Deepgram vs AssemblyAI
An independent, side-by-side comparison to help you pick the right tool. Pricing, features, strengths, and trade-offs.
Free $200 credit / Pay-as-you-go from $0.0043/min
$86M total
Free tier / Pay-as-you-go from $0.015/min
User ratings
4.6/5
on G2 (440 reviews)
76% satisfaction
Not yet rated on G2
Source: G2.com. Ratings may change over time.
At a glance
| Deepgram | AssemblyAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free $200 credit / Pay-as-you-go from $0.0043/min | Free tier / Pay-as-you-go from $0.015/min |
| Type | Transcription | Transcription |
| G2 Rating | 4.6/5 (440 reviews) | — |
| Team Size | 101-250 | — |
| Funding | $86M total | — |
| Key Investors | Madrona Venture Group, Tiger Global, Wing Venture Capital | — |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Deepgram | AssemblyAI |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time streaming transcription | — | |
| Pre-recorded audio API | — | |
| Custom model training | — | |
| Speaker diarization | ||
| Language detection | — | |
| Speech-to-text API | — | |
| LeMUR (LLM for audio) | — | |
| PII redaction | — | |
| Topic and sentiment detection | — |
What makes each tool different
Deepgram
Deepgram trains its own speech models from scratch (not based on Whisper), delivering the fastest real-time transcription API with competitive accuracy. Its streaming API processes speech with sub-300ms latency, critical for real-time voice applications.
AssemblyAI
AssemblyAI goes beyond transcription to provide audio intelligence: topic detection, sentiment analysis, entity recognition, PII redaction, and auto chapters. Its LeMUR feature lets you ask LLM-powered questions about transcribed audio.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Fastest streaming transcription available
- Competitive accuracy
- Good developer experience and docs
Weaknesses
- Fewer features than AssemblyAI for intelligence
- Custom models require enterprise plan
- Startup, long-term viability uncertain
Strengths
- Rich audio intelligence features beyond transcription
- LeMUR enables Q&A on audio content
- Excellent developer documentation
Weaknesses
- Higher per-minute cost than Deepgram
- No real-time streaming (batch only)
- English-focused accuracy
Try both and decide
The best way to choose is to test each tool with your own workflow. Most offer free tiers or trials.