"Unlimited" in our paid plans means there is no cap on the number of files you can upload or the number of projects you can create — it does not mean there is no cap on transcription minutes. Transcription minutes are still limited by your plan's quota. Here is the difference between the two.
1. What "unlimited" covers
Once you subscribe to any paid plan (Lite/Pro/Max), there is no cap on the following:
Number of audio/video files you can upload: the Free plan allows at most 3 file uploads per month, while paid plans have no monthly upload cap.
Number of projects you can create: paid plans place no cap on the number of projects.
Storage: paid plans come with generous storage (the Max plan has no storage cap).
In other words, as long as you stay within your plan's transcription-minute quota, there is no limit on how many files you upload or how many projects you create.
2. Transcription minutes do have a quota
Transcription minutes are counted by the total duration of the files you upload (for example, a 30-minute recording uses 30 minutes of credit) and are deducted from your plan's quota. Taking annual plans as an example, the yearly quotas are:
Lite — 720 minutes per year (60 minutes per month on the monthly plan)
Pro — 2,160 minutes per year (180 minutes per month on the monthly plan)
Max — 7,200 minutes per year (600 minutes per month on the monthly plan)
For a limited time, the Max plan includes free bonus minutes (an extra +120 minutes on the monthly plan / an extra +1,440 minutes on the annual plan); the figures above already include this limited-time bonus.
Minutes are deducted per processing task based on the file's duration, not by the number of outputs — adding multiple translation languages to the same task does not multiply the deduction.
3. What you can do when your minutes run out
If you use up your plan's minute quota, you can upgrade to a higher plan or buy extra minutes (top-up packs). Upgrades use a "stack and carry over" mechanism: all unused minutes from your current plan transfer to the new plan and gain the new plan's advanced features, and the upgrade takes effect immediately. Extra minutes are a one-time purchase; the price is shown in the app at the time of purchase, and you only pay after confirming.
4. How the Free plan works
The Free plan lets you upload files, but with the following limits: at most 3 file uploads per month, and only the first 15 minutes of each file are transcribed (subtitles/transcript/AI summary) — the rest is not processed. Each file can be up to 30GB and 8 hours long — the same per-file limits as the paid plans.
After upgrading to a paid plan, you can use "Continue generating" in the editor to complete the rest of the same file without re-uploading — only the remaining duration is deducted from your minutes. (Live captions and translation have a separate one-time free trial of 5 minutes — it does not renew.)
In short: "unlimited" means no cap on the number of uploads and projects, while transcription minutes are limited by each plan's quota. If you have any questions about your plan's minute allowance, contact us at hello@subanana.com or through the in-app support chat.