Scribewave vs Sonix
Scribewave vs Sonix
Compare their data hosting, pricing, AI features, and synced transcript editors.
The short answer
Sonix is a US transcription tool with a synced editor and a wide range of export formats, including direct export to NVivo. Its pricing and detailed pricing pages have listed different rates, so check the current price before buying. Data location may also affect your choice. Sonix says it stores customer data on AWS in the US, while Scribewave stores and processes files on European infrastructure. That matters if your organization, IRB, or client requires EU data residency.
Where each one is strong
A closer look at what each tool does well.
What Sonix does well
- A highly rated synced editor that jumps to the audio when you click a word
- Integrations with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Dropbox, and Adobe Premiere
- Direct NVivo export, useful for qualitative researchers already in that ecosystem
- A large user base and strong review scores on G2
- A HIPAA-compliant Medical Sonix tier for healthcare teams
What Scribewave does well
- Stores and processes data on European infrastructure
- One pay-as-you-go rate with no extra per-seat fee
- The Airgap app transcribes audio offline on your computer
- An included AI assistant that links every answer to an exact timecode
- Noise preprocessing before transcription
Capability by capability
Researched from public sources. Where we couldn't verify something, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Feature | Scribewave | Sonix |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | €9/hour, pay-as-you-go | $10/hour, pay-as-you-go |
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription required | Included | Included |
| Try it without a credit card | Included | Included |
| Purchased hours never expire | Included | Not verified |
| Transcription | ||
| Supported languages | 99 languages | 54+ languages |
| Automatic speaker diarization | Included | Included |
| Custom vocabulary / terminology list | Enterprise plan | Paid tiers |
| Click-to-audio-sync editor | Included | Included |
| Noise cancellation / pre-processing | Included | Not included |
| AI & exports | ||
| Built-in AI assistant (chat, summarize, chapterize) | Included | Metered separately |
| Machine translation included | 99 languages | Billed per hour |
| Subtitle export (SRT, VTT) | Included | Included |
| Export formats | Word, Google Docs, TXT, SRT, VTT | DOCX, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT, NVivo |
| Privacy & hosting | ||
| EU-hosted data | Included | Not included |
| GDPR compliant | Included | Included |
| HIPAA / SOC 2 | On request | SOC 2; HIPAA via add-on |
| Audio never used to train AI models | Included | Included |
| Fully offline, on-device option | Airgap app, €79 one-time | Not included |
Figures marked "not verified" could not be confirmed from public sources when we researched this page. If you spot an error, please let us know.
Why teams choose Scribewave over Sonix
- 1Store and process recordings in the EU without requesting a data residency exception
- 2Pay one hourly rate instead of a per-seat subscription and a separate AI allowance
- 3Use the Airgap desktop app when recordings must stay offline
- 4Keep unused pay-as-you-go credits for future work
- 5Use custom vocabulary and enhanced accuracy without a per-seat enterprise minimum
