Tool profile
Sonix: cost, fit and limits
Sonix is an automated transcription, translation and subtitling platform made by Sonix, Inc. that bills by the hour of media or by monthly subscription, serving journalists, researchers, marketers and enterprise teams that need text from recorded audio and video.
What to know first
Sonix offers Pay As You Go at $10 per hour, three subscription tiers named Core, Advanced and Pro, and an Enterprise quote. Subscriptions separate transcription hours from AI workspace hours, so the tier you choose caps both. A free trial gives 30 minutes with no credit card. The security page states that customer audio, video and transcripts are never used to train Sonix models, and that data sits with AWS in the USA.
Sonix at a glance
| Maker | Sonix, Inc., United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | $10 per hour, pay as you go |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Captioning and Subtitling Software in 2026, rank 9 of 11 |
| Website | sonix.ai |
Who Sonix is best for
Occasional users
Pay As You Go is billed per hour of media, prorated to the second, with no subscription, so a single interview or lecture costs only its own length.
Small media and research teams
Advanced lists 20 transcription hours a month and 25 AI workspace hours, with email and chat support promising a 12-hour response.
Healthcare and regulated teams
Medical Sonix is described as HIPAA compliant with BAAs, and Enterprise lists a DPA, BAA, audit logs and SSO/SAML for procurement review.
Sonix plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go | $10 per hour | Pay per hour of media with no subscription, 5 GB of storage, a single user and a self-serve help center. No AI workspace is included. |
| Core | $25 per month or $275 per year | 5 hours a month or 60 hours a year of transcription and AI workspace, 25 GB, one seat, extra seats at $25 monthly, email support answering in 48 hours. |
| Advanced | $50 per month or $550 per year | 20 transcription hours a month or 240 a year, 25 AI workspace hours monthly, 50 GB, email and chat support with a 12-hour response. |
| Pro | $80 per month or $880 per year | 40 transcription hours a month or 480 a year, 100 AI workspace hours monthly, 100 GB, priority email and chat support with a 4-hour response. |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Custom hours and terms, 1 TB per workspace, unlimited users, an account manager, SSO/SAML, audit logs, a DPA and a BAA. |
Checked October 2026.
What Sonix does
- Transcription allowances
- Transcription hours and AI workspace hours are counted separately on subscription tiers, so a team that mostly generates subtitles can size the plan on transcription alone.
- Automated subtitles and captions
- Sonix lists automated subtitles and captions alongside AI translation. The pages we read do not name a language count, so check your languages in the trial.
- Medical model
- Medical Sonix provides a medical transcription model for clinical vocabulary, sold with HIPAA support and business associate agreements. Test a clip in your target language during the 30-minute trial before committing to a tier.
- AI meeting recorder
- An AI meeting recorder is listed among the AI features, which puts live calls and recorded footage in one workspace. Calls and recorded footage then share one search, summary and export interface instead of two separate subscriptions.
- Retention rules
- Enterprise can set retention rules that delete media and transcripts automatically, which helps teams with a document-destruction schedule. Rules are an Enterprise feature, so smaller accounts must delete old files by hand when a project closes.
How Sonix handles your data
The security page says Sonix never uses the audio, video or transcripts you process to train its models, on any plan or trial. Files stay until you delete them, even after a subscription ends, and deleting a file removes both audio and transcript. All customer data is stored with AWS in the USA, and Enterprise can arrange a specific region. Stated certifications are SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance through Medical Sonix with BAAs, plus GDPR protocols with a DPA and Standard Contractual Clauses. ISO certification is not mentioned.
Where Sonix falls short in practice
- Pay As You Go has no AI workspace. The cheapest option is single-user with 5 GB of storage and no AI workspace, so collaboration features begin at Core. Teams that need shared folders or summaries must start at Core, which raises the entry cost above the headline $10.
- Core runs short. Core includes 5 transcription hours a month and extra hours cost $10 each, which makes Advanced cheaper once monthly volume passes about 10 hours. Planning around the allowance matters because overage hours are billed at the pay-as-you-go rate, not a discount.
- Region choice is custom. Customers outside the USA who need local storage must arrange it as an Enterprise exception, since self-serve plans use AWS in the USA. Ask for that clause early, since it affects the contract timeline and may require a custom commitment.
Works with
Alternatives to Sonix
Sonix: common questions
Does Sonix use my files to train its AI?
No, according to the security page. It states that Sonix never uses the audio, video or transcripts you process to train its models, on any plan or trial. That is a stronger written statement than most captioning vendors give, but read the current page before signing a client contract.
How much is Sonix per hour?
Pay As You Go is $10 per hour of media, billed to the second. Subscriptions are cheaper per hour if you use the allowance: Core is $25 a month for 5 hours, Advanced $50 for 20 hours and Pro $80 for 40 hours on monthly billing. Extra hours on Core cost $10.
Is there a Sonix free plan?
There is a free trial rather than a free plan. It includes 30 minutes of transcription and needs no credit card. After that you move to Pay As You Go or a subscription. The pages we read do not name a trial expiry date.
Where does Sonix store my transcripts?
All customer data is stored with AWS in the USA. Enterprise customers can arrange a specific region, according to the security page. If your organization requires EU residency, plan on an Enterprise conversation and ask for the arrangement in writing.
Is Sonix suitable for medical transcription?
Sonix sells Medical Sonix, a medical transcription model described as HIPAA compliant with business associate agreements. The Enterprise tier also lists a BAA. Check whether the clinical vocabulary meets your accuracy bar with a sample recording, since the pages give no accuracy figures.