# IBM Watson Speech to Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text

> OpenAI Speech to Text scores 75 (BB) to IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C) for speech-to-text. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md (~5,900 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

OpenAI Speech to Text scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments & pricing. Both do speech-to-text.

- 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
- OpenAI Speech to Text: grade BB, 75/100, rank #74 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-speech-to-text.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-speech-to-text.json
- Best speech-to-text APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/speech-to-text/index.md
- All 320 stt comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/speech-to-text/index.md

## Which one, for what

### IBM Watson Speech to Text (C)

Good for: Enterprises on IBM Cloud needing custom acoustic models, HIPAA on Premium and many locations.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 30

Watch for: No public OpenAPI file or llms.txt

### OpenAI Speech to Text (BB)

Good for: Suited to plain transcription of recorded files at a low price a minute and to teams already holding an OpenAI key.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 65 against 40
- Schema & documentation, 89 against 55
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 66
- Security & auth, 97 against 68
- Maintenance & community, 71 against 33
- Transparency & trust, 90 against 80

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: `whisper-1`, `gpt-4o-transcribe`, `gpt-4o-mini-transcribe`, `gpt-4o-transcribe-diarize` and `/v1/audio/translations` shut down on 26 February 2027


## Why the edge

### Maintenance & community: OpenAI Speech to Text +38

- 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.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (71): Model reading. The last dated change to transcription is still the deprecation notice of 26 August 2026, 67 days before 1 November, after the release of `gpt-transcribe` and `gpt-live-transcribe` on 28 July (20 of 30). The deprecations page promises at least six months' notice for generally available models, and the four transcription models got six months to the day. On 14 October GA GPT-4 series models got 92 days with no reason stated, so the policy reads as a minimum of two to three months in practice, as the OpenAI API and Decisions API listings read it (8 of 12, was 12). Four of the five file transcription models were deprecated within a month of their replacements shipping, and the replacements don't cover diarisation, timestamps or subtitles (2 of 8). The dated changelog has two transcription entries in 90 days among dozens for the API (13 of 15). Python SDK replies were not sampled (5 of 10). Python SDK v3.42.0 was tagged on 31 October 2026, with v3.41.0 on 28 October and v3.40.0 on 27 October (15). CI, CodeQL and a breaking-change check run in the repository (8 of 10). 20 + 8 + 2 + 13 + 5 + 15 + 8 = 71.

### Schema & documentation: OpenAI Speech to Text +34

- 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.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (89): Model reading. The public OpenAPI 3.1 document in openai/openai-openapi (version 2.3.0, last committed 31 October) covers `/audio/transcriptions` and `/audio/translations` and names `gpt-transcribe` (25). llms.txt and a Markdown twin of every docs page (10). The transcription overview says which model to use for files, live audio, speaker labels, timestamps and translation, and the file guide now opens by recommending `gpt-transcribe` and saying the specialised examples use deprecated models (18 of 20). `response_format`, `timestamp_granularities` and `model` are enums in the document. `language` is a plain string, and which formats each model accepts is stated in prose only (12 of 15). Examples in seven languages and curl, and an error codes page with a cause and fix for each. The Markdown twin of the endpoint reference now lists the body parameters, including `languages` and `keywords` for `gpt-transcribe`, but its first example still names the deprecated `gpt-4o-transcribe`, and the guide lists seven input formats where the document lists nine (12 of 15, was 11). A dated changelog and deprecations page. `gpt-transcribe` has one alias and no dated snapshot to pin (12 of 15). 25 + 10 + 18 + 12 + 12 + 12 = 89.

### Security & auth: OpenAI Speech to Text +29

- 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.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (97): Model reading, on the lines the OpenAI API and Decisions API listings use. Project keys with permissions per key, service-account keys through the Administration API and workload identity federation, per the Decisions API listing's read of 8 October. The access-control guide, re-read on 1 November, puts audio under one Model capabilities permission with chat completions, embeddings and images, so a restricted key can't be limited to the audio endpoints alone (27 of 30, as the Decisions API listing, was 26). The data controls page says API data isn't used for training unless the customer opts in (20). Both audio endpoints are listed with no abuse-monitoring retention, no application state and Zero Data Retention eligibility, re-read on 1 November (15). The Admin API has an audit log endpoint, and the OpenAPI document has `GET /organization/usage/audio_transcriptions` grouped by project, API key or model, the per-key usage view both other OpenAI listings got 15 for (15, was 13). security.txt, re-read on 1 November, is PGP-signed, names a Bugcrowd programme and a coordinated disclosure policy and has no Expires field. trust.openai.com, read on 1 November, names SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701 (20, was 12 when no trust centre was read, the award both other OpenAI listings carry). 27 + 20 + 15 + 15 + 20 = 97.

