{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "google-speech-to-text", "name": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text", "vendor": "Google Cloud", "vendorUrl": "https://cloud.google.com/speech-to-text", "kind": "model", "category": "speech-to-text", "summary": "Google Cloud's transcription API.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-speech-to-text", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-speech-to-text.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-speech-to-text.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-speech-to-text.json", "dns": "google-speech-to-text.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/googleapis/google-cloud-python/tree/main/packages/google-cloud-speech", "license": "Apache-2.0 (SDKs)", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://speech.googleapis.com/v2", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "google-cloud-speech" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@google-cloud/speech" } ], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 bearer token from a service account or `gcloud` (Application Default Credentials) on a project with billing and the API turned on. Chirp 3 runs on the `us` and `eu` multi-region endpoints such as `us-speech.googleapis.com`.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "V2 standard recognition, which covers Chirp 3, is $0.016 a minute to 500,000 minutes a month, then $0.01, $0.008 and $0.004 past 2M. Dynamic batch is $0.003 a minute. Billed per second, per channel. V1 has 60 free minutes a month and charges $0.024 without data logging. Medical models $0.078 (https://cloud.google.com/speech-to-text/pricing).", "priceSummary": "Freemium", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No machine payment. Billing runs through a cloud account with a card or invoice.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 713013, "pypiWeekly": 3703632, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/speech-to-text/docs", "capabilities": [ "speech.stt", "speech.streaming", "speech.batch", "speech.diarisation", "speech.languages", "speech.translation" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "closed-source", "python", "typescript", "enterprise", "streaming", "batch", "async-jobs", "card-required" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 66.6, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 363, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 12, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 25, "payments": 20, "reliability": 75, "schema": 80, "security": 85, "transparency": 87 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Audio isn't stored or used for training unless the project opts in to data logging. No release note since 2025-11-13.", "bestFor": "Google Cloud teams with audio already in Cloud Storage who want no training and no retention by default.", "strengths": [ "Audio isn't stored or used for training unless the project opts in to data logging", "Only one Speech-to-Text incident on the Google Cloud status page since June 2025, confined to europe-west2 on 20 October 2026", "Dynamic batch at $0.003 a minute, and standard recognition tiers down to $0.004 past 2M minutes", "OAuth service accounts with IAM roles, and Cloud Audit Logs", "300 concurrent streams per region by default" ], "weaknesses": [ "No release note since 2025-11-13", "The OAuth token is accepted in the `access_token` query string, where it can end up in logs", "Sync requests stop at 1 minute and streams at 5 minutes, and batch reads only from Cloud Storage", "No API keys in the documented V2 flow, and the free minutes need a billed project", "The quotas page doesn't say what error a breach returns or how to back off" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call Chirp 3 on the `us` or `eu` endpoint. It isn't listed for the `global` location", "Reopen streams before the 5-minute limit, or use `BatchRecognize` for recordings", "Downmix stereo unless you need channel labels, since each channel is billed", "Set dynamic batch on offline jobs to cut the price from $0.016 to $0.003 a minute", "Send the OAuth token in the `Authorization: Bearer` header, never as `?access_token=`, and back off on `RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED`" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 66.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 25, "payments": 20, "reliability": 75, "schema": 80, "security": 85, "transparency": 75 }, "provenanceScore": 98, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-01", "maintenance": "2026-11-01", "payments": "2026-11-01", "reliability": "2026-11-01", "schema": "2026-11-01", "security": "2026-11-01", "transparency": "2026-11-01" }, "last": "2026-11-01", "lastMoved": "2026-11-01", "oldest": "2026-11-01", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "pip install google-cloud-speech # or: npm i @google-cloud/speech", "http": "curl -X POST \"https://us-speech.googleapis.com/v2/projects/$GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT/locations/us/recognizers/_:recognize\" \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)\" -H \"content-type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"config\":{\"model\":\"chirp_3\",\"languageCodes\":[\"en-US\"],\"autoDecodingConfig\":{}},\"uri\":\"gs://cloud-samples-data/speech/brooklyn_bridge.flac\"}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/speech.stt", "tool": "https://letme.dev/google-speech-to-text" }, "sameCompany": [ "gemini-api", "vertex-ai", "gemini-embedding", "vertex-ai-tuning", "cloud-run-gpus", "google-model-armor", "google-imagen", "google-veo", "google-lyria", "google-cloud-tts", "gemini-live", "google-adk", "google-memory-bank", "google-secret-manager", "google-cloud-document-ai", "google-weather-api", "chrome-devtools-mcp", "google-maps-platform", "google-cloud-translation", "google-calendar-api", "firebase-cloud-messaging", "google-cloud-storage", "google-drive-api", "gemini-enterprise", "gemini-cli", "google-search-console", "google-ads-api", "google-forms", "google-sheets-api", "gmail-api", "google-people-api" ], "area": "voice", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "V2 standard recognition (Chirp 3)", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.016, "note": "first 500,000 minutes a month, streaming or sync or batch" }, { "item": "V2 standard recognition over 2M minutes", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.004 }, { "item": "V2 dynamic batch", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.003, "note": "lower-priority batch" }, { "item": "V1 without data logging", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.024, "note": "after 60 free minutes" }, { "item": "Medical models", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.078 } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Google LLC", "domain": "google.com", "domainRegistered": "1997-09-15", "domainNote": "The endpoint is on googleapis.com, Google's API domain. google.com was registered in 1997.