Deepgram vs AssemblyAI
Agent-native side-by-side. Scores are curated estimates on a 0–10 scale. Lock-in: higher = worse. Prefer JTBD picks via /api/decide when choosing for a job.
| Dimension | Deepgram | AssemblyAI |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8.5 | 8.1 |
| Capability fit | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Price / performance | 8.8 | 7.2 |
| Latency / reliability | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Developer & agent DX | 8.6 | 8.8 |
| Privacy / data retention | 8.2 | 8.0 |
| Lock-in risk (higher = worse) | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Maturity / track record | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Pricing | As of 2026-09-22 (deepgram.com/pricing live): Flux TTS / Voice Agent promo ended; **Standard is live**. Flux TTS PAYG **$0.0450/1k** chars (Growth $0.0405); Aura-2 $0.030/1k; Aura-1 $0.015. Voice Agent Standard **$0.075/… | As of 2026-09-14: Async Universal tiers roughly $0.15–$0.21/hr; realtime higher (~$0.45/hr class); Voice Agent API ~$4.50/hr all-inclusive packaging on public pages. New accounts often get ~$50 credits. Strong LLM-ready … |
| Tagline | Default STT and strong voice-agent platform. Standard Flux TTS / Voice Agent rates live since 2026-09-15… | Great when you need STT + audio intelligence features. Deepgram usually wins raw $/min STT. |
Deepgram
Default STT and strong voice-agent platform. Standard Flux TTS / Voice Agent rates live since 2026-09-15 (confirmed 2026-09-22). Budget Voice Agent at $0.075/min Standard. Pair ElevenLabs/Cartesia if you need premium TTS voices. Strengths: Best-in-class STT pricing/quality; Voice Agent API; Clear public rate card; EU r
Strengths
- Best-in-class STT pricing/quality
- Voice Agent API
- Clear public rate card
- EU residency options
Weaknesses
- TTS less 'celebrity voice' than ElevenLabs
- Voice Agent Standard jumped post-Flux-TTS promo (2026-09-13+)
- Concurrency tiers
AssemblyAI
Great when you need STT + audio intelligence features. Deepgram usually wins raw $/min STT. Strengths: Excellent speech understanding add-ons; Developer DX; Voice agent packaging.
Strengths
- Excellent speech understanding add-ons
- Developer DX
- Voice agent packaging
Weaknesses
- Often pricier than Deepgram raw STT
- Voice agent bundle math varies
- Less TTS depth
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