Happy Scribe vs Simon Says Comparison 2026
Happy Scribe transcribes and subtitles in 60-plus languages, free for short recordings then $8.50 a month for about 120 minutes. Simon Says transcribes for editors specifically, exporting straight into Premiere or Resolve and letting you build a rough cut by selecting lines of the transcript, at $15 an hour pay as you go or $20 a month, $15 if paid yearly, for two hours of credit. Pick Happy Scribe for a cheaper transcript and subtitle workflow. Pick Simon Says when the transcript needs to become the rough cut itself.
Transcripts and subtitles in 60-plus languages
Transcription built to land in an edit
At a glance
- Happy Scribe starts cheaper, at $8.50.
- Only Happy Scribe has a free tier.
Side by side
Happy Scribe | Simon Says | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $8.50 | From $20 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API |
Happy Scribe
Transcripts and subtitles in 60-plus languages
Happy Scribe does machine transcription and subtitles, and will sell you a human pass over the top when the machine is not good enough. The export list is long, including the subtitle formats an editor actually needs. Minutes are metered per year rather than per month, which suits lumpy production.
Only on this side
- Works with YouTube
Simon Says
Transcription built to land in an edit
Simon Says transcribes and translates, then exports into the editing software the footage is already in rather than handing back a text file to retype. The transcript editor pairs with a visual subtitle editor for checking how captions sit on the picture. An assembly mode on the paid tiers lets a rough cut be built by selecting lines of the transcript, which is the feature documentary editors buy it for.
Our note
The break-even is a little over an hour a month, and below that the pay as you go tier is the right answer. Assembly mode is the feature worth paying the subscription for, and it is the one nothing else in this category does properly.
Why people weigh these two
- Simon Says instead of Happy Scribe
- Simon Says transcribes into formats built for landing straight in an edit, from $20 with no free tier, when the transcript needs to drop into a timeline, not just a caption file.
- Happy Scribe instead of Simon Says
- Happy Scribe covers transcripts and subtitles in more than sixty languages, from $8 with a free tier.
Which one should you pick
Pick Happy Scribe if the deliverable is a transcript and subtitles at the lowest price. Basic is $8.50 a month for about 1,440 minutes a year, and Pro at $19 a month raises that to 7,200 minutes with the full export list, including FCPXML and EDL for an editing timeline.
Pick Simon Says if the transcript needs to become a working document inside the edit, not just a caption file. Pay as you go is $15 an hour with no card needed, and Starter is $20 a month, or $15 paid yearly, for two hours of credit. Assembly mode, building a rough cut by selecting transcript lines, is the feature documentary editors buy the subscription for, and nothing else in this category does it properly.
Common questions
- Is Happy Scribe cheaper than Simon Says?
- For similar volume, yes: Happy Scribe's Basic is $8.50 a month for about 120 minutes. Simon Says charges $20 a month, or $15 paid yearly, for two hours of credit, more than double Happy Scribe's price for a similar allowance.
- What does Simon Says do that Happy Scribe does not?
- Assembly mode: building a rough cut by selecting lines straight out of the transcript. Happy Scribe exports compatible editing formats like FCPXML and EDL from Pro upward, but it does not let you assemble a cut inside its own editor.
- Can I pay per file instead of subscribing?
- Simon Says offers that directly, $15 an hour or $0.25 a minute, with no card required to start. Happy Scribe's paid minutes require Basic, Pro or Business, though its free plan covers unlimited 45-minute meeting recordings first.
- When is the Simon Says subscription worth it over pay as you go?
- Past a little over an hour of transcription a month, by its own numbers. Below that, the $15-an-hour pay-as-you-go rate costs less than committing to the $20-a-month Starter plan.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.