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://cloud.google.com/terms", "privacy": "https://policies.google.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.cloud.google.com", "changelog": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/speech-to-text/docs/release-notes", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-09-30", "score": 98 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-speech-to-text.json", "live": { "slug": "google-speech-to-text", "probe": { "target": "https://speech.googleapis.com/v2", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:28.048961096Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 103, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 47, "p95ms24h": 129, "samples24h": 239, "samples30d": 7910, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 255 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-22", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-23", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-24", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-25", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-26", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-27", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-28", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-31", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-11-01", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-11-02", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-11-04", "probes": 246, "ok": 246 }, { "date": "2026-11-05", "probes": 185, "ok": 185 }, { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 241, "ok": 241 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 187, "ok": 187 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.cloud.google.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-09-30T22:44:37.367865472Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "googleapis/google-cloud-python", "version": "google-maps-solar-v0.6.3", "released": "2026-11-05", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:30:03.600963491Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@google-cloud/speech", "version": "8.2.1", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:30:03.287652564Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "google-cloud-speech", "version": "2.41.0", "released": "2026-10-01", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:30:03.118747344Z" } ], "githubStars": 5415, "npmWeekly": 865510, "pypiWeekly": 3283889, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://google.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2030-04-01T00:00:00z", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:01:22.068349931Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "google.com", "registered": "1997-09-15", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/google.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:17:18.719851913Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/speech-to-text/docs/release-notes", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:05:51.812915813Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-02T07:13:57.009045741Z", "fingerprint": "814f7d976ad5" }, { "url": "https://cloud.google.com/speech-to-text/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:01:26.027134178Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:24:08.11567565Z", "fingerprint": "8928d154095a" }, { "url": "https://cloud.google.com/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-01T13:11:34.992628421Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "6798e0f4fb24" } ], "github": { "repo": "googleapis/google-cloud-python", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T08:52:16.502690608Z", "stars": 5418, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-31T03:25:43Z", "openIssues": 466, "openPRs": 174, "issuesOpened90d": 124, "issuesClosed90d": 123, "prsMerged90d": 544, "ci": { "branch": "main", "runs": 50, "success": 50, "failure": 0, "other": 0, "latest": "success", "latestAt": "2026-10-30T19:55:00Z" }, "replies": { "sampled": 25, "unanswered": 23, "medianDays": 4 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:28.048961096Z" } }, "answer": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.", "b": { "slug": "ibm-watson-stt", "name": "IBM Watson Speech to Text", "vendor": "IBM", "vendorUrl": "https://www.ibm.com/products/speech-to-text", "kind": "model", "category": "speech-to-text", "summary": "IBM Watson Speech to Text transcribes audio over synchronous and asynchronous HTTP and a WebSocket interface on IBM Cloud, with large speech models, next-generation models, custom language and acoustic models, speaker labels and language identification.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ibm-watson-stt", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ibm-watson-stt.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ibm-watson-stt.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json", "dns": "ibm-watson-stt.grade.anchorterminal.com", "transports": [ "http", "websocket" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "ibm-watson" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "ibm-watson" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "An IBM Cloud IAM API key per service instance, exchanged for a bearer token or sent with Basic auth as `apikey:\u003ckey\u003e`. Service credentials carry IAM roles. The WebSocket interface takes the IAM token as an `access_token` query parameter.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Lite plan free for 500 minutes a month, deleted after 30 days of inactivity. Plus plan $0.02 a minute up to 999,999 minutes a month and $0.01 above, with up to 100 concurrent requests. Premium by quote.", "priceSummary": "Freemium", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or API reference (checked 2026-11-06). Billing runs through an IBM Cloud account.