HappyScribe vs Sonix (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HappyScribe grades higher than Sonix: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
HappyScribe grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HappyScribe
AI transcription, subtitles and meeting notes in 150+ languages
Sonix
Browser-based transcription, translation and meeting recorder
Which one is for you
Pick HappyScribe if
- Fits if you need subtitles and translation as well as meeting notes
- Works for meetings not in English, with more than 150 languages listed
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want unlimited transcription for a flat price, as every paid plan counts AI minutes, with extras at $0.20 each
- Tight if you're on Basic, with 120 AI minutes a month, one seat and recordings capped at 90 minutes
- Pricey if you pay month by month, at $17 for Basic against $8.50 on the yearly plan
- Tight if you stay free: recordings stop at 45 minutes, AI transcription is a 10-minute trial and MP4 exports are watermarked
- Not for you if you want a desktop app or CRM sync, as the Mac app is only coming soon and no CRM is listed
Pick Sonix if
- Fits if you transcribe recorded interviews or podcasts and need subtitles or translations
- Makes sense if you need a BAA or SOC 2 report from a transcription vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a bot that sits in every call, since the recorder is a side feature
- Tight if you transcribe a lot: 5 hours a month on Core, then $10 an hour
- Pricey if you add seats, at $25 a month each with no extra hours
- Watch out: real-time transcription is only early access, and there are no mobile or desktop apps
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHappyScribeFair | 2.2GPASonixFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $8.50 a month on the yearly plan, ordinary money here, but $17 if you pay monthly and metered at 120 AI minutes a month with extras at $0.20 each. Two hours of meetings and it's gone; 600 minutes means Pro at $19. | C$25 a month for 5 hours, or $275 billed yearly. The category's middle sits at $11.99 and the dearer quarter starts at $15, so this is the upper end. Extra hours are $10 each and extra seats $25 a month with no added hours. |
| Free plan and trial | CRecordings are unlimited but each one stops at 45 minutes, and the AI part is a 10-minute trial. AI Chat covers 3 files a month and MP4 exports come out watermarked. | CNo free plan. There are 30 free minutes of transcription with no card, which is about one short meeting. |
| Features | BThe notetaker joins Zoom, Meet and Teams and comes back with speaker names, a summary and action items, and the phone apps record a room even offline. On transcription it adds 150-plus languages, subtitles, translation and human proofreading from $2.00 a minute. No CRM sync. | CTranscripts, translation, subtitles, summaries, a meeting bot and an API. The listing itself says real-time transcription is early access and the recorder is a side feature, so it is a file tool first. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and there's wiring first: connect a Google or Outlook calendar so the notetaker can join your calls. On a phone, at least, recording is one tap. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where you upload a file, but the meeting recorder needs your calendar and call accounts connected, and the editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zoom, Meet and Teams, imports from YouTube, Google Drive and Dropbox, Zapier and an API. No desktop app yet: the homepage says a Mac one is coming soon. | BWeb only, with no mobile or desktop apps on the pricing page. It does connect to Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Zapier and Adobe Premiere, and has a REST API. |
| Best for | meeting notes plus subtitles and translation | transcribing recorded audio and video files in a browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HappyScribe and Sonix. How we grade
Price against what you get
HappyScribe starts at $8.50 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sonix starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3.
HappyScribe scores higher and starts $16.50 a month lower. Of the other AI meeting note takers on the chart, 11 score higher than HappyScribe for less, and 45 score higher than Sonix for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- HappyScribe also covers chat assistant.
At a glance
| HappyScribe | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8.50 per month, billed annually | $25 per month for 5 hrs, billed monthly ($275 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited meeting recordings of up to 45 minutes each, a 10-minute trial of AI transcription, subtitling and translation, AI Chat on 3 files a month and watermarked MP4 exports. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30 free minutes of transcription, no card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Happy Scribe Ltd. | Sonix, Inc. |
| Price read from | happyscribe.com | sonix.ai |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HappyScribe
- The Free plan caps each meeting recording at 45 minutes, includes only a 10-minute trial of AI transcription and watermarks MP4 exports.
- Paid plans are metered: 120 AI minutes a month on Basic, 600 on Pro and 6,000 on Business. Extra minutes are listed at $0.20 each.
- Basic includes one seat and limits recordings to 90 minutes. Pro includes 3 seats and Business 5.
- No desktop app is available yet: the homepage describes a Mac app as coming soon. The mobile apps are for iPhone and Android.