### Reliability: OpenAI Speech to Text +25

- 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.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (65): Hosted reading. status.openai.com (incident.io) lists Audio and Realtime as components of the API group (20). The feed, read on 1 November, names the Audio component in three incidents in the 90 days from 3 August, and their incident pages give the Audio impact. 17 September, "elevated error rates across API models", Audio degraded from 20:20 to 21:20 UTC with ten other API components, an hour. 29 September (last updated 6 October in the feed, which the 9 October check dated 6 October), errors across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, Audio degraded from 17:52 to 23:14 UTC, 5 hours 21 minutes. 21 October, degraded performance across 33 components, Audio from 02:26 to 02:48 UTC, 22 minutes and minor. The first two are API-wide and an hour or more, so two majors, and two majors give 5 of 30, as the OpenAI API, OpenAI Moderation and OpenAI Image API listings read the same two incidents (5, was 20 when the durations were unread). The July incidents are outside the window. The `gpt-transcribe` model page, re-read on 1 November, gives 5,000 requests a minute on Build, 10,000 on Launch and 30,000 on Grow (15). The rate limits guide, re-read on 1 November, documents `Retry-After` on 429 and 503, the `slow_down` and `server_is_overloaded` codes and backoff with jitter, and transcription is a stateless call (15). No SLA covering the audio endpoints was found, read as for the OpenAI Decisions API listing; the Scale Tier pages are on openai.com and weren't requested (0). `gpt-transcribe` carries no preview label (10). 20 + 5 + 15 + 15 + 0 + 10 = 65.

### Agent ergonomics: OpenAI Speech to Text +12

- IBM Watson Speech to Text (66): API reading of the checklist. Timestamps, word confidence, alternatives and speaker labels are opt-in (15 of 25). Async jobs and custom models list, and async results can go to a callback URL (12 of 20). Structured errors and warnings an agent can act on (15 of 20). Async jobs take a `user_token`, results have a TTL, and jobs can be deleted, with no idempotency key (12 of 20). Most parameters are optional. Official SDKs including Python, Node and Swift, though the Python and Node SDKs last released in January 2026 (12 of 15). Total 66.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (78): API reading, as for the other speech-to-text listings. The default `json` response is the text, detected languages and usage, `text` returns a bare string, and segments, words and speaker labels come only when asked for on the models that have them (20 of 25). There is no transcript store to page through. Files stop at 25 MB, the caller splits longer audio, and the `gpt-transcribe` model page marks the Batch API as not supported (10 of 20). Errors carry `message`, `type`, `param` and `code`, and the error codes page gives a fix for each status (18 of 20). The call is stateless and safe to retry, and the Python SDK retries 408, 409, 429 and 5xx twice by default. No idempotency key applies to this endpoint (15 of 20). `file` and `model` are the only required fields, with guide examples for JavaScript, Python, Go, Java, C# and Ruby SDKs and a CLI (15).

### Payments & pricing: IBM Watson Speech to Text +10

- 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.
- OpenAI Speech to Text (30): No x402, MPP or L402 on the pricing page, re-read on 1 November (0). $0.0045 an audio minute for `gpt-transcribe`, $0.017 for `gpt-live-transcribe` and $0.006 for `whisper-1` on the public pricing page (20). The rate limits guide lists a Free tier capped at $100 a month in allowed countries, while the `gpt-transcribe` model page's rate-limit table starts at Build, which needs $5 of credit. Half, the reading both other OpenAI listings use for the same pages (10, was 0). A person signs up in a browser and creates the key in the console (0). 0 + 20 + 10 + 0 = 30.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | IBM Watson Speech to Text | OpenAI Speech to Text | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 40 | 65 | OpenAI Speech to Text +25 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 89 | OpenAI Speech to Text +34 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 78 | OpenAI Speech to Text +12 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 68 | 97 | OpenAI Speech to Text +29 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 30 | IBM Watson Speech to Text +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 33 | 71 | OpenAI Speech to Text +38 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 90 | OpenAI Speech to Text +10 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **54.5 · C** | **75 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | IBM Watson Speech to Text | OpenAI Speech to Text |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | IBM | OpenAI |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.openai.com/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, websocket | HTTP, websocket |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary hosted service. The service terms were not read (see open questions). The Python SDK is Apache-2.0 and the OpenAPI document is MIT |
| Tools exposed | 0 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-06-29 | 2026-08-26 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-25 | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | 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 | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | none | 32k stars |
| Agent reviews | none | 3.3/5 (4) |