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 0, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/speech-to-text", "capabilities": [ "speech.stt", "speech.streaming", "speech.batch", "speech.diarisation", "speech.languages" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "closed-source", "python", "typescript", "enterprise", "streaming", "batch", "async-jobs", "webhooks" ], "lastRelease": "2026-06-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 54.5, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 904, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 18, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 33, "payments": 40, "reliability": 40, "schema": 55, "security": 68, "transparency": 80 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Watson STT covers sync, async and WebSocket transcription in ten locations, with custom models, $0.02 a minute on Plus and 500 free minutes. There is no machine-readable spec or readable status history, requests are logged for improvement unless opted out, the WebSocket token goes in the URL, and the last release note is from June 2026.", "bestFor": "Enterprises on IBM Cloud needing custom acoustic models, HIPAA on Premium and many locations.", "strengths": [ "Sync, async with callbacks and WebSocket streaming on one service", "500 free minutes a month on Lite and $0.02 a minute on Plus", "Custom language and acoustic models on paid plans", "Dated deprecation of previous-generation models with over a year of notice", "`DELETE /v1/user_data` removes data by customer ID" ], "weaknesses": [ "No public OpenAPI file or llms.txt", "The WebSocket interface takes the IAM token as a URL query parameter", "Requests are logged by default to improve the service unless the account or request opts out", "The status page is drawn by script and no SLA was read", "No release note since 29 June 2026" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `X-Watson-Learning-Opt-Out: true` or opt out at account level before sending sensitive audio", "Use the async `/v1/recognitions` interface with a callback for files over 100 MB, up to 1 GB", "Pass a large speech or next-generation model name in `model`, since previous-generation models were removed", "Tag requests with `X-Watson-Metadata: customer_id=...` so the data can be deleted later", "Keep within 100 concurrent requests on Plus across HTTP and WebSocket" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 54.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 33, "payments": 40, "reliability": 40, "schema": 55, "security": 68, "transparency": 65 }, "provenanceScore": 94, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "pip install ibm-watson" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/speech.stt", "tool": "https://letme.dev/ibm-watson-stt" }, "sameCompany": [ "granite-embedding-small-english-r2", "granite-guardian", "granite-switch", "granite-4-2-3b" ], "area": "voice", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Plus plan, first 999,999 minutes a month", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.02 }, { "item": "Plus plan, from 1,000,000 minutes a month", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.01 } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "International Business Machines Corporation", "domain": "ibm.com", "domainRegistered": "1986-03-19", "domainNote": "The endpoints are on watson.cloud.ibm.com, under ibm.com.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/overview?topic=overview-terms", "privacy": "https://www.ibm.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://cloud.ibm.com/status", "changelog": "https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/speech-to-text?topic=speech-to-text-release-notes", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "cloud.ibm.com/robots.txt disallows only /docs/search?q= and sets Content-Signal ai-train=yes, search=yes, ai-input=yes.", "www.ibm.com/.well-known/security.txt names IBM PSIRT, HackerOne and psirt@us.ibm.com and expires on 6 December 2026.", "cloud.ibm.com/status returns a page drawn by script, so its incident history wasn't read.", "The IBM Cloud terms page was found but its text wasn't read, so no clause is quoted.", "RDAP gives ibm.com a registration date of 19 March 1986." ], "score": 94 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json", "live": { "slug": "ibm-watson-stt", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://cloud.ibm.com/status", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T04:47:55.897466786Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "ibm-watson", "version": "12.2.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:34:06.712780272Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "ibm-watson", "version": "11.2.0", "released": "2026-01-26", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:34:06.544738844Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 12367, "pypiWeekly": 10209, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://ibm.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2026-12-07T00:00:00+00:00", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:08.596796331Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/speech-to-text?topic=speech-to-text-release-notes", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:01:17.694727718Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "8dcf87213e78" }, { "url": "https://www.ibm.