.
Best speech-to-text APIs for AI agents · All 320 stt comparisons
Which one, for what
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API BB
Best for Batch transcription where diarisation, entity detection and keyterms matter, and for teams already on ElevenLabs for speech.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 80 against 47
- Schema & documentation, 95 against 82
- Agent ergonomics, 75 against 70
- Security & auth, 65 against 33
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 77 against 6
- Transparency & trust, 71 against 63
Also in its favour
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- Runs on your own machine
Watch for
Audio may be used for training unless the account opts out, and the opt-out isn't retroactive
Best for Cheap file transcription with diarisation and subtitles, strongest on Chinese and code-switched audio by the vendor's account.
No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.
Watch for
Files only, up to 500 seconds and 50 MB; live audio input isn't supported
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Maintenance & community ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +71
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 77
Read as a model, as the ElevenLabs text-to-speech listing is, in place of the 1 October release-count reading. Newest change is SDK 2.75.0, tagged in the Python and JavaScript repositories on 27 October 2026 (23:02 UTC), and the 26 October changelog entry changed realtime silence thresholds and added transcription webhook retries. Speech to Text also changed on 12 October (turn_prediction commit strategy) and 19 October (edited_text) (30). Weekly dated entries, 16 between 3 August and 26 October (10). scribe_v1 is still marked deprecated in favour of scribe_v2 with no date or notice period (0 of 10). Public changelog and support channels (10 of 15). The Python SDK had 19 open issues on 1 October, several opened in August 2026, per the ElevenLabs text-to-speech listing's 1 October check of the same repository, not re-read on 1 November (5 of 10). Official Python and TypeScript SDKs current at 2.75.0. The local elevenlabs-mcp package, the only one with a transcription tool, has been deprecated since 20 August 2026 in favour of the hosted server, its last release 0.12.2 on 4 August (15). Fern-generated SDKs, read as the ElevenLabs text-to-speech listing reads them (7 of 10). 30 + 10 + 0 + 10 + 5 + 15 + 7 = 77.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 6
Read as a model. No dated release or change of asr-1.0 was found on the model or API release notes or the status page (0). No dated ASR entries in the last 90 days (0). Support by email and Discord, not tested (6 of 15). No official SDK, and the MCP servers have no transcription tool (0 of 15). No package to judge (0 of 10). Total 6.
Reliability ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +33
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 80
incident.io status page with a Speech to Text component and dated component history (20). Re-read on 1 November from the history page, which dates each component's impact, as the ElevenLabs text-to-speech, voice cloning and agents listings were read; the incidents feed was re-posted on 21 October and leaves older incidents out. Six incidents touched the Speech to Text component in the 90 days from 3 August. Elevated TTS and STT error rates from 06:39 to 07:13 UTC on 3 August and TTS and STT latency from 15:15 to 17:53 UTC on 26 August, both at degraded performance. Two latency incidents on 4 September, the EU residency from 11:41 to 12:12 UTC and the global residency from 13:55 to 21:01 UTC for "a small subset of requests", and STT latency from 15:42 to 16:05 UTC on 28 September, all degraded. From 16:00 to 19:44 UTC on 29 September a usage datastore fault caused latency, conversation failures and 429s on STT requests, marked partial outage on Speech to Text and Conversations. The 1 October note called it one major of 94 minutes; the page dates the STT impact at 3 hours 44 minutes, and it is read as partial, as the ElevenLabs agents listing read the same incident. A one-minute entry named "Test" on 16 October isn't counted. Nothing has touched STT since 29 September. Minor only (20 of 30, was 10). Concurrency per plan published with numbers, re-read on 1 November, 8 on Free to 60 on Scale for batch and 6 to 45 for realtime, with current-concurrent-requests and maximum-concurrent-requests headers (15). The error reference names three 429 codes, rate_limit_exceeded, concurrent_limit_exceeded and system_busy, and asks for exponential backoff (15). No SLA found for self-serve plans, and the API pricing page puts SLAs under Enterprise (0). Scribe v2, Scribe v2 Realtime and Scribe v2 Medical carry no alpha or beta label (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 15 + 0 + 10 = 80.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 47
Atlassian Statuspage at status.minimax.io with component history, but its components are LLM, Text-to-Speech and Video Generation, with none for speech to text (10 of 20). With no component, the history holds no record for transcription (5). Limits published with numbers, 2 concurrent connections and 30,000 audio seconds a minute (15). 429 is documented as rate_limit_error, and the general error code page says to retry later, with no backoff figures or Retry-After (7 of 15). No SLA in the terms or docs (0). asr-1.0 is called the current public model with no beta label (10). 10 + 5 + 15 + 7 + 0 + 10 = 47.
