{ "data": { "a": { "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" } }, "answer": "Speechmatics Speech-to-Text scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "speechmatics-stt", "name": "Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "vendor": "Speechmatics", "vendorUrl": "https://www.speechmatics.com", "kind": "model", "category": "speech-to-text", "summary": "Speechmatics' APIs for batch and real-time transcription, including speaker-attributed turns for voice agents.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/speechmatics-stt", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/speechmatics-stt.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/speechmatics-stt.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/speechmatics-stt.json", "dns": "speechmatics-stt.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk", "license": "MIT (SDKs)", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@speechmatics/batch-client" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@speechmatics/real-time-client" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "speechmatics-batch" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "speechmatics-rt" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "API key as a Bearer token. Short-lived JWTs for browser and realtime clients, passed as `?jwt=` on the WebSocket URL. A separate management token covers project and key administration.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "$100 free credit with no card, then credits at $1 each before discounts, billed per hour of audio. Pre-recorded Melia 1 $0.12, Oak 1 $0.15, Standard $0.23, Enhanced $0.38. Realtime Melia 1 $0.20, Oak 1 $0.23, Standard $0.23, Enhanced $0.40, Linden 1 (Agent STT) $0.15 (was $0.20). Translation adds $0.49 an hour. Credit packs and subscriptions give up to 25 per cent off, and opting in to model training 33 per cent off. Sign-up and pack credits last 12 months (https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 or machine payment in the docs or pricing. Card or prepaid credits only (checked 2026-09-30).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 20, "npmWeekly": 58050, "pypiWeekly": 48085, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.speechmatics.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.speechmatics.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.speechmatics.com/batch.yaml", "capabilities": [ "speech.stt", "speech.streaming", "speech.batch", "speech.diarisation", "speech.languages", "speech.translation" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "no-card", "closed-source", "python", "typescript", "llms-txt", "streaming", "batch", "webhooks", "async-jobs", "enterprise", "self-hosted" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-26", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.8, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 305, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 9, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 70, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 90, "security": 65, "transparency": 76 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "7 August 2026, -3. Published behaviour changed for existing clients, announced the day it took effect. The 2026.08.07 Batch SaaS changelog entry says the default behaviour of GET /jobs/{jobid} and GET /jobs/{jobid}/transcript \"is changing\" so requests wait up to 2 seconds before returning unless the caller sends `wait=0`, and the docs were changed the same day. The rise to 5 seconds was likewise announced in the 2026.09.23 entry on the day it applied (the August docs said only that the default \"will increase\"), and folds into the same term (https://speechmatics.featurebase.app/en/changelog/20260807-batch-saas)" ], "verdict": "Training is opt-in and real-time audio is not stored. Enhanced transcription costs $0.38 an hour for files and $0.40 for live audio.", "bestFor": "Regulated or privacy-sensitive audio, multilingual batch with Melia 1, and voice agents that want speaker-attributed turns.", "strengths": [ "Training is opt-in only, and realtime audio isn't stored", "ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II", "A Swagger 2.0 file for the Batch API, linked from the API reference", "Transcripts fetched as plain text, JSON or SRT", "$100 credit with no card" ], "weaknesses": [ "Enhanced costs $0.38 to $0.40 an hour, above most rivals", "Batch options travel as a JSON string inside a multipart form field", "429s carry a reason but no Retry-After or backoff guidance", "Realtime temporary keys travel in the WebSocket URL", "Free plan allows 2 realtime sessions" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `\"model\": \"enhanced\"` explicitly. The default is `standard`", "Use notifications instead of polling. Polling waits 5 seconds by default since the 23 September 2026 change, and `wait=0` turns that off", "Fetch batch transcripts within 7 days. After that the API returns 404 `expired`", "Pass a `fetch_data` URL for files over 1 GB", "Use `/v2/agent` with `linden-1` for live agents instead of the plain realtime path", "Read the Batch API's Swagger file at https://docs.speechmatics.com/batch.yaml before building the multipart `config` field" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 70, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 90, "security": 65, "transparency": 65 }, "provenanceScore": 87, "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": { "http": "curl -X POST https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2/jobs/ -H \"Authorization: Bearer $SPEECHMATICS_API_KEY\" \\\n -F data_file=@call.wav \\\n -F config='{\"type\":\"transcription\",\"transcription_config\":{\"language\":\"en\",\"model\":\"enhanced\",\"diarization\":\"speaker\"}}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/speech.stt", "tool": "https://letme.dev/speechmatics-stt" }, "area": "voice", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Batch Melia 1", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.002, "note": "published as $0.12 an hour" }, { "item": "Batch Oak 1", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0025, "note": "published as $0.15 an hour" }, { "item": "Batch Standard", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0038, "note": "published as $0.23 an hour" }, { "item": "Batch Enhanced", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0063, "note": "published as $0.38 an hour" }, { "item": "Realtime Melia 1", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0033, "note": "published as $0.20 an hour" }, { "item": "Realtime Oak 1", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0038, "note": "published as $0.23 an