diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 57de1b6..df77cca 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [4.0.9] - 2025-07-03
+
+- Deprecating `speechmatics-python` in favor of `speechmatics-rt` for real-time transcription and 'speechmatics-batch' for batch transcription.
+
 ## [4.0.8] - 2025-07-03
 
 - Patch WebsocketClient to work with any websockets version >= 10.0
@@ -38,7 +42,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [4.0.1] - 2025-04-30
 
-### Added 
+### Added
 
 - Support RT Multichannel and channel DZ
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index be4c0d9..5e0b7da 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
-# speechmatics-python   ![Tests](https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python/workflows/Tests/badge.svg) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python/blob/master/LICENSE.txt) ![PythonSupport](https://img.shields.io/badge/Python-3.7%2B-green)
+# Legacy Speechmatics Python Client
 
-Python client library and CLI for Speechmatics Realtime and Batch ASR v2 APIs.
+> **⚠️ WARNING: This package (`speechmatics-python`) has been deprecated.**
+>
+> - **No new features** will be added
+> - **Bug fixes and security patches only** until **2025-12-31**
+>
+
+### Migration Path
+
+**New Official SDKs** (at [speechmatics-python-sdk](https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk)):
 
+| Old Package | New Package | Purpose | Migration Guide |
+|-------------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
+| `speechmatics-python` | [`speechmatics-batch`](https://pypi.org/project/speechmatics-batch) | Batch transcription | [📖 Batch Migration Guide](https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk/blob/main/sdk/batch/MIGRATION.md) |
+| `speechmatics-python` | [`speechmatics-rt`](https://pypi.org/project/speechmatics-rt) | Real-time transcription | [📖 RT Migration Guide](https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk/blob/main/sdk/rt/MIGRATION.md) |
+| `speechmatics.cli` | Not available (will be released as a separate package) | | |
+
+Python client library and CLI for Speechmatics Realtime and Batch ASR v2 APIs.
 
 ## Getting started
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index e4f4ca8..6e06b29 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ def get_version(fname):
     classifiers=[
         "Environment :: Console",
         "Intended Audience :: Developers",
+        "Development Status :: 7 - Inactive",
         "License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
         "Operating System :: OS Independent",
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
diff --git a/speechmatics/__init__.py b/speechmatics/__init__.py
index a34c1e3..c79670f 100644
--- a/speechmatics/__init__.py
+++ b/speechmatics/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+import warnings
+
 from speechmatics.client import *  # noqa
 from speechmatics.exceptions import *  # noqa
 from speechmatics.models import *  # noqa
+
+warnings.warn(
+    "speechmatics-python is deprecated. Migrate to 'speechmatics-rt' for real-time "
+    "or 'speechmatics-batch' for batch transcription. "
+    "For more information, please visit https://github.com/speechmatics/speechmatics-python-sdk",
+    DeprecationWarning,
+    stacklevel=2,
+)