--- source_url: "https://soniox.com/compare-translation" title: "Real-time speech translation API comparison: Soniox vs OpenAI, Gemini | Soniox" mirrored_at: 2026-08-13T03:06:44.883Z host: soniox.com cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/soniox.com/compare-translation" --- > **Original source:** https://soniox.com/compare-translation ## Compare real-time speech translation APIs on your own audio Test Soniox real-time translation against other providers on the same audio. Hear the difference, then compare pricing, language coverage, and translation modes, before you commit to an API. Open in a new tab to easily compare providers in real-time. [Compare now](https://translate.compare.soniox.com/) ## Estimate your speech translation cost Soniox bills per token across one model that handles transcription and translation together. Pick a provider and your monthly audio volume to compare pay-as-you-go speech translation pricing side by side. At 1,000 hours per month, Soniox runs around $180 for real-time speech translation or $160 for async speech translation. ## Why compare speech translation APIs Not all speech translation systems handle real-world audio the same way. The differences become clear when you test the conditions production systems face daily. Conversations switch languages mid-sentence. Two people need to speak and hear each other in their own languages. Speakers talk over one another, use accents, or spell names and codes out loud. Many providers translate into one fixed target language, drop speaker labels, or bill a second model just to return the original transcript, so the headline rate hides the real bill. These tools let you compare on both axes that decide the choice. The live demo lets you hear exactly how each provider translates the same audio, side by side. The price calculator above shows what each provider actually costs at your volume. Soniox runs a single streaming pipeline that returns the source transcript and the translation together, with speaker separation included and any-to-any coverage across 60+ languages. ## Speech translation APIs at a glance Each row lists the same real-time translation capability across providers, sourced from public docs and pricing pages. Capability Soniox OpenAI Gemini Translation modes One-way and two-way One-way only One-way only Target output languages 60+ (3,600 pairs) 13 fixed targets 70+ Speaker separation Included No No Source transcript in same stream Yes Add Realtime Whisper Yes (final only) Billing Per token, one API Per audio minute Per audio minute Speech-to-text translation ($/hour) ~$0.18 $2.04 ~$2.21 Speech-to-speech translation ($/hour) ~$0.88 $2.04 ~$2.21 ## FAQ What is the cheapest real-time speech translation API? Soniox bills per token, which works out to ~$0.18/hour for real-time speech-to-text translation. OpenAI GPT Realtime Translate is billed by audio duration at $2.04/hour, and Gemini 3.5 Live Translate at ~$2.21/hour. Use the calculator above to see the difference at your monthly volume. Which providers support two-way bilingual conversation? Soniox supports two-way translation natively, with each side speaking and hearing in their own language on the same WebSocket. OpenAI and Gemini translate in one direction into a single configured target per session. How many languages can each provider translate into? Soniox supports 60+ source and 60+ target languages, yielding 3,600 any-to-any pairs. OpenAI GPT Realtime Translate outputs 13 fixed targets, and Gemini 3.5 Live Translate covers 70+ languages. See the dedicated [Soniox vs OpenAI](https://soniox.com/compare-translation/openai) and [Soniox vs Google](https://soniox.com/compare-translation/gemini) pages for details. Which providers separate speakers when translating? Soniox includes speaker separation, returning speaker labels alongside transcript and translation tokens so a translated meeting or call still attributes each line to the right person. OpenAI and Gemini do not return speaker labels in their real-time translation streams. Do these APIs return the source-language transcript too? Soniox returns the source-language transcript and the translation in the same stream, with no extra model or cost. OpenAI requires running Realtime Whisper as a second paid model for the source transcript, and Gemini returns the source transcript in the same stream but only as a single final message rather than streamed incrementally. ## Start building with Soniox Create an account instantly, or contact us to design a custom package for your business. [Build with API](https://console.soniox.com/signup) ### Documentation Get up and running in minutes and spend your time building, not wrestling with the API. [Explore docs](https://soniox.com/docs) ### See what you’ll pay Pay only for what you use with our flexible pricing. Built to scale with you. [Pricing details](https://soniox.com/pricing)