hour" }, { "item": "Realtime Standard", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0038, "note": "published as $0.23 an hour" }, { "item": "Realtime Enhanced", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0067, "note": "published as $0.40 an hour" }, { "item": "Linden 1 Agent STT", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0025, "note": "published as $0.15 an hour, reduced from $0.20" }, { "item": "Translation add-on", "unit": "audio-minute", "usd": 0.0082, "note": "published as $0.49 an hour" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Cantab Research Ltd", "domain": "speechmatics.com", "domainRegistered": "2006-05-10", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.speechmatics.com/legal/terms-of-service", "privacy": "https://www.speechmatics.com/legal/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.speechmatics.com", "changelog": "https://speechmatics.featurebase.app/en/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "Trades as Speechmatics, company number 05697423 in England and Wales. US customers contract with Speechmatics (USA) Inc., a Delaware company" ], "score": 87 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/speechmatics-stt.json", "live": { "slug": "speechmatics-stt", "probe": { "target": "https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:56.282256416Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 192, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 99.99, "p50ms24h": 84, "p95ms24h": 319, "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": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "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": 247 }, { "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.speechmatics.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T18:22:02.437503825Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk", "version": "tts/v0.2.0", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:07:36.269591228Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@speechmatics/batch-client", "version": "5.4.2", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:07:31.891316877Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@speechmatics/real-time-client", "version": "8.6.2", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:07:32.6887692Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "speechmatics-batch", "version": "1.2.0", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:07:34.261012083Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "speechmatics-rt", "version": "1.3.0", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:07:34.401834825Z" } ], "githubStars": 20, "npmWeekly": 38070, "pypiWeekly": 18992, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://speechmatics.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:02:02.489220382Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.speechmatics.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:34:00.505658242Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "speechmatics.com", "registered": "2006-05-10", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/speechmatics.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:25:12.815432254Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://speechmatics.featurebase.app/en/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:20:30.550182583Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-05T13:04:51.469987554Z", "fingerprint": "48c0286c371c" }, { "url": "https://www.speechmatics.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:35:02.408280219Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-31T06:32:46.178807389Z", "fingerprint": "418585bd0fd0" }, { "url": "https://www.speechmatics.com/legal/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:34:58.219976764Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-05T13:18:23.646886306Z", "fingerprint": "a7da558c513a" }, { "url": "https://www.speechmatics.com/legal/terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:35:00.643106701Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-02T15:28:24.437639084Z", "fingerprint": "33b19ec6fdcb" } ], "github": { "repo": "speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:27:04.130422133Z", "stars": 20, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-28T13:31:15Z", "openIssues": 7, "openPRs": 14, "issuesOpened90d": 3, "issuesClosed90d": 1, "prsMerged90d": 12, "ci": { "branch": "main", "runs": 50, "success": 50, "failure": 0, "other": 0, "latest": "success", "latestAt": "2026-10-26T09:58:58Z" }, "replies": { "sampled": 18, "unanswered": 6, "medianDays": 6 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:22:02.437503825Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 37, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "speechmatics-stt", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "Model reading of the checklist, deprecation notice and support in place of release counts and issue replies. Changelog entries on 29 October 2026 for Batch SaaS and Agent STT, and speechmatics-rt 1.2.2 tagged on 26 October (30). Far more than three dated entries since 3 August, nine in October on the changelog's first page alone (10 of 10). No deprecation policy, and `operating_point`, the `region` field and the Voice SDK are marked deprecated with no removal date (0 of 10). A public changelog, a support portal with chat and email, and a community channel (10 of 15). SDK issues and reply times couldn't be read (0 of 10). Python packages speechmatics-batch 1.1.0 and speechmatics-rt 1.2.2, and JavaScript batch-client and real-time-client, current (15). A test workflow in the Python SDK, results not seen (5 of 10)." }, "scores": { "a": 33, "b": 70 } }, { "by": 35, "category": "schema", "leads": "speechmatics-stt", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "A Swagger 2.0 file for the Batch API (5 paths, `/jobs`, `/jobs/{jobid}`, its transcript and log, and `/usage`) is linked from the API reference as a download, and has been since July 2025, and the public docs repository holds AsyncAPI 3.0 files for Realtime and Agent STT (25). llms.txt and Markdown pages (10). Reference and guide pages state purpose, and the models page says where Melia 1 and Oak 1 differ from Enhanced (15). Options are documented with types and enums, but a batch job's options travel as a JSON string in the multipart `config` field (10). Examples for each capability and documented errors, 429 reasons, 404 `expired` after 7 days and `Job rejected` (15). Versioned `/v2` paths and a dated public changelog (15)." }, "scores": { "a": 55, "b": 90 } }, { "by": 30, "category": "reliability", "leads": "speechmatics-stt", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "Statuspage