Head to head · Audio · updated Oct 15, 2026
AssemblyAI vs Deepgram
AssemblyAI scores 31 to Deepgram's 19 on public evidence for speech-to-text transcription, and they rank #2 and #3 there. Both are free to start. Numbers below are the same public signals the ranking uses, recomputed nightly — nothing here is sponsored.
AssemblyAI
A speech-to-text API with diarization, sentiment, chapters and an LLM layer for summarizing transcripts.
+ Strong accuracy plus built-in audio intelligence (speaker labels, chapters, PII redaction) and LeMUR for asking questions of a transcript.
− No consumer app, and per-hour pricing adds up on high volumes compared with self-hosted Whisper.
Deepgram
A speech-to-text and text-to-speech API built for low-latency streaming at scale.
+ Among the fastest real-time transcription APIs available, with diarization and keyword boosting built in.
− Developer-only; there is no end-user app, and accuracy on heavily accented speech trails Whisper-class models.
Side by side
public evidence| AssemblyAI | Deepgram | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence score / 100 | 31 | 19 |
| GitHub stars | closed source | closed source |
| Hacker News stories, 30d | 8 | 2 |
| Release-feed mentions, 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Last activity | – | – |
| Pricing | Free tier · Free credits; then per hour of audio | Free tier · $200 free credit; Nova STT from about $0.0043/min |
| Platforms | api | api |
| Maker | AssemblyAI | Deepgram |
Which one?
Pick AssemblyAI if
- you want the stronger public evidence (31 vs 19)
Best for developers building transcript analysis.
Pick Deepgram if
Among the fastest real-time transcription APIs available, with diarization and keyword boosting built in.
Best for real-time voice apps.