AssemblyAI vs Deepgram Speech-to-Text

AssemblyAI9.0Visit Deepgram Speech-to-Text8.5Visit

Higher score AssemblyAI #3 in Speech-to-Text Software 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit AssemblyAI

vs

Deepgram Speech-to-Text #6 in Speech-to-Text Software 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Deepgram

• AssemblyAI fits best

  API builders needing rich speech intelligence

• Deepgram Speech-to-Text fits best

  Production developers needing fast STT APIs

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Side by side

Feature	AssemblyAI 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Deepgram Speech-to-Text 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.5
Ranking	#3 in Speech-to-Text Software	#6 in Speech-to-Text Software
Best for	API builders needing rich speech intelligence	Production developers needing fast STT APIs
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$0.15/unit usage-based	—
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Support	Email, Live chat, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2	SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations	20 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AssemblyAI 2/5 · Deepgram Speech-to-Text 2/5
Speaker labels	✓	✓
API access	✓	✓
Offline transcription	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Desktop apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Capture modes	Not checked yet	Both
Supported languages	99	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	99 prerecorded transcription languages with Universal-2 Realtime WebSocket streaming plus diarization and word timestamps Translation, sentiment, entities, and key phrase analysis	Supports both real-time streaming and pre-recorded transcription Adds diarization, smart formatting, redaction, and keyterm prompting Offers REST, WebSocket, official SDKs, and broad integrations
Cons	API-only platform with no listed non-API application Free transcription is capped at 185 prerecorded hours Pay-as-you-go pricing may require usage monitoring	No ongoing free plan is listed Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales Growth pricing uses pre-paid annual credits
Our verdict	AssemblyAI provides APIs that convert prerecorded and streaming audio into text and structured speech data. It is designed for developers and organizations building voice applications, including meeting transcription, call analytics, AI… Read the review →	Deepgram Speech-to-Text converts live streams and pre-recorded audio into transcripts through an API. It is aimed at developers building conversational AI, contact center, healthcare, media transcription, speech analytics, and other… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AssemblyAI — where it wins

  • 99 prerecorded transcription languages with Universal-2
  • Realtime WebSocket streaming plus diarization and word timestamps
  • Translation, sentiment, entities, and key phrase analysis

  Where it doesn't

  • API-only platform with no listed non-API application
  • Free transcription is capped at 185 prerecorded hours
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing may require usage monitoring

• Deepgram Speech-to-Text — where it wins

  • Supports both real-time streaming and pre-recorded transcription
  • Adds diarization, smart formatting, redaction, and keyterm prompting
  • Offers REST, WebSocket, official SDKs, and broad integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • No ongoing free plan is listed
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Growth pricing uses pre-paid annual credits

• AssemblyAI9.0/10 · Paid

  A developer-focused API with transcription, streaming, and speech intelligence at $0.15/hour.

  Visit AssemblyAIFull verdict →
• Deepgram Speech-to-Text8.5/10 · Paid

  A flexible STT API with streaming, diarization, formatting, and custom models.

  Visit DeepgramFull verdict →