Prepaid credits: transcribe without a subscription
Since launching Murmel, two kinds of users have emerged. The first group transcribes regularly, often daily or weekly: podcast producers, researchers, developers building agents. For them, a fixed monthly subscription is the obvious fit.
The second group is different. A freelancer who needs to process a single client call once per quarter. A student wanting to transcribe one lecture recording. A journalist who does three interviews per year. For them, every subscription feels like overkill — even the cheapest one.
We heard that signal in various forms: emails, support questions, sometimes people who wanted to try Murmel and eventually bounced. Not because the product didn't work for them, but because the pricing model didn't match how they wanted to use the tool.
Starting today: prepaid credits
Alongside our existing subscriptions, you can now also buy standalone credits. No monthly commitment, no recurring payment. Just some balance on your account that you spend whenever it suits you.
- €0.02 per minute excl. VAT — €1 buys 50 minutes of transcription
- Pick your own amount, starting at €5
- Valid for 6 months from the purchase date
- No subscription, no recurring billing
Put a tenner on it and you've got 500 minutes ready for when you need them. Put €50 on it for a bigger project where you want to spread the risk.
When does a subscription still make sense?
If you transcribe more than about 450 minutes per month on average, a subscription is cheaper per minute. Our Basic plan, for instance, gives you 12 hours per month for €9 — that's 1.25 cents per minute, roughly 1.6× cheaper than prepaid credits.
That price gap is intentional. We don't want loyal subscribers to feel penalised because occasional users pay the same rate. Subscription = lower rate in exchange for steady monthly commitment. Prepaid credits = higher rate in exchange for full flexibility.
You can also combine them
A common question: what if I already have a subscription and occasionally need a bit extra? Just top up with prepaid credits. They act as a buffer on top of your monthly quota: your subscription minutes are consumed first, and the wallet only kicks in once those are exhausted. This way you never accidentally burn through your more expensive prepaid credits while your monthly bundle is still partly unused.
And the other way around: on the free plan with 30 minutes per month and have one big file that doesn't fit? Buy some extra credits and upload it right away.
Privacy and terms stay the same
Everything that applies to subscriptions also applies to prepaid credits: audio is processed in the Netherlands, not used for AI training (unless you explicitly allow it), and automatically deleted after 7 days. Payments go through Mollie with iDEAL, credit card, Bancontact, or SEPA.
Give it a try
Log in at app.murmel.nl/pricing, click the Credits card next to the subscriptions, and pick your amount. After checkout, your credits are immediately ready to spend in the Studio.
Got suggestions, or run into a use case where the pricing model still doesn't fit? Let us know — changes like this one happen because people take the time to share how they actually work.