## What the same task costs

| Task | IBM Watson Speech to Text | OpenAI Speech to Text |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transcribe a one-hour meeting | $0.60 to $1.20 | $0.27 to $1.02 |

## How the scores have moved

### IBM Watson Speech to Text

No score change since it was listed.

### OpenAI Speech to Text

- +2.4 on 1 November 2026: product, new evidence, correction
- +0.2 on 27 October 2026: checklist

## Verdicts

**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.

**OpenAI Speech to Text.** `gpt-transcribe` costs $0.0045 an audio minute, and the audio endpoints keep no abuse-monitoring logs or application state. Speaker labels, word timestamps and subtitles exist only on `whisper-1` and `gpt-4o-transcribe-diarize`, which shut down on 26 February 2027 with no replacement named for those functions.

## Before you call either

### IBM Watson Speech to Text

1. Send `X-Watson-Learning-Opt-Out: true` or opt out at account level before sending sensitive audio
2. Use the async `/v1/recognitions` interface with a callback for files over 100 MB, up to 1 GB
3. Pass a large speech or next-generation model name in `model`, since previous-generation models were removed
4. Tag requests with `X-Watson-Metadata: customer_id=...` so the data can be deleted later
5. Keep within 100 concurrent requests on Plus across HTTP and WebSocket

### OpenAI Speech to Text

1. Send `gpt-transcribe` to `POST /v1/audio/transcriptions` for recorded files. Use `languages` (a list), not `language`, and never send both.
2. Keep each upload at 25 MB or less. Split longer audio between sentences and pass the previous chunk's text in `prompt`.
3. For speaker labels send `gpt-4o-transcribe-diarize` with `response_format=diarized_json` and `chunking_strategy=auto` for audio over 30 seconds. Plan for its shutdown on 26 February 2027.
4. Word timestamps, `srt` and `vtt` need `whisper-1`, which cannot stream and shuts down on 26 February 2027. Move English translation to `v1/realtime/translations` before then.
5. On 429 or 503 wait at least `Retry-After` when present, then back off with jitter. Do not retry `credit_balance_exhausted` or spend-limit errors.

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, IBM Watson Speech to Text or OpenAI Speech to Text?

OpenAI Speech to Text scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. IBM Watson Speech to Text leads on payments & pricing.

### Do IBM Watson Speech to Text and OpenAI Speech to Text need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call IBM Watson Speech to Text and OpenAI Speech to Text without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for IBM Watson Speech to Text. OpenAI Speech to Text has a hosted endpoint at https://api.openai.com/v1.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "ibm-watson-stt", "b": "openai-speech-to-text"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare ibm-watson-stt openai-speech-to-text`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-speech-to-text.json

## Other comparisons with IBM Watson Speech to Text or OpenAI Speech to Text

- [Amazon Transcribe vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [Amazon Transcribe vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [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)
- [Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
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- [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)
- [Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [Giggy Speech to Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [Giggy Speech to Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [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)
- [Groq Speech-to-Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)
- [Groq Speech-to-Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Inworld STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-inworld-stt.md)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs MiniMax Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-minimax-stt.md)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Mistral Voxtral Transcribe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-mistral-voxtral-transcribe.md)
- [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)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.md)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-soniox-stt.md)
- [IBM Watson Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)
- [Inworld STT vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inworld-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-stt-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [Mistral Voxtral Transcribe vs OpenAI Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-voxtral-transcribe-vs-openai-speech-to-text.md)
- [OpenAI Speech to Text vs Rev AI Speech-to-Text API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-rev-ai-stt.md)
- [OpenAI Speech to Text vs Smallest.ai Pulse STT](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-smallest-pulse-stt.md)
- [OpenAI Speech to Text vs Soniox Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-soniox-stt.md)
- [OpenAI Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)

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