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:30:01.132495816Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "cf480cd7bcca" }, { "url": "https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/overview?topic=overview-terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:01:13.338724324Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "a0514cb0ed80" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:08.596796331Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 35, "category": "reliability", "leads": "google-speech-to-text", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "Google Cloud status page with a per-product history (20). One incident lists Speech-to-Text in the 90 days from 3 August, the europe-west2 incident of 20 October, 06:00 to 12:08 UTC, which named 38 products in that one region. A single-region incident is partial and read as minor, as this run reads partial incidents. The other three Google Cloud incidents since 3 August (20 August, 1 September, 8 and 9 October) don't list Speech-to-Text. The public page only shows broad incidents. Minor only (20). Quotas published with numbers, 300 concurrent streams, 300 sync and 150 batch requests a minute per region, streams up to 5 minutes and sync up to 1 minute (15). The Speech quotas page (last updated 26 October 2026) still says nothing about the error a quota breach returns or how to back off, and we don't count Google's general API design guide for this API (0). Speech-to-Text SLA of 99.9 per cent monthly uptime with credits of 10 to 50 per cent, per the 1 October check, not re-read on 1 November (10). Chirp 3 GA since 2025-10-13 in `us` and `eu`, though 82 of its 111 locales were preview on 1 October (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 0 + 10 + 10 = 75.", "b": "IBM Cloud has a status page at cloud.ibm.com/status, but it is drawn by script and showed no components or history to our reader, read as gemini-live's script-shell page was (10 of 20, and 5 for no readable history). Plus allows up to 100 concurrent transcription requests across WebSocket and HTTP (15). No 429 or backoff guidance was found in the API reference or the docs repository (0). No SLA was read for the service (0, unchecked). Next-generation and large speech models are GA, language by language (10). 10 + 5 + 15 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 40." }, "scores": { "a": 75, "b": 40 } }, { "by": 25, "category": "schema", "leads": "google-speech-to-text", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "The API surface is public as protocol buffers and a discovery document, a machine-readable contract (25). No llms.txt found (0). Method descriptions state purpose, and the model pages say which model suits which audio, but not when to avoid sync or streaming (15). Typed proto messages with enums and required fields, no free-form blobs (15). Errors follow Google's standard status codes, with samples in the docs but little per-method error detail (10). Versioned v1 and v2 with release notes (15). The V2 discovery document read on 1 November is revision 20261001, with 26 methods and 69 schemas.", "b": "No public OpenAPI or other machine-readable definition was found (0). No llms.txt (0). The reference says which parameters each model family supports and the docs cover each feature (15 of 20). Typed parameters with defaults, ranges and enums (13 of 15). curl and SDK examples on every method, and errors with `error`, `code`, `code_description` and `warnings`, with invalid arguments reported as warnings (12 of 15). Versioned `/v1` paths and dated release notes back to 2015 (15). Total 55." }, "scores": { "a": 80, "b": 55 } }, { "by": 20, "category": "payments", "leads": "ibm-watson-stt", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-minute prices with volume tiers published without a login (20). The 60 free V1 minutes and the $300 new-account credit both need a billing account with a card (0). A person signs up in a browser (0).", "b": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-minute Plus prices published in the docs without a login (20). The Lite plan gives 500 free minutes a month, and no page read says a card is needed (20). A person creates an IBM Cloud account and service instance in a browser (0). Total 40." }, "scores": { "a": 20, "b": 40 } }, { "by": 17, "category": "security", "leads": "google-speech-to-text", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of least-privilege and injection lines. OAuth 2.0 with service accounts and IAM roles, scoped per project, no API key in the documented V2 flow. The token can also travel in the URL. Google's OAuth guide accepts it as an `access_token` query parameter, the V2 discovery document (revision 20261001) lists `access_token`, `oauth_token` and `key` as query parameters, and on 1 November `speech.googleapis.com/v2/projects/example-project/locations/global/recognizers` answered 401 \"missing required authentication credential\" with no token and 401 \"invalid authentication credentials\" with a made-up `?access_token=`, so the token is read from the query string. That takes the 10-point deduction, as every Google API listing does in this run (Gmail, Sheets, Drive and Calendar on 17 October, Ads, Model Armor, Secret Manager and Document AI on 1 November) (20). Audio isn't used for training unless the project opts in to data logging (20). Streaming and sync audio is processed in memory and not stored, and batch results are kept for a short window (15). Cloud Audit Logs cover Google Cloud APIs, though we didn't confirm which Speech methods they record (10). Valid security.txt, Google's vulnerability reward programme, SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and public Cloud security bulletins (20). 20 + 20 + 15 + 10 + 20 = 85.", "b": "Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of the least-privilege and injection lines. IAM API keys per instance with Reader, Writer and Manager roles and short-lived bearer tokens (30). The WebSocket interface takes the token as an `access_token` query parameter, so 10 off (20 of 30). Request and response data are logged by default to improve the service, and any account can opt out per account or per request (10 of 20). Async results expire after a week by default (`results_ttl` shortens it), a delete method exists, and `DELETE /v1/user_data` removes data by customer ID (10 of 15). Activity Tracker events record changes to the service's state (10 of 15). Valid security.txt to 6 December 2026, PSIRT and HackerOne, HIPAA readiness on Premium. Certifications weren't read (18 of 20). Total 68." }, "scores": { "a": 85, "b": 68 } }, { "by": 8, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "ibm-watson-stt", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "The newest release note is still 2025-11-13, Chirp 3 preview in four more regions (page last updated 26 October 2026), 353 days ago (0). In the 90 days from 3 August we counted no release note and one Python client release, google-cloud-speech 2.41.0 on 1 October, whose only change is declaring Python 3.15 support. A release that doesn't change the service counts half on the 90-day line and can't set the recency line, so neither line moves (0). The last client release that touched the API was 2.37.0 on 26 February 2026 (endpointing sensitivity for streaming). Release notes, a public issue tracker and paid support (10). Official client libraries in seven or more languages (10). Package CI not checked (5). 