Sonix
- Pay As You Go is $10 per hour with no subscription; extra hours on any plan are also $10 per hour.
- Extra seats cost $25 a month ($275 a year) each and add no hours; the included hours are shared by the workspace.
- Real-time transcription is listed as early access, and the AI meeting recorder is one feature among a file-based transcription product.
- The pricing page shows no mobile or desktop apps; the editor runs in a browser.
Key features
HappyScribe
- AI Notetaker for online meetings
- Connect Google or Outlook calendar and a notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls, then returns a transcript with speakers identified, a summary and action items.
- In-person recording on a phone
- The iPhone and Android apps record a conversation in the room with one tap and upload it for transcription. Recording works offline and syncs when the phone is back online.
- Transcription, subtitles and translation
- Uploaded audio and video are transcribed in more than 150 languages, and the same files can be subtitled and translated. Each paid plan includes a monthly allowance of AI minutes.
- Human proofreading
- Transcripts can be sent for human proofreading at a per-minute rate, listed from $2.00 a minute, on top of the AI subscription.
- AI Chat on your files
- Ask questions of a transcript and generate recaps or briefs from it. The Free plan covers 3 files a month and Basic 10, and it is unlimited from Pro.
- Exports, imports and API
- Exports include DOCX, TXT, SRT and MP4, and files can be imported from YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox. Zapier and an API connect it to other tools.
Sonix
- Transcription in 54+ languages
- Uploaded audio and video become transcripts with named speakers and word-level timestamps, editable in the browser.
- Translation and subtitles
- Transcripts can be translated into 54+ languages, and subtitles exported as SRT or VTT or burned into video.
- AI meeting recorder
- A Sonix agent joins Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams calls and writes the transcript while people talk.
- AI analysis
- Summaries, chapters and sentiment analysis run on transcripts, drawing on a separate monthly allowance of AI hours.
- Sharing and exports
- Share transcripts by link, embed a media player, or export to DOCX, PDF and TXT.
- API and automation
- A REST API, webhooks and a Zapier connection let other tools send recordings in and pull transcripts out.
Plans
HappyScribe
Free$0
Unlimited meeting recordings of up to 45 minutes each, a 10-minute trial of AI transcription, limited recording history and AI Chat on 3 files a month.
Basic$8.50
per month, billed annually; $17 billed monthly
120 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, recordings of up to 90 minutes, AI Chat on 10 files a month and 1 user seat.
Pro$19
per month, billed annually; $29 billed monthly
600 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, unlimited recording length, unlimited AI Chat and 3 user seats.
Business$59
per month, billed annually; $89 billed monthly
6,000 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, unlimited recording length, unlimited AI Chat and 5 user seats.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Business, sold through the sales team at a negotiated price.
Sonix
Core$25
per month for 5 hrs, billed monthly ($275 billed yearly)
5 hours a month of transcription and translation and 5 of AI analysis, 25 GB storage, email support.
Advanced$50
per month for 20 hrs, billed monthly ($550 billed yearly)
20 hours of transcription, 25 hours of AI analysis, 50 GB storage, email and chat support.
Pro$80
per month for 40 hrs, billed monthly ($880 billed yearly)
40 hours of transcription, 100 hours of AI analysis, 100 GB storage, priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds SSO, SCIM, audit logs, a BAA, unlimited team members, 1 TB storage and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
HappyScribe
- Annual discount
Save 34% to 50% with annual billing
On annual billing Basic is $8.50 a month instead of $17, labeled Save 50%. Pro is $19 instead of $29 and Business $59 instead of $89, each labeled Save 34%.
Sonix
- Annual discount
One month free with yearly billing
Sonix's pricing page shows yearly prices of $275, $550 and $880, equal to 11 months of the monthly price, and marks the toggle as 1 month free.
- Education
Discounts for students, educators and nonprofits
Sonix lists special pricing for students, teachers, faculty and nonprofit staff; its discounts page is titled 20% off.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HappyScribe or Sonix?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HappyScribe is cheaper to start with: $8.50 a month, against $25 a month for Sonix. HappyScribe starts at $8.50 per month, billed annually, and Sonix starts at $25 per month for 5 hrs, billed monthly ($275 billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, HappyScribe or Sonix?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only HappyScribe has a free plan. Sonix does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do HappyScribe and Sonix run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only HappyScribe lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.