Lowest price
Choose Gemini 3.5 Transcribe
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe costs $0.005 / minute, against $0.006 / minute for Whisper.
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe vs Whisper: price, context and capabilities
Choose Gemini 3.5 Transcribe for the lowest price and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
In short
- Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is 17% cheaper than Whisper at the headline price ($0.005 / minute vs $0.006 / minute).
- Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is the newer model (August 2026, against March 2023).
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Latest release
Choose Gemini 3.5 Transcribe
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is the newer release (August 2026, against March 2023 for Whisper).
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | Gemini 3.5 Transcribe | Whisper | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 minutes of audio | $3.00 | $3.60 | Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, $0.60 less |
| 6,000 minutes of audio | $30.00 | $36.00 | Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, $6.00 less |
| 60,000 minutes of audio | $300.00 | $360.00 | Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, $60.00 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| Gemini 3.5 Transcribe | Whisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | |
| Category | Speech to text | Speech to text |
| Status | Generally available | Generally available |
| Headline price | $0.005 / minute | $0.006 / minute |
| Context window | No data | No data |
| Max output | No data | No data |
| Released | August 2026 | March 2023 |
| Knowledge cutoff | No data | No data |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Audio input | Audio input |
| API model id | gemini-3.5-transcribe | whisper-1 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose Gemini 3.5 Transcribe or Whisper?
Choose Gemini 3.5 Transcribe for the lowest price and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.5 Transcribe or Whisper?
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is 17% cheaper than Whisper at the headline price ($0.005 / minute vs $0.006 / minute).
What is the difference between Gemini 3.5 Transcribe and Whisper?
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is made by Google and Whisper by OpenAI. Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is 17% cheaper than Whisper at the headline price ($0.005 / minute vs $0.006 / minute). Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is the newer model (August 2026, against March 2023).
Which is newer, Gemini 3.5 Transcribe or Whisper?
Gemini 3.5 Transcribe was released on August 2026 and Whisper on March 2023.