March 18, 2026 6 min read 890 views
Deepgram vs AssemblyAI: Which One Is Actually Cheaper?
Both promise "accurate transcription." But the pricing math is very different.
You're building a transcription feature. Deepgram and AssemblyAI are the two big names. Both have free tiers, both claim 99% accuracy, both support 100+ languages. How do you choose?
The Short Answer
It depends on your use case. Here's the breakdown:
| Use Case | Winner | Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Short audio (less than 1 min) | Deepgram | ~40% |
| Long audio (more than 10 min) | AssemblyAI | ~25% |
| Real-time streaming | Deepgram | ~50% |
| Audio intelligence | AssemblyAI | Built-in |
Deepgram: The Good
- Nova-2 model is the fastest and cheapest option
- Excellent for real-time streaming (WebSocket)
- Simple per-minute pricing with no hidden fees
- Languages are priced equally (not cheaper for English)
Deepgram: The Gotchas
- No built-in audio intelligence (speakers, topics, summaries)
- Only base model is included in pricing
- Add-ons (formatting, punctuation) cost extra
AssemblyAI: The Good
- Audio intelligence is included (speakers, topics, sentiment)
- Le-M1 model is excellent for long-form audio
- Unconditional transcription works for any audio length
- Built-in summarization and entity detection
AssemblyAI: The Gotchas
- Can be 2x more expensive than Deepgram for short audio
- Language pricing varies (English cheaper than others)
- Streaming costs more than batch processing
The Verdict
Use Deepgram for real-time transcription, IVR systems, and short-form audio. Use AssemblyAI for long-form transcription, call center analytics, and content that needs audio intelligence built in.
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