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Memo AI 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. Memo AI starts at $25.99, Sonix at $25. Only Memo AI has a free tier. Only Sonix ships a public API.

Memo AIConverts audio, video, and YouTube links into text with translation and speaker labels.SonixTranscription, translation and subtitles with a browser editor

Side by side

FactMemo AISonix
CategorySpeech-to-Text & TranscriptionSpeech-to-Text & Transcription
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at$25.99 year$25 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CompanyPemo LLCSonix, Inc.
Launched20232017
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Memo AI

Memo AI covers the basics of turning spoken audio into usable text, including straight from a YouTube link, and the free tier is genuinely unlimited on transcription rather than capped by minutes, which is unusual. The tradeoff is a single-device restriction on every tier and a company that discloses almost nothing about itself beyond an LLC name in the footer.

Pros

  • Free Basic tier has no cap on transcription or translation volume
  • Handles YouTube links directly, not just uploaded files
  • Lifetime pricing option avoids a recurring subscription

Cons

  • Every tier, free or paid, is limited to a single device
  • No transparency on the company beyond an LLC name in the copyright line
  • No API or integration options visible for pulling transcripts into other tools

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 Memo AI if you need

  • Podcast listeners or researchers who want quick transcripts of YouTube or local files
  • Anyone who wants translation across many languages bundled with transcription
  • Users comfortable with yearly or one-time lifetime billing instead of monthly

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

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