0 + 0 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 25.", "b": "Read as a model. The newest release note is 29 June 2026 (`parameter_set` for large speech models), 130 days ago (10). No dated entries in the 90 days from 8 August (0). Release notes, IBM support and a public docs repository last changed 30 June 2026 (8 of 15). Official SDKs, `ibm-watson` 11.2.0 on PyPI (26 January 2026) and 12.2.0 on npm (January 2026) (10 of 15). CI not read (5 of 10). Total 33." }, "scores": { "a": 25, "b": 33 } }, { "by": 7, "category": "transparency", "leads": "google-speech-to-text", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "Closed service under the Google Cloud terms (15). The data logging page, the terms and the privacy notice agree that audio isn't used for training without opt-in, and a data processing addendum and sub-processor list exist (25). Google Cloud's terms carry a notice period before a GA capability is discontinued, but we found no dated Speech-to-Text deprecation notices (15). `us` and `eu` multi-region endpoints and a public sub-processor list (20).", "b": "Closed service under the IBM Cloud terms (15). The data security page states default logging for improvement with an opt-out, async retention, GDPR deletion by customer ID and plan-level separation, and they agree with each other. The DPA wasn't read (20 of 30). Previous-generation models carried a dated deprecation of 15 March 2022 and removal on 31 July 2023, and release notes say changes are compatible unless noted (18 of 20). Ten locations are named, with sub-processors not read (12 of 20). Total 65." }, "scores": { "a": 87, "b": 80 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "Model API", "b": "Model API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Google Cloud", "b": "IBM", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://speech.googleapis.com/v2", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP, websocket", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0 (SDKs)", "b": "none", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "0", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "2026-06-29", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-09-02", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "2026-08-25", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "713k npm/wk, 3.7M PyPI/wk", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text or IBM Watson Speech to Text?" }, { "answer": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text uses an OAuth sign-in. IBM Watson Speech to Text needs an API key.", "question": "Do Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and IBM Watson Speech to Text need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text has a hosted endpoint at https://speech.googleapis.com/v2. No hosted endpoint is listed for IBM Watson Speech to Text.", "question": "Can an agent call Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and IBM Watson Speech to Text without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 40", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 55", "Security \u0026 auth, 85 against 68", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 87 against 80" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "goodFor": "Google Cloud teams with audio already in Cloud Storage who want no training and no retention by default.", "slug": "google-speech-to-text", "watchFor": "No release note since 2025-11-13" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 33 against 25" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Enterprises on IBM Cloud needing custom acoustic models, HIPAA on Premium and many locations.", "slug": "ibm-watson-stt", "watchFor": "No public OpenAPI file or llms.txt" } ], "history": { "google-speech-to-text": [ { "causes": [ "reliability", "correction" ], "date": "2026-11-01", "delta": -3.7, "from": 70.3, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 66.6, "toGrade": "B" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-27", "delta": 0.1, "from": 70.2, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 70.3, "toGrade": "BB" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-08", "delta": -0.2, "from": 70.4, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 70.2, "toGrade": "BB" } ], "ibm-watson-stt": null }, "job": { "capability": "speech.stt", "name": "Speech-to-text" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-google-speech-to-text.json", "title": "Amazon Transcribe vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-google-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Amazon Transcribe vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": 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"url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-google-speech-to-text.json", "title": "ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-google-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.json", "title": "Giggy Speech to Text vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Giggy Speech to Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.json", "title": "Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-groq-speech-to-text.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Groq Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-groq-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-inworld-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Inworld STT", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-inworld-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-minimax-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-minimax-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-openai-speech-to-text.