AssemblyAI

C
C tier on Transcription SoftwareScore 6.9 · #5 of 43
Android app
Not listed
Free plan
Yes
Paid plans from
$0.15/mo
Runs on
api, self-hosted, Web
assemblyai.com
The AssemblyAI homepage

Summary

AssemblyAI provides Voice AI models and APIs for speech-to-text, speech understanding, and voice applications. Its Speech Understanding API includes speaker diarization and identification, summaries, action items, sentiment analysis, key phrases, entity and topic detection, formatting, language detection, translation, PII redaction, and content moderation. The platform states that it covers 99 languages and translates into 86. It offers managed-cloud use or self-hosting inside a customer’s environment, with API access and integrations including Twilio, Zoom RTMS, Zapier, LangChain, and Vercel AI SDK. Documentation includes Python and JavaScript SDK guidance. Listed protections include TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, zero data retention, and an option to opt out of model training. AssemblyAI states that streaming and voice-agent latency is below 300ms. A free tier is available, and usage-based plans are billed monthly. Listed rates include $0.15 per hour for Universal-2 and $0.45 per hour for Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime. Free credits include $50 in audio credits, subject to connection and transcription limits.

Who it is for

It suits developers building speech-to-text or voice applications who want API access, multiple speech-understanding features, or self-hosting. The available SDK guidance is relevant to Python and JavaScript developers.

What is good

  • Covers 99 languages and translates into 86
  • Includes speaker identification and diarization
  • Supports managed cloud or self-hosting
  • Offers Python and JavaScript SDK guidance
  • Free tier includes $50 in audio credits

What to know first

  • Free tier limits streaming connections and concurrent transcriptions
  • Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime costs $0.45 per hour
  • Universal-3.5 Pro supports 18 languages

Verdict

AssemblyAI offers a broad set of speech and language features through APIs, with managed and self-hosted deployment options. A free tier is available, while paid rates depend on the selected model and usage.

AssemblyAI plans and pricing

All plans
Free credits Free $50 in audio credits · 5 new streaming connections per minute · 5 concurrent pre-recorded transcriptions support.assemblyai.com · 20 Sept 2026
Pay as you go — Universal-2 $0.15/mo Billed monthly based on actual usage; audio is prorated to the second 99 languages · 200+ concurrent pre-recorded transcriptions assemblyai.com · 20 Sept 2026
Pay as you go — Universal-3.5 Pro $0.21/mo Billed monthly based on actual usage; audio is prorated to the second 18 languages · 200+ concurrent pre-recorded transcriptions assemblyai.com · 20 Sept 2026
Pay as you go — Universal-Streaming $0.15/mo Billed monthly based on actual usage 5 new streams per minute on free accounts · 100+ starting sessions per minute on paid accounts assemblyai.com · 20 Sept 2026
Pay as you go — Universal-3.5 Pro Realtime $0.45/mo Billed monthly based on actual usage 18 languages · 100+ starting sessions per minute on paid accounts assemblyai.com · 20 Sept 2026
Free tier Free Up to 185 hours pre-recorded transcription · up to 333 hours streaming transcription · 5 new streaming connections per minute assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on transcription software

Free plan
Noassemblyai.com
Languages supported
99 languagesassemblyai.com
Speaker identification
Yesassemblyai.com
Timestamp support
Yesassemblyai.com
Export formats
SRT, VTTassemblyai.com
API access
Yesassemblyai.com

Facts

What it does
AssemblyAI provides Voice AI models and APIs for speech-to-text, speech understanding, and voice applications.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Language coverage
The platform states coverage across 99 languages and translation into 86 languages.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Scale
AssemblyAI states that its platform processes more than 800 million API calls per month.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Latency
AssemblyAI states sub-300ms latency for streaming and voice agents.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Security
AssemblyAI offers TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, zero data retention, and an opt-out from model training.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Compliance
AssemblyAI maintains an annually audited SOC 2 Type 2 report and conducts annual third-party penetration tests.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Deployment
Customers can run AssemblyAI in its managed cloud or self-host the models inside their own environment.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Billing
Pay-as-you-go billing has no minimum commitments, upfront fees, contracts, or monthly subscription requirement, and invoices are generated monthly for prior usage.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
Developer support
AssemblyAI provides documentation, an API reference, cookbooks, support resources, a changelog, and a service-status page.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026
SDKs
Official documentation provides Python and JavaScript SDK guidance.assemblyai.com · 1 Oct 2026

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