Security & auth ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +32
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 65
Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of least-privilege and injection lines. Keys can be restricted to chosen endpoints, given a credit quota and limited to IP addresses or CIDR ranges, user keys can expire after 15 minutes to 30 days, service accounts hold keys that don't belong to a person, and leaked keys found by GitHub secret scanning are disabled, re-read on 1 November. Realtime browser clients use single-use tokens, which we don't deduct for (30). The Privacy Policy (updated 9 October 2026, re-read on 1 November) says ElevenLabs may train on personal data, with an opt-out under Data use that only covers data sent after it's set (10). Speech-to-text audio and transcripts are kept by default and zero retention through enable_logging=false is Enterprise only, though the zero retention page now names every /v1/speech-to-text/ endpoint (5). The Developers page has a Request Log that lists every API request with search, filters and CSV export, and usage can be broken down by API key, though we found no audit log of key actions below Enterprise (10 of 15, was 5). A valid security.txt (expiring 6 October 2027, re-read on 1 November) pointing to a vulnerability disclosure programme, and the Eleven v4 launch page states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level 1 certification for every ElevenLabs model. We count those as vendor claims because we saw no report, and the trust centre wasn't re-read. No bug bounty or public advisories found (10 of 20, was 5, as the ElevenLabs text-to-speech listing reads the same evidence). 30 + 10 + 5 + 10 + 10 = 65.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 33
Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of the least-privilege and injection lines. Plain API keys from the console with no scopes found, and the docs say publicly leaked keys may be disabled, as on minimax-voice-cloning (20 of 30). The terms (effective 30 March 2026), as read for minimax-voice-cloning on 4 November, let MiniMax use input and generated content to operate, maintain, develop and improve its services, with no opt-out found, and the privacy policy rules out only training to profile or target consumers (5 of 20). No retention period for uploaded audio or transcripts was found (3 of 15). Each response carries a trace ID, with no audit log found (5 of 15). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found, as on the other MiniMax listings (0 of 20). Total 33.
Payments & pricing ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +20
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 40
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-hour prices and plan allowances published without a login, re-read on 1 November, $0.22 an hour for Scribe v2 and Scribe v2 Medical and $0.39 for Scribe v2 Realtime (20). Free plan with 4 hours 30 minutes of batch a month and no card, per the 1 October check; the pricing page read on 1 November doesn't say whether the free plan needs one (20). A person signs up in a browser (0). 0 + 20 + 20 + 0 = 40.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 20
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). $0.38 an hour published without a login (20). Speech to text is for paid accounts only (0). A person signs up in a browser and funds a balance (0). Total 20.
Schema & documentation ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +13
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 95
OpenAPI file at api.elevenlabs.io/openapi.json, per the 1 October check, not re-read on 1 November because api.elevenlabs.io's robots.txt disallows every path (25). llms.txt with a Markdown twin of each page, re-read on 1 November (10). Reference pages state what each parameter does, and the docs separate batch, realtime and medical use, though they rarely say when not to use one (15). Multipart fields are typed with enums such as timestamps_granularity, and model_id is required (15). Examples on each endpoint and an error reference with codes and meanings, re-read on 1 November (15). Versioned /v1 paths and a dated weekly changelog, the newest entry 26 October (15). 25 + 10 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = 95.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 82
OpenAPI 3.1 for /v1/speech_to_text, with eight documented responses (25). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of every page (10). The guide says when to stream, when to use verbose_json, and that subtitles and diarisation can't be combined with streaming (15 of 20). Typed multipart fields with an enum for response_format, and file limits stated in prose (12 of 15). Python examples and an error table giving HTTP status, error.type and trigger for 400, 401, 402, 413, 422, 429 and 500 (15). Versioned /v1 path, but neither release notes page mentions the ASR API, and the API notes stop at 28 October 2025 (5 of 15). Total 82.