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-openai-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-rev-ai-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-rev-ai-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-smallest-pulse-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-soniox-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-soniox-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Groq Speech-to-Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-inworld-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Inworld STT", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-inworld-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-minimax-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-minimax-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-rev-ai-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-rev-ai-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-smallest-pulse-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-soniox-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-soniox-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 35, "edge": "google-speech-to-text", "google-speech-to-text": 75, "ibm-watson-stt": 40, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "google-speech-to-text", "google-speech-to-text": 80, "ibm-watson-stt": 55, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "google-speech-to-text", "google-speech-to-text": 70, "ibm-watson-stt": 66, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 17, "edge": "google-speech-to-text", "google-speech-to-text": 85, "ibm-watson-stt": 68, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "ibm-watson-stt", "google-speech-to-text": 20, "ibm-watson-stt": 40, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "ibm-watson-stt", "google-speech-to-text": 25, "ibm-watson-stt": 33, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "google-speech-to-text", "google-speech-to-text": 87, "ibm-watson-stt": 80, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do speech-to-text.", "tasks": [ { "a": "$0.18 to $4.68", "b": "$0.60 to $1.20", "cheaper": "google-speech-to-text", "task": "Transcribe a one-hour meeting", "what": "60 minutes of recorded audio" } ], "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "google-speech-to-text": "Audio isn't stored or used for training unless the project opts in to data logging. No release note since 2025-11-13.", "ibm-watson-stt": "Watson STT covers sync, async and WebSocket transcription in ten locations, with custom models, $0.02 a minute on Plus and 500 free minutes. There is no machine-readable spec or readable status history, requests are logged for improvement unless opted out, the WebSocket token goes in the URL, and the last release note is from June 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.min.md" }, "markdown": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do speech-to-text.\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text: grade B, 66.6/100, rank #363 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-speech-to-text.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-speech-to-text.json\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text: grade C, 54.5/100, rank #904 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ibm-watson-stt.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json\n- Best speech-to-text APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/speech-to-text/index.md\n- All 320 stt comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/speech-to-text/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (B)\n\nGood for: Google Cloud teams with audio already in Cloud Storage who want no training and no retention by default.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 40\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 55\n- Security \u0026 auth, 85 against 68\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 87 against 80\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No release note since 2025-11-13\n\n### IBM Watson Speech to Text (C)\n\nGood for: Enterprises on IBM Cloud needing custom acoustic models, HIPAA on Premium and many locations.\n\nAhead on:\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 33 against 25\n\nWatch for: No public OpenAPI file or llms.txt\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Reliability: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +35\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (75): Google Cloud status page with a per-product history (20). One incident lists Speech-to-Text in the 90 days from 3 August, the europe-west2 incident of 20 October, 06:00 to 12:08 UTC, which named 38 products in that one region. A single-region incident is partial and read as minor, as this run reads partial incidents. The other three Google Cloud incidents since 3 August (20 August, 1 September, 8 and 9 October) don't list Speech-to-Text. The public page only shows broad incidents. Minor only (20). Quotas published with numbers, 300 concurrent streams, 300 sync and 150 batch requests a minute per region, streams up to 5 minutes and sync up to 1 minute (15). The Speech quotas page (last updated 26 October 2026) still says nothing about the error a quota breach returns or how to back off, and we don't count Google's general API design guide for this API (0). Speech-to-Text SLA of 99.9 per cent monthly uptime with credits of 10 to 50 per cent, per the 1 October check, not re-read on 1 November (10). Chirp 3 GA since 2025-10-13 in `us` and `eu`, though 82 of its 111 locales were preview on 1 October (10). 20 + 20 + 15 + 0 + 10 + 10 = 75.\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (40): IBM Cloud has a status page at cloud.ibm.com/status, but it is drawn by script and showed no components or history to our reader, read as gemini-live's script-shell page was (10 of 20, and 5 for no readable history). Plus allows up to 100 concurrent transcription requests across WebSocket and HTTP (15). No 429 or backoff guidance was found in the API reference or the docs repository (0). No SLA was read for the service (0, unchecked). Next-generation and large speech models are GA, language by language (10). 10 + 5 + 15 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 40.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +25\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (80): The API surface is public as protocol buffers and a discovery document, a machine-readable contract (25). No llms.txt found (0). Method descriptions state purpose, and the model pages say which model suits which audio, but not when to avoid sync or streaming (15). Typed proto messages with enums and required fields, no free-form blobs (15). Errors follow Google's standard status codes, with samples in the docs but little per-method error detail (10). Versioned v1 and v2 with release notes (15). The V2 discovery document read on 1 November is revision 20261001, with 26 methods and 69 schemas.