How much does YobiYoba cost and how is pricing calculated?

YobiYoba uses a pay-as-you-go model: you buy transcription credit and spend it only on speech that is actually transcribed. The published rate starts at 0.01 € per minute (excluding tax), with no minimum fee per file, and the rate drops as you purchase more time — the site states a range from 0.08 € to 0.01 € per minute (excl. tax). Credit never expires, and there is no extra charge to manage, edit, or convert transcripts.

What you actually pay for

The key detail is that billing is based on transcribed speech, not file duration. A 60-minute recording with long silences, music, or non-speech segments costs less than 60 minutes of credit, because the service first identifies the audio segments containing speech and only converts those.

That distinction matters if you work with interview footage, lectures, or recordings with pauses. You are not paying for dead air.

The rate range and how it decreases

Pricing is described as degressive according to the amount of purchased time — the more transcription time you buy, the lower your per-minute rate. The 0.08 € figure represents the high end of the range and 0.01 € the low end, so your effective rate depends on the volume of credit you purchase.

What is included at no extra cost

Several things that some transcription services charge for separately are bundled into the per-minute rate:

• Managing transcripts — no extra fee
• Editing transcripts — no extra fee
• Converting transcripts — no extra fee, across formats including PDF, DOC, RTF, CSV, SRT, and VTT

So the per-minute price is the whole cost of the workflow, not just the raw conversion.

How to pay

You credit your account using one of the following:

• PayPal
• Credit card
• Coupon

The site lists payment options but does not publish card-specific terms, refund rules, or subscription requirements. There is no indication of a recurring subscription — the model is credit-based, and unused credit does not expire.

What to check before buying

Because the exact per-minute rate depends on purchase volume, the practical question is how much transcription time you expect to use. If you have a one-off batch of recordings, a smaller credit purchase puts you nearer the 0.08 € end; if you transcribe regularly, buying more time at once moves you toward 0.01 € per minute.

Two things the site does not specify: the exact volume thresholds at which the rate drops, and whether taxes are added at checkout or already reflected. The pricing section notes that all prices include EU VAT, which is worth confirming for your billing region.

You can register for free to test the workflow before committing credit.