Transparency & trust ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +8
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API 71
Closed service with clear terms and MIT SDKs (15). The Privacy Policy, updated 9 October 2026 and re-read on 1 November, allows training on personal data with a forward-only opt-out, and the zero retention page now says every /v1/speech-to-text/ endpoint is covered for Enterprise customers. We found no speech-to-text statement that contradicts them, though a reader still pieces the position together from three pages (15). scribe_v1 is marked deprecated without a date or a written policy (5). EU, India and Singapore residency hosts are documented, but no named sub-processor list was found (15). 15 + 15 + 5 + 15 = 50.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text 63
Closed API with clear terms under Singapore law naming Nanonoble Pte. Ltd., as on the other MiniMax listings (15 of 30). The terms and privacy policy agree that inputs may be used to improve services and that data sits in a United States data centre, with no retention period for audio (8 of 30). No deprecation notice or policy touches the ASR API (10 of 20, for the dated notices elsewhere on the API release notes). Data location stated as the United States and an EU representative named, with third parties only by category (10 of 20). Total 43.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API | MiniMax Speech-to-Text | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 80 | 47 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +33 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 95 | 82 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +13 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 75 | 70 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +5 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 65 | 33 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +32 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 40 | 20 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +20 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 77 | 6 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +71 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 71 | 63 | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API +8 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | BB 73/100 | D 48.4/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API | MiniMax Speech-to-Text |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | ElevenLabs | MiniMax |
| Hosted endpoint | https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1 | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, stdio | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (SDKs) | none |
| Tools exposed | none | 0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-27 | none |
| Terms last updated | 2026-03-31 | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-05-20 | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | 3.1k stars, 1.1M npm/wk, 2.2M PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |
What the same task costs
| Task | ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API | MiniMax Speech-to-Text |
|---|---|---|
| Transcribe a one-hour meeting60 minutes of recorded audio | $0.22 to $0.39 | $0.38 |
Estimated from each listing's published prices, the same tasks as on the price index. Plans, minimums and free allowances aren't counted.
How the scores have moved
Verdicts
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API
Scribe v2 transcribes 90+ languages at $0.22 an hour of batch audio, with diarisation up to 32 speakers and keys that can be scoped by endpoint, capped and set to expire. Audio may be used for training unless the account opts out, the opt-out isn't retroactive, and zero retention needs Enterprise.
MiniMax Speech-to-Text
MiniMax's ASR API has an OpenAPI file, typed error envelopes and a public price of $0.38 an hour, with diarisation and subtitle output. It takes files of up to 500 seconds only, allows 2 concurrent connections, has no free tier or status component, and no dated release.
Before you call either
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API
- Create a key restricted to speech-to-text with a credit quota and an expiry
- Use
source_urlfor hosted files instead of downloading and re-uploading - Set
webhook=truefor long files and turn on webhook retries so results aren't lost - Back off exponentially on any of the three 429 codes
- Opt out under Data use before sending customer audio. It only covers later uploads
MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Split recordings into pieces under 500 seconds before uploading, since longer audio returns 400
- Convert to mono 16 kHz or a compressed format to stay under 50 MB
- Use
verbose_jsonfor speakers and timestamps, andjsononly when streaming - Treat 402
insufficient_balance_erroras final and ask the user to top up - Use
https://api.minimaxi.comfor a mainland China account
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API or MiniMax Speech-to-Text?
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against MiniMax Speech-to-Text's 48.4 (D), and leads in every scored category.
Do ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API and MiniMax Speech-to-Text need an API key?
Both need an API key.
Can an agent call ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API and MiniMax Speech-to-Text without installing anything?
ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1. No hosted endpoint is listed for MiniMax Speech-to-Text.
Other comparisons with ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API or MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Amazon Transcribe vs ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API
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- Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API
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- Cartesia Ink vs ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API
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- Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Giggy Speech to Text
- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP
- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text
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- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs IBM Watson Speech to Text
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- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT
- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Soniox Speech-to-Text
- ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text
- Giggy Speech to Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Groq Speech-to-Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- IBM Watson Speech to Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- Inworld STT vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text
- MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-minimax-stt.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/elevenlabs-scribe.json·/api/v1/tools/minimax-stt.json - From a terminal
anchor compare elevenlabs-scribe minimax-stt(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "elevenlabs-scribe", "b": "minimax-stt"}at/mcp, no key