OpenAI Whisper vs Deepgram
An independent, side-by-side comparison to help you pick the right tool. Pricing, features, strengths, and trade-offs.
Free (open source) / API $0.006/min (whisper-1, removed from the API Feb 26, 2027)
Free $200 credit / Pay-as-you-go from $0.0043/min
$130M Series C (Jan 2026, $1.3B valuation)
User ratings
Not yet rated on G2
4.6/5
on G2 (440 reviews)
76% satisfaction
Source: G2.com. Ratings may change over time.
At a glance
| OpenAI Whisper | Deepgram | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free (open source) / API $0.006/min (whisper-1, removed from the API Feb 26, 2027) | Free $200 credit / Pay-as-you-go from $0.0043/min |
| Type | Transcription | Transcription |
| G2 Rating | n/a | 4.6/5 (440 reviews) |
| Team Size | n/a | 101-250 |
| Funding | n/a | $130M Series C (Jan 2026, $1.3B valuation) |
| Key Investors | n/a | AVP, Alkeon, In-Q-Tel, Madrona Venture Group, Tiger Global, Wing Venture Capital, Y Combinator |
Feature comparison
| Feature | OpenAI Whisper | Deepgram |
|---|---|---|
| 100 language support (including Cantonese) | No | |
| Local processing option | No | |
| Open-source model (MIT) | No | |
| OpenAI API access (whisper-1 deprecated; removal from the API on Feb 26, 2027) | No | |
| Speaker diarization (via community tools) | No | |
| Real-time streaming transcription | No | |
| Pre-recorded audio API | No | |
| Custom model training | No | |
| Speaker diarization | No | |
| Language detection | No |
What makes each tool different
OpenAI Whisper
Whisper changed the transcription landscape by providing a free, open-source model with near-commercial accuracy. It supports 100 languages, runs locally for privacy, and spawned an ecosystem of tools and services built on top of it.
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.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Free and open source
- Excellent multilingual accuracy
- Can run fully offline for privacy
Weaknesses
- Raw model requires technical setup
- No built-in speaker diarization
- CPU inference is slow without GPU
Strengths
- Fastest streaming transcription available
- Competitive accuracy
- Good developer experience and docs
Weaknesses
- Fewer features than AssemblyAI for intelligence
- Custom models require enterprise plan
- Pre-recorded Nova-3 ($0.0043/min) costs more than AssemblyAI Universal-2 ($0.15/hr)
Try both and decide
The best way to choose is to test each tool with your own workflow. Most offer free tiers or trials.