at status.speechmatics.com with components per region and history (20). Since 3 August, minor incidents only, each touching one region, one mode or a subset of requests. Batch AU slower for 2 hours on 10 August, a subset of Batch EU1, US1 and US2 jobs failing or slow for 56 minutes on 19 August, Realtime 4003 errors in the EU and US for 37 minutes on 4 September, and TLS errors for a subset of US Realtime sessions for about 2 hours on 10 September. The rest were scheduled database maintenance, a portal maintenance and a billing credit error, and nothing was posted after 10 September (20). Limits published with numbers, 10 new batch jobs and 50 status calls a second, 20,000 concurrent jobs, and 2 or 50 realtime sessions by plan (15). Both batch limits return 429 with a reason, but the docs only suggest notifications instead of polling and give no backoff or Retry-After (5). No SLA found for self-serve plans (0). Batch, Realtime and Agent STT on `/v2/agent` are GA (10)." }, "scores": { "a": 40, "b": 70 } }, { "by": 14, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "speechmatics-stt", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "API reading of the checklist. Transcripts can be fetched as `txt`, `json-v2` or `srt` (20). The jobs list pages by creation date and limit (20). Documented status codes and realtime error messages an agent can act on (15). No idempotency key on job creation (10). A batch job needs a file and a language. Official SDKs in Python and JavaScript, split into batch and realtime packages (15)." }, "scores": { "a": 66, "b": 80 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "Model API", "b": "Model API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "IBM", "b": "Speechmatics", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, websocket", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "not published", "b": "$0.0025 per minute of audio", "name": "Price for speech-to-text" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "MIT (SDKs)", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "0", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-06-29", "b": "2026-10-26", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-08-25", "b": "2026-05-27", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "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": "yes", "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": "none", "b": "20 stars, 58k npm/wk, 48k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3.5/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Speechmatics Speech-to-Text scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, IBM Watson Speech to Text or Speechmatics Speech-to-Text?" }, { "answer": "Both need an API key.", "question": "Do IBM Watson Speech to Text and Speechmatics Speech-to-Text need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for IBM Watson Speech to Text. Speechmatics Speech-to-Text has a hosted endpoint at https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2.", "question": "Can an agent call IBM Watson Speech to Text and Speechmatics Speech-to-Text without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where Speechmatics Speech-to-Text loses 3 points for them" ], "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" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 70 against 40", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 55", "Agent ergonomics, 80 against 66", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 70 against 33" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Regulated or privacy-sensitive audio, multilingual batch with Melia 1, and voice agents that want speaker-attributed turns.", "slug": "speechmatics-stt", "watchFor": "Enhanced costs $0.38 to $0.40 an hour, above most rivals" } ], "history": { "ibm-watson-stt": null, "speechmatics-stt": [ { "causes": [ "correction" ], "date": "2026-11-01", "delta": 0.6, "from": 67.2, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 67.8, "toGrade": "B" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-27", "delta": 0.1, "from": 67.1, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 67.2, "toGrade": "B" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-08", "delta": -0.2, "from": 67.3, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 67.1, "toGrade": "B" } ] }, "job": { "capability": "speech.stt", "name": "Speech-to-text" }, "others": [ { "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": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Amazon Transcribe vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Cartesia Ink vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Cartesia Ink vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "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/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "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/giggy-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Giggy Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "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/gladia-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-stt.json", "title": "Google Cloud Speech-to-Text vs IBM Watson Speech to Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-speech-to-text-vs-ibm-watson-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/groq-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Groq Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-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/inworld-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Inworld STT vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inworld-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-voxtral-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Mistral Voxtral Transcribe vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-voxtral-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "OpenAI Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rev-ai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Rev AI Speech-to-Text API vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rev-ai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smallest-pulse-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Smallest.ai Pulse STT vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smallest-pulse-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/soniox-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "title": "Soniox Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/soniox-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 30, "edge": "speechmatics-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 40, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "speechmatics-stt": 70, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 35, "edge": "speechmatics-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 55, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "speechmatics-stt": 90, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "speechmatics-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 66, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "speechmatics-stt": 80, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 3, "edge": "ibm-watson-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 68, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "speechmatics-stt": 65, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "ibm-watson-stt": 40, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "speechmatics-stt": 40, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 37, "edge": "speechmatics-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 33, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "speechmatics-stt": 70, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "ibm-watson-stt", "ibm-watson-stt": 80, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "speechmatics-stt": 76, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Speechmatics Speech-to-Text scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Both do speech-to-text.", "tasks": [ { "a": "$0.60 to $1.20", "b": "$0.12 to $0.40", "cheaper": "speechmatics-stt", "task": "Transcribe a one-hour meeting", "what": "60 minutes of recorded audio" } ], "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "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.", "speechmatics-stt": "Training is opt-in and real-time audio is not stored. Enhanced transcription costs $0.38 an hour for files and $0.40 for live audio." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.min.md" }, "markdown": "Speechmatics Speech-to-Text scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Both do speech-to-text.\n\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- Speechmatics Speech-to-Text: grade B, 67.8/100, rank #305 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/speechmatics-stt.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/speechmatics-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### IBM Watson Speech to Text (C)\n\nGood for: Enterprises on IBM Cloud needing custom acoustic models, HIPAA on Premium and many locations.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where Speechmatics Speech-to-Text loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: No public OpenAPI file or llms.txt\n\n### Speechmatics Speech-to-Text (B)\n\nGood for: Regulated or privacy-sensitive audio, multilingual batch with Melia 1, and voice agents that want speaker-attributed turns.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 70 against 40\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 55\n- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 66\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 70 against 33\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Enhanced costs $0.38 to $0.40 an hour, above most rivals\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +37\n\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- Speechmatics Speech-to-Text (70): Model reading of the checklist, deprecation notice and support in place of release counts and issue replies. Changelog entries on 29 October 2026 for Batch SaaS and Agent STT, and speechmatics-rt 1.2.2 tagged on 26 October (30). Far more than three dated entries since 3 August, nine in October on the changelog's first page alone (10 of 10). No deprecation policy, and `operating_point`, the `region` field and the Voice SDK are marked deprecated with no removal date (0 of 10). A public changelog, a support portal with chat and email, and a community channel (10 of 15). SDK issues and reply times couldn't be read (0 of 10). Python packages speechmatics-batch 1.1.0 and speechmatics-rt 1.2.2, and JavaScript batch-client and real-time-client, current (15). A test workflow in the Python SDK, results not seen (5 of 10).\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +35\n\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- Speechmatics Speech-to-Text (90): A Swagger 2.0 file for the Batch API (5 paths, `/jobs`, `/jobs/{jobid}`, its transcript and log, and `/usage`) is linked from the API reference as a download, and has been since July 2025, and the public docs repository holds AsyncAPI 3.0 files for Realtime and Agent STT (25). llms.txt and Markdown pages (10). Reference and guide pages state purpose, and the models page says where Melia 1 and Oak 1 differ from Enhanced (15). Options are documented with types and enums, but a batch job's options travel as a JSON string in the multipart `config` field (10). Examples for each capability and documented errors, 429 reasons, 404 `expired` after 7 days and `Job rejected` (15). Versioned `/v2` paths and a dated public changelog (15).\n\n### Reliability: Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +30\n\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- Speechmatics Speech-to-Text (70): Statuspage at status.speechmatics.com with components per region and history (20). Since 3 August, minor incidents only, each touching one region, one mode or a subset of requests. Batch AU slower for 2 hours on 10 August, a subset of Batch EU1, US1 and US2 jobs failing or slow for 56 minutes on 19 August, Realtime 4003 errors in the EU and US for 37 minutes on 4 September, and TLS errors for a subset of US Realtime sessions for about 2 hours on 10 September. The rest were scheduled database maintenance, a portal maintenance and a billing credit error, and nothing was posted after 10 September (20). Limits published with numbers, 10 new batch jobs and 50 status calls a second, 20,000 concurrent jobs, and 2 or 50 realtime sessions by plan (15). Both batch limits return 429 with a reason, but the docs only suggest notifications instead of polling and give no backoff or Retry-After (5). No SLA found for self-serve plans (0). Batch, Realtime and Agent STT on `/v2/agent` are GA (10).\n\n### Agent ergonomics: Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +14\n\n- 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.\n- Speechmatics Speech-to-Text (80): API reading of the checklist. Transcripts can be fetched as `txt`, `json-v2` or `srt` (20). The jobs list pages by creation date and limit (20). Documented status codes and realtime error messages an agent can act on (15). No idempotency key on job creation (10). A batch job needs a file and a language. Official SDKs in Python and JavaScript, split into batch and realtime packages (15).