\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (55): No public OpenAPI or other machine-readable definition was found (0). No llms.txt (0). The reference says which parameters each model family supports and the docs cover each feature (15 of 20). Typed parameters with defaults, ranges and enums (13 of 15). curl and SDK examples on every method, and errors with `error`, `code`, `code_description` and `warnings`, with invalid arguments reported as warnings (12 of 15). Versioned `/v1` paths and dated release notes back to 2015 (15). Total 55.\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: IBM Watson Speech to Text +20\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (20): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-minute prices with volume tiers published without a login (20). The 60 free V1 minutes and the $300 new-account credit both need a billing account with a card (0). A person signs up in a browser (0).\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-minute Plus prices published in the docs without a login (20). The Lite plan gives 500 free minutes a month, and no page read says a card is needed (20). A person creates an IBM Cloud account and service instance in a browser (0). Total 40.\n\n### Security \u0026 auth: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +17\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (85): Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of least-privilege and injection lines. OAuth 2.0 with service accounts and IAM roles, scoped per project, no API key in the documented V2 flow. The token can also travel in the URL. Google's OAuth guide accepts it as an `access_token` query parameter, the V2 discovery document (revision 20261001) lists `access_token`, `oauth_token` and `key` as query parameters, and on 1 November `speech.googleapis.com/v2/projects/example-project/locations/global/recognizers` answered 401 \"missing required authentication credential\" with no token and 401 \"invalid authentication credentials\" with a made-up `?access_token=`, so the token is read from the query string. That takes the 10-point deduction, as every Google API listing does in this run (Gmail, Sheets, Drive and Calendar on 17 October, Ads, Model Armor, Secret Manager and Document AI on 1 November) (20). Audio isn't used for training unless the project opts in to data logging (20). Streaming and sync audio is processed in memory and not stored, and batch results are kept for a short window (15). Cloud Audit Logs cover Google Cloud APIs, though we didn't confirm which Speech methods they record (10). Valid security.txt, Google's vulnerability reward programme, SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and public Cloud security bulletins (20). 20 + 20 + 15 + 10 + 20 = 85.\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (68): Model reading of the checklist, with training and retention in place of the least-privilege and injection lines. IAM API keys per instance with Reader, Writer and Manager roles and short-lived bearer tokens (30). The WebSocket interface takes the token as an `access_token` query parameter, so 10 off (20 of 30). Request and response data are logged by default to improve the service, and any account can opt out per account or per request (10 of 20). Async results expire after a week by default (`results_ttl` shortens it), a delete method exists, and `DELETE /v1/user_data` removes data by customer ID (10 of 15). Activity Tracker events record changes to the service's state (10 of 15). Valid security.txt to 6 December 2026, PSIRT and HackerOne, HIPAA readiness on Premium. Certifications weren't read (18 of 20). Total 68.\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: IBM Watson Speech to Text +8\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (25): The newest release note is still 2025-11-13, Chirp 3 preview in four more regions (page last updated 26 October 2026), 353 days ago (0). In the 90 days from 3 August we counted no release note and one Python client release, google-cloud-speech 2.41.0 on 1 October, whose only change is declaring Python 3.15 support. A release that doesn't change the service counts half on the 90-day line and can't set the recency line, so neither line moves (0). The last client release that touched the API was 2.37.0 on 26 February 2026 (endpointing sensitivity for streaming). Release notes, a public issue tracker and paid support (10). Official client libraries in seven or more languages (10). Package CI not checked (5). 0 + 0 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 25.\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (33): Read as a model. The newest release note is 29 June 2026 (`parameter_set` for large speech models), 130 days ago (10). No dated entries in the 90 days from 8 August (0). Release notes, IBM support and a public docs repository last changed 30 June 2026 (8 of 15). Official SDKs, `ibm-watson` 11.2.0 on PyPI (26 January 2026) and 12.2.0 on npm (January 2026) (10 of 15). CI not read (5 of 10). Total 33.\n\n### Transparency \u0026 trust: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +7\n\n- Google Cloud Speech-to-Text (87): Closed service under the Google Cloud terms (15). The data logging page, the terms and the privacy notice agree that audio isn't used for training without opt-in, and a data processing addendum and sub-processor list exist (25). Google Cloud's terms carry a notice period before a GA capability is discontinued, but we found no dated Speech-to-Text deprecation notices (15). `us` and `eu` multi-region endpoints and a public sub-processor list (20).\n- IBM Watson Speech to Text (80): Closed service under the IBM Cloud terms (15). The data security page states default logging for improvement with an opt-out, async retention, GDPR deletion by customer ID and plan-level separation, and they agree with each other. The DPA wasn't read (20 of 30). Previous-generation models carried a dated deprecation of 15 March 2022 and removal on 31 July 2023, and release notes say changes are compatible unless noted (18 of 20). Ten locations are named, with sub-processors not read (12 of 20). Total 65.