AssemblyAI Alternatives for Speech-to-Text Compared (2026)
AssemblyAI lists Universal-Streaming (English or multilingual) at $0.15 an hour and Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime at $0.45 an hour, both billed on session time (the whole time the connection is open), Universal-3.5 Pro for audio files at $0.21/hr, and $50 in free credits. The alternatives below: Deepgram Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048/min (about $0.29/hr, a promotional rate) or Flux at $0.0065/min, billed per second, with $200 in free credit; Soniox at about $0.12/hr real-time and $0.10/hr for files; Speechmatics Melia 1 at $0.40/hr real-time and $0.24/hr for files before discounts, with $100 in free credits; and Gladia at €0.68/hr real-time and €0.16/hr for files, with €50 in free credits. Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page.
AssemblyAI bills streaming for as long as the connection stays open, silence included. Before you compare hourly rates, check how long your agent keeps its sockets open.
Deepgram, Soniox, Speechmatics and Gladia compared with AssemblyAI on published speech-to-text pricing, streaming billing and free credits.
Deepgram- Starting price
- Nova-3 streaming $0.0048/min ($0.29/hr); $200 free credit
- Best for
- Streaming speech-to-text for voice agents
Soniox- Starting price
- ~$0.10/hr async; ~$0.12/hr real-time
- Best for
- Very low-cost speech-to-text
Speechmatics- Starting price
- From $0.24/hr pay as you go (as low as ~$0.12/hr with discounts)
- Best for
- Multilingual transcription with language switching
Gladia- Starting price
- Async from €0.16/hr; real-time €0.68/hr
- Best for
- Real-time multilingual transcription
STT models compared
- Price
- $0.0065/min (English)
- Latency
- Built-in turn detection
- Languages
- English or multilingual
- Price
- $0.39 / hr
- Latency
- ~150 ms partials
- Languages
- 90+
- Price
- $0.0048/min streaming (monolingual, promo; reg. $0.0077)
- Latency
- —
- Languages
- 45+ (Nova models)
- Price
- $0.21 / hr
- Latency
- Async (pre-recorded)
- Languages
- 18
- Price
- $0.017/min
- Latency
- Live transcription
- Languages
- —
- Price
- $0.30 / hr real-time
- Latency
- Built-in turn detection and VAD (real-time)
- Languages
- 55+
- Price
- $0.40 / hr real-time; $0.24 / hr files
- Latency
- Real-time or files
- Languages
- 56, switches mid-sentence
- Price
- $0.30 / hr files
- Latency
- Files (real-time coming soon)
- Languages
- 55+, tuned for clinical terms
- Price
- ~$0.12 / hr real-time; ~$0.10 / hr async
- Latency
- Real-time streaming
- Languages
- 60+ (translation included)
- Price
- €0.16 / hr async (real-time €0.68 / hr)
- Latency
- Async (files)
- Languages
- 100+
See all voice models · Latency and prices as each vendor publishes them.
What to check before you choose
- Compare add-ons, not just base rates. Streaming speaker diarization is +$0.12/hr at AssemblyAI and $0.0020/min (about $0.12/hr) at Deepgram; Soniox includes diarization and language ID in its rate.
- Close the connection when the call ends. AssemblyAI's pricing page says streaming is billed on session duration, so idle time counts.
- Check BAA terms before patient calls. AssemblyAI says its HIPAA BAA can be signed without a sales call at no extra cost; Deepgram signs BAAs for Enterprise customers; Speechmatics and Gladia list HIPAA among their certifications.
- Mind the currency and the volume tiers. Gladia bills in euros from prepaid credits, and its Solaria