Bulk Podcast Transcription Pricing: 2026 Rates
Bulk podcast transcription pricing at BrassTranscripts runs from $6.00 down to $3.00 per episode for standard-length shows, set by how many files are in the batch. A 60-episode backlog of 45-minute episodes costs $4.00 per episode, $240 for the whole archive, processed in one upload with per-file prices shown before payment. No subscription, no per-minute meter, no minimum file count.
That answers the headline question. The rest of this guide is the full rate table, three worked examples at real archive sizes, what each episode comes back as, and how to run a large backlog through without babysitting it.
Quick Navigation
- The 2026 Bulk Rate Table
- Worked Examples at Real Archive Sizes
- What Each Episode Comes Back As
- Running a Backlog Through in Practice
- Why Transcribe the Whole Archive
- Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 Bulk Rate Table
BrassTranscripts prices bulk transcription per file across seven batch-size tiers, with every file classified by duration first: episodes 16 minutes or longer bill on the long-file track from $6.00 down to $3.00, and recordings 15 minutes and under bill on a short-file track from $2.50 down to $1.25.
| Batch size | Long files (16+ min) | Short files (≤15 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 files | $6.00 | $2.50 |
| 6–10 files | $5.00 | $2.08 |
| 11–15 files | $4.75 | $1.98 |
| 16–49 files | $4.50 | $1.88 |
| 50–99 files | $4.00 | $1.67 |
| 100–249 files | $3.50 | $1.46 |
| 250+ files | $3.00 | $1.25 |
Two details matter for podcasters. Most full episodes land on the long-file track, but trailers, teasers, and bonus shorts land on the cheap track automatically, because each file is classified by its own duration, not the batch average. And both tracks use the same discount curve, so mixing episode lengths never penalizes the batch. The duration-aware pricing update explains the mechanics.
Worked Examples at Real Archive Sizes
A typical interview podcast's backlog prices out by batch size alone: 30 episodes at $4.50 each is $135, 60 episodes at $4.00 each is $240, and 150 episodes at $3.50 each is $525, assuming standard 16+ minute episodes throughout.
Mixed catalogs price file by file. Take a 120-item archive: 100 full episodes and 20 short trailers. The batch lands in the 100-249 tier, so full episodes bill at $3.50 and the trailers at $1.46, for a total of $350.00 + $29.20 = $379.20. Compare the single-file route for the same catalog: 100 × $6.00 + 20 × $2.50 = $650. The batch saves $270.80, about 42%.
The tier boundaries reward topping up. A 48-episode archive at $4.50 per file costs $216; adding two more episodes pushes the whole batch into the 50-99 tier at $4.00, and fifty files cost $200. When your count sits just under a boundary, include the bonus episodes.
What Each Episode Comes Back As
Every episode returns in four formats, TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON, with automatic speaker identification labeling up to 6 distinct voices and timestamps throughout. Processing runs about 1-3 minutes per hour of audio per file, and bulk batches process concurrently rather than one at a time.
For a podcast, each format has a job. TXT is the show-notes and blog-post source. SRT and VTT caption the YouTube version and social clips. JSON carries per-segment timestamps and speaker labels for anyone piping episodes into a search index or content pipeline. Speaker labels arrive generic (Speaker A, Speaker B); one find-and-replace per episode maps them to host and guest names.
The transcripts then feed repurposing. The podcast SEO workflow for turning one episode into ten pieces of content starts from exactly this output, and the content-repurposing AI prompt converts a transcript into drafts. An archive that took years to record becomes source material in an afternoon.
Running a Backlog Through in Practice
The bulk dashboard takes a folder of episodes, shows each file's price before payment, and processes the batch concurrently, so a large archive is one upload session rather than a months-long drip. Files up to 450MB each are supported with no enforced duration limit; split only the rare episode that exceeds the size cap.
Three practical notes from how the system works. Files must be at least 5 minutes long, so sub-5-minute teasers can't be uploaded as standalone files. Audio is deleted 24 hours after upload and transcripts 48 hours after processing, so download the batch when it finishes rather than leaving it for the weekend. And silent or corrupted files are detected rather than billed and garbled, which matters in old archives where an export occasionally went wrong. The bulk service overview covers the dashboard flow end to end.
Why Transcribe the Whole Archive
Search engines and AI answer engines read text, and an untranscribed back catalog is invisible to both. Transcribing the archive makes every past episode searchable on your site, quotable in show notes, and reusable as articles, newsletters, and clips, which is why the per-episode price at bulk tiers is the number that decides whether the project happens.
At $3.50 to $4.50 per episode for most real archives, the whole-catalog project costs less than a single month of many podcast tool subscriptions. The podcast transcription workflow guide covers what to do with the transcripts once you have them; the arithmetic above is the part that usually stops people, and it is smaller than most podcasters expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does bulk podcast transcription cost?
BrassTranscripts bulk pricing is per file and scales with batch size. Episodes 16 minutes or longer cost $6.00 per file at 1-5 files, $5.00 at 6-10, $4.75 at 11-15, $4.50 at 16-49, $4.00 at 50-99, $3.50 at 100-249, and $3.00 at 250 or more. Short recordings 15 minutes and under run a parallel track from $2.50 down to $1.25. A 60-episode backlog of typical 45-minute episodes lands in the 50-99 tier at $4.00 per episode, $240 total.
What does a podcast back-catalog cost to transcribe?
Batch size sets the per-file rate, so the archive's size does most of the work. A 30-episode catalog of 45-minute shows prices at $4.50 per episode ($135 total). A 60-episode catalog prices at $4.00 per episode ($240). A 150-episode archive prices at $3.50 per episode ($525). Every file's price is shown on the BrassTranscripts bulk dashboard before payment, and there is no subscription or minimum file count.
What transcript formats do podcast episodes come in?
Every BrassTranscripts job returns four formats: TXT for show notes and blog adaptation, SRT and VTT for captions on video versions and clips, and JSON with timestamps and speaker labels for programmatic use. Speaker identification is automatic for up to 6 distinct voices, which covers host, co-host, and guests on most interview shows.
Why transcribe an entire podcast archive at once?
Search and AI visibility both read text, not audio. A transcribed archive makes every past episode searchable on your site, quotable in show notes, and available for repurposing into articles and clips. Bulk pricing is the reason to do it in one pass: the 100-249 tier at $3.50 per episode is 42% below the single-file rate, and batch upload with per-file pricing shown up front replaces months of one-at-a-time uploads.
Price Your Archive
Count your episodes, find your tier in the table above, and you have the number. Upload the archive on the bulk dashboard, or read the bulk transcription guide first if you want the full walkthrough. Per-file prices appear before payment; no subscription required.