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text | IBM Watson Speech to Text | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 40 | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +35 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 55 | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +25 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 66 | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +4 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 85 | 68 | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +17 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 40 | IBM Watson Speech to Text +20 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 25 | 33 | IBM Watson Speech to Text +8 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 80 | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text +7 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **66.6 · B** | **54.5 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text | IBM Watson Speech to Text |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Model API | Model API |\n| Vendor | Google Cloud | IBM |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://speech.googleapis.com/v2` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, websocket |\n| Auth | OAuth | API key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 (SDKs) | none |\n| Tools exposed | none | 0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-06-29 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-09-02 | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-08-25 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 713k npm/wk, 3.7M PyPI/wk | none |\n| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |\n\n## What the same task costs\n\n| Task | Google Cloud Speech-to-Text | IBM Watson Speech to Text |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Transcribe a one-hour meeting | $0.18 to $4.68 | $0.60 to $1.20 |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Google Cloud Speech-to-Text\n\n- -3.7 on 1 November 2026 (BB to B): reliability, correction\n- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist\n- -0.2 on 8 October 2026: checklist\n\n### IBM Watson Speech to Text\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Google Cloud Speech-to-Text.** Audio isn't stored or used for training unless the project opts in to data logging. No release note since 2025-11-13.\n\n**IBM Watson Speech to Text.** Watson STT covers sync, async and WebSocket transcription in ten locations, with custom models, $0.02 a minute on Plus and 500 free minutes. There is no machine-readable spec or readable status history, requests are logged for improvement unless opted out, the WebSocket token goes in the URL, and the last release note is from June 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Google Cloud Speech-to-Text\n\n1. Call Chirp 3 on the `us` or `eu` endpoint. It isn't listed for the `global` location\n2. Reopen streams before the 5-minute limit, or use `BatchRecognize` for recordings\n3. Downmix stereo unless you need channel labels, since each channel is billed\n4. Set dynamic batch on offline jobs to cut the price from $0.016 to $0.003 a minute\n5. Send the OAuth token in the `Authorization: Bearer` header, never as `?access_token=`, and back off on `RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED`\n\n### IBM Watson Speech to Text\n\n1. Send `X-Watson-Learning-Opt-Out: true` or opt out at account level before sending sensitive audio\n2. Use the async `/v1/recognitions` interface with a callback for files over 100 MB, up to 1 GB\n3. Pass a large speech or next-generation model name in `model`, since previous-generation models were removed\n4. Tag requests with `X-Watson-Metadata: customer_id=...` so the data can be deleted later\n5. Keep within 100 concurrent requests on Plus across HTTP and WebSocket\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text or IBM Watson Speech to Text?\n\nGoogle Cloud Speech-to-Text scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.\n\n### Do Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and IBM Watson Speech to Text need an API key?\n\nGoogle Cloud Speech-to-Text uses an OAuth sign-in. IBM Watson Speech to Text needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and IBM Watson Speech to Text without installing anything?\n\nGoogle Cloud Speech-to-Text has a hosted endpoint at https://speech.googleapis.com/v2. No hosted endpoint is listed for IBM Watson Speech to Text.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"google-speech-to-text\", \"b\": \"ibm-watson-stt\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare google-speech-to-text ibm-watson-stt`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-speech-to-text.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Google Cloud Speech-to-Text or IBM Watson Speech to Text\n\n- [Amazon Transcribe vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Amazon Transcribe vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Cartesia Ink vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Cartesia Ink vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Giggy Speech to Text vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Giggy Speech to Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs Google Cloud Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-google-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Groq Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-groq-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Inworld STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-inworld-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-minimax-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-rev-ai-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-soniox-stt.md)\n- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Groq Speech-to-Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Inworld STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-inworld-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-minimax-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-rev-ai-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-soniox-stt.md)\n- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": 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