Rate Limits & Quotas

WiseScribe enforces per-day transcription quotas based on your plan. Each call to POST /api/v1/transcribe — whether it returns synchronously or starts a background job — counts as one unit against your daily quota.

Plan limits

Name
Free
Type
5 / day
Description
Requires a WiseScribe account. API access not available on Free — use the web app.
Name
Plus
Type
20 / day
Description
API and MCP access included. Quotas reset daily at 00:00 UTC.
Name
Pro
Type
100 / day
Description
API and MCP access included. Suitable for high-volume workloads and team integrations.

API key creation requires a Plus or Pro plan. Upgrade at wisescribe.ai/pricing →

Quota reset

Quotas reset daily at 00:00 UTC. There is no monthly rollover — unused daily quota does not carry forward.

Over-quota response

When you exceed your daily limit, the API returns 402 Payment Required:

402 — daily limit reached (Plus)

{
  "error": "Daily limit reached (20/day on Plus). Upgrade to Pro for higher limits.",
  "quota": {
    "used": 20,
    "limit": 20
  }
}

The quota object shows your current usage and limit so you can surface helpful messaging to users.

Handling quota errors

Check for 402 and inspect the quota field to give your users meaningful feedback.

const res = await fetch('https://wisescribe.ai/api/v1/transcribe', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer wsc_YOUR_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ url }),
})

if (res.status === 402) {
  const { error, quota } = await res.json()
  console.error(`Over quota: ${quota.used}/${quota.limit} today`)
  // surface upgrade prompt to user
}

Quota counting

Every transcription request uses exactly one quota unit regardless of:

Content length (3-minute clip or 3-hour lecture)
Platform (YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, etc.)
Whether the response is synchronous or async (queued jobs still count)
Cache hits (cached transcripts are returned instantly and do not count against your quota)

Overage pricing

Overage billing is coming soon. Today, requests beyond your daily limit are hard-blocked with a 402. When overages launch, Plus and Pro plans will automatically continue processing beyond the daily limit at the per-transcript rate below — no service interruption.

When overage billing is live, requests beyond your daily quota will be charged at:

Name
$0.10
Type
per transcript
Description
Applies to all plans (Plus and Pro) for every request beyond the daily included quota. Each transcription — regardless of length or platform — costs one unit at this rate.

Example: A Plus plan user (20/day included) processes 35 transcripts in a day. The first 20 are covered by the plan. The remaining 15 are billed at $0.10 each = $1.50 added to that month's invoice.

You will be able to set a monthly spend cap in dashboard settings to prevent unexpected charges. Overages are always opt-in — if you prefer hard stops, you can keep that behavior.

Need higher limits?

Pro plan customers needing a higher baseline can contact us to discuss a custom arrangement.