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | IBM Watson Speech to Text | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 40 | 70 | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +30 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 90 | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +35 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 80 | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +14 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 68 | 65 | IBM Watson Speech to Text +3 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 33 | 70 | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text +37 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 76 | IBM Watson Speech to Text +4 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **54.5 · C** | **67.8 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | IBM Watson Speech to Text | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Model API | Model API |\n| Vendor | IBM | Speechmatics |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2` |\n| Transports | HTTP, websocket | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | API key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |\n| Price for speech-to-text | not published | $0.0025 per minute of audio |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | MIT (SDKs) |\n| Tools exposed | 0 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-06-29 | 2026-10-26 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-25 | 2026-05-27 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | 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 | yes |\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 | none | 20 stars, 58k npm/wk, 48k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (2) |\n\n## What the same task costs\n\n| Task | IBM Watson Speech to Text | Speechmatics Speech-to-Text |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Transcribe a one-hour meeting | $0.60 to $1.20 | $0.12 to $0.40 |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### IBM Watson Speech to Text\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n### Speechmatics Speech-to-Text\n\n- +0.6 on 1 November 2026: correction\n- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist\n- -0.2 on 8 October 2026: checklist\n\n## Verdicts\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**Speechmatics Speech-to-Text.** Training is opt-in and real-time audio is not stored. Enhanced transcription costs $0.38 an hour for files and $0.40 for live audio.\n\n## Before you call either\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### Speechmatics Speech-to-Text\n\n1. Set `\"model\": \"enhanced\"` explicitly. The default is `standard`\n2. Use notifications instead of polling. Polling waits 5 seconds by default since the 23 September 2026 change, and `wait=0` turns that off\n3. Fetch batch transcripts within 7 days. After that the API returns 404 `expired`\n4. Pass a `fetch_data` URL for files over 1 GB\n5. Use `/v2/agent` with `linden-1` for live agents instead of the plain realtime path\n6. Read the Batch API's Swagger file at https://docs.speechmatics.com/batch.yaml before building the multipart `config` field\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, IBM Watson Speech to Text or Speechmatics Speech-to-Text?\n\nSpeechmatics Speech-to-Text scores 67.8 (B) on agent readiness against IBM Watson Speech to Text's 54.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do IBM Watson Speech to Text and Speechmatics Speech-to-Text need an API key?\n\nBoth need an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call IBM Watson Speech to Text and Speechmatics Speech-to-Text without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for IBM Watson Speech to Text. Speechmatics Speech-to-Text has a hosted endpoint at https://eu1.asr.api.speechmatics.com/v2.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ibm-watson-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"ibm-watson-stt\", \"b\": \"speechmatics-stt\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare ibm-watson-stt speechmatics-stt`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ibm-watson-stt.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/speechmatics-stt.json\n\n## Other comparisons with IBM Watson Speech to Text or Speechmatics Speech-to-Text\n\n- [Amazon Transcribe vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Amazon Transcribe vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [AssemblyAI Speech-to-Text (Universal) vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assemblyai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [Azure AI Speech speech-to-text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Cartesia Ink vs IBM Watson Speech to Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-ibm-watson-stt.md)\n- [Cartesia Ink vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cartesia-ink-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [Deepgram Speech-to-Text (Nova-3, Flux) vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepgram-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [ElevenLabs Scribe Speech to Text API vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elevenlabs-scribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [Giggy Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/giggy-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.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- [Gladia Speech-to-Text API + MCP vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladia-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [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)\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- [Groq Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-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- [Inworld STT vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inworld-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [MiniMax Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Mistral Voxtral Transcribe vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-voxtral-transcribe-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [OpenAI Speech to Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-speech-to-text-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Rev AI Speech-to-Text API vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rev-ai-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Smallest.ai Pulse STT vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smallest-pulse-stt-vs-speechmatics-stt.md)\n- [Soniox Speech-to-Text vs Speechmatics Speech-to-Text](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/soniox-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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