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Hello8 vs Sonix

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Hello8 starts at $21, Sonix at $25. Only Hello8 has a free tier. Only Sonix ships a public API.

Hello8Subtitle and translation service that runs AI transcription past human editors before deliverySonixTranscription, translation and subtitles with a browser editor

Side by side

FactHello8Sonix
CategorySubtitles & CaptionsSpeech-to-Text & Transcription
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at$21 month$25 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CompanyHello8Sonix, Inc.
Launched—2017
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Hello8

Positioned between raw auto-captioning and a full localisation agency: machine speed, but a review pass before the file ships, which is the difference that matters for broadcast or client-facing work. European hosting and GDPR framing make it an easier sell inside EU organisations. The credit model means long-form video eats an allowance fast, and no legal entity or country is named on the site.

Pros

  • Automated review across eight subtitle quality criteria before delivery
  • Human editors correct the machine transcript
  • 90-plus languages for transcription and translation
  • Exports SRT, VTT or a subtitled video file
  • Files hosted in Europe under GDPR terms

Cons

  • Credit metering plus per-plan video-length caps (5 minutes free, 30 minutes on Starter)
  • Prices quoted in euros only, so USD cost moves with the rate
  • No legal entity or country disclosed

Sonix

Pick Sonix when the transcript is a working document you will correct, subtitle and hand off — the editor is the product, not the ASR. If you mainly want live meeting notes, Otter is cheaper and better suited; if the recording is legally critical, Rev's human tier is the safer route.

Pros

  • The word-locked editor makes correcting a long transcript far faster than re-typing
  • 50+ languages for both transcription and translation, priced at the same hourly rate
  • REST API with batch processing and custom vocabulary is included with subscriptions
  • SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA posture and a stated no-training policy on customer files

Cons

  • Per-seat pricing at $25/mo each punishes small teams sharing one library
  • Hour allowances are the real constraint; Core's 5 hrs/mo goes fast on video
  • The 99% accuracy claim is vendor marketing — independent tests put it near peers, around the mid-90s
  • No free plan, only a 30-minute trial

Which one fits

Choose Hello8 if you need

  • documentary and corporate video needing clean subtitle files
  • EU teams with data-residency requirements
  • agencies delivering subtitles across many languages

Choose Sonix if you need

  • Journalists and researchers cleaning up long interview recordings
  • Video teams producing multilingual subtitle tracks from one master file
  • Legal, medical and academic work where custom vocabulary matters
  • Engineering teams batch-transcribing a media archive through the API

More comparisons

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