The pay-as-you-go Cockatoo alternative
Same fast, accurate transcripts – without the monthly subscription. Pay once for the minutes you use, and your credits never expire.
60 min free · no card required · we never train on your audio
Is Pepys a good Cockatoo alternative?
Pepys is a pay-as-you-go alternative to Cockatoo: instead of a monthly or annual subscription, you buy credits once and they never expire, so you only pay for the minutes you transcribe. You still get accurate, timestamped transcripts, 99+ languages, exports, and built-in AI summaries and chat. Your first 60 minutes are free, no card.
Cockatoo is a fast, accurate AI transcription service that runs on a subscription – its unlimited usage sits behind a monthly or annual Pro plan. That's great if you transcribe constantly, but it's a recurring bill you keep paying even in the quiet months. If your work is bursty – a batch of interviews, a season of episodes, then a lull – a subscription means paying for time you never use.
Pepys flips that: buy credits once, spend them whenever, and they never expire. You still get clean, timestamped transcripts in 99+ languages, exports to the formats you need, and built-in AI summaries, chapters, and chat with the transcript – and we never train on your audio or text. Start with 60 minutes free, no card.
Pepys vs Cockatoo, side by side
Cockatoo vs Pepys, head to head
Public, verifiable facts only. Where something isn't publicly stated, we leave it blank rather than guess.
| Feature | Pepys | Cockatoo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go – buy credits once | Subscription (Free, Pro, Team), monthly or annual |
| Do credits / minutes expire? | Never – credits don't expire | Pro access ends when you stop paying |
| Free tier | 60 minutes free, no card | Free plan, no card – limited transcription, 2 GB storage |
| Subscription required to remove limits? | No subscription at all | Yes – unlimited usage is on the Pro plan |
| Speaker labels (diarization) | Yes – auto speaker labels you can rename | – |
| Timestamps | Yes – word and segment timestamps | – |
| Languages | 99+, auto-detected | Transcription in 90+ languages; file translation across 90+ |
| Built-in AI features | Summaries, chapters, and chat with the transcript | AI summaries and an AI writing/notes editor |
| Paste a link to transcribe | Yes – YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, and more | Import via share links from Dropbox, YouTube, and more |
| Exports | TXT, Markdown, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT, JSON | PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT |
| Developer JSON export | Yes – open, Whisper-compatible JSON | – |
| Trains AI on your data? | Never – we don't train on your audio or text | States it never sells or shares your data |
Why people switch to Pepys
No subscription to remember or cancel – pay once for the minutes you use, and that's it.
Credits never expire, so a quiet month costs you nothing and your balance is always there when you come back.
Everything's in one place: clean, speaker-labeled, timestamped transcripts plus AI summaries, chapters, and chat with the transcript – no second tool.
We never train AI on your audio or text, and you can auto-delete files after processing.
Any language – 99+ detected automatically
- English
- 中文
- Español
- العربية
- हिन्दी
- Français
- 日本語
- Português
- Русский
- Deutsch
- 한국어
- Italiano
- বাংলা
- Türkçe
- فارسی
- Tiếng Việt
- தமிழ்
- Polski
- ไทย
- Українська
- Nederlands
- עברית
- Ελληνικά
- తెలుగు
- Bahasa Indonesia
- اردو
- Svenska
- मराठी
- Română
- Magyar
- Čeština
- ગુજરાતી
- Kiswahili
- ქართული
- Tagalog
- አማርኛ
Common questions about Cockatoo and Pepys
Is Pepys better than Cockatoo?
For occasional or bursty transcription, yes – Pepys is pay-as-you-go and credits never expire, so a quiet month costs nothing, with AI summaries and chat built in. If you transcribe a steady, high volume every month, Cockatoo's unlimited Pro subscription can be better value – compare both on a real file before you decide.
Is Pepys cheaper than Cockatoo?
It depends on how much you transcribe. Cockatoo's unlimited usage is a flat subscription, which is good value if you transcribe heavily every month. Pepys is pay-as-you-go: you buy credits once and only pay for the minutes you use, and they never expire – so it's usually a better fit for bursty or occasional transcription.
Does Pepys label speakers and add timestamps?
Yes. Every Pepys transcript comes with automatic speaker labels you can rename, plus word and segment timestamps – so you can jump straight to who said what and when, and export clean subtitles.
Can I move my work over from Cockatoo?
You don't import anything to start – just upload a file or paste a link on this page and Pepys transcribes it fresh. You can export your finished transcripts to TXT, Markdown, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT, or open JSON anytime.
Do I have to subscribe to get full accuracy and features?
No. There's no subscription at all. Speaker labels, timestamps, 99+ language detection, exports, and AI summaries and chat come standard – you just pay for the minutes you transcribe.
Is it free to try?
Yes. Your first 60 minutes are free with no card required, so you can compare the transcript quality against Cockatoo before you ever pay.
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Try Pepys free – no card
Pay as you go – credits never expire, nothing to cancel. Compare the transcript against Cockatoo with 60 free minutes.