Decision summary
- New streaming traffic -> MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
- Need a price after December 31, 2026 -> re-read the official card
- Pinned 1.5 integration -> replay before you remove it
Speech model comparison
MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming vs MAI-Transcribe-1.5
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming, released October 1, 2026, covers 60 languages.
Featured · Updated today · Last verified: October 2026
Choose MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming when
New streaming transcription, especially during the intro price.
Choose MAI-Transcribe-1.5 when
Existing 1.5 integrations until you replay them on the streaming model.
- New streaming traffic: MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
- Need a price after December 31, 2026: re-read the official card
- Pinned 1.5 integration: replay before you remove it
Decision axes: Best for · Access · Context · List price
How they compare
Criterion-by-criterion notes from the catalog—not a ranking. Validate on your own gold set.
| Criterion | MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming | MAI-Transcribe-1.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | New streaming transcription, especially during the intro price. | Existing 1.5 integrations until you replay them on the streaming model. |
| Access | Released October 1, 2026. | Earlier MAI speech-to-text model. It is not marked superseded by the streaming release in this catalog. |
| Context | 60 languages. Streaming. | See the 1.5 model page. The 60-language figure belongs to Transcribe 2 Streaming. |
| List price | $0.54 per audio hour through December 31, 2026. The price after that date is not on this card. | No hourly price is stored. Do not copy $0.54 onto 1.5. |
| Controls | Streaming model. Do not assume the same hourly rate continues in 2027. | Batch or product-surface behavior can differ from the streaming ID. |
| Operational risk | Quote work that finishes after December 31, 2026 only after you re-read the price. | A missing price is not a reason to keep 1.5 if the streaming model covers the languages you need. |
Key insights
Concrete technical or product signals.
- The $0.54 rate is introductory and dated.
- Transcribe 2 Streaming does not automatically retire the 1.5 page.
Use cases
Where this shines in production.
- Pricing a streaming transcription pilot
- Deciding whether a 1.5 integration should move
Limitations & trade-offs
What to watch for.
- No word-error comparison is published here.
- Post-introduction pricing is unknown.
Who should not choose this?
Signals that this pair is the wrong default.
- Do not treat 1.5 as free because its price is unstored.
- Do not assume the streaming model retired 1.5.
- Do not lock a 2027 contract to the intro rate.
Final recommendation
What to do after reading the table.
Pilot the streaming model now, and leave 1.5 in place where the replay is unfinished.
FAQ
Is MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming better than MAI-Transcribe-1.5?
Pilot the streaming model now, and leave 1.5 in place where the replay is unfinished.
Which is cheaper: MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming or MAI-Transcribe-1.5?
Listed unit prices: MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming $0.54 per audio hour through December 31, 2026. The price after that date is not on this card; MAI-Transcribe-1.5 No hourly price is stored. Do not copy $0.54 onto 1.5. A lower listed unit price is not the same as a lower total workload cost—tokens, session minutes, caching, introductory rates, and add-on modes can reverse the ranking. Confirm live rates on each vendor’s official page.
Can I use both MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming and MAI-Transcribe-1.5?
Yes. Many teams keep both and route by constraint. Use MAI-Transcribe-2 Streaming for New streaming transcription, especially during the intro price, and MAI-Transcribe-1.5 for Existing 1.5 integrations until you replay them on the streaming model. Confirm vendor terms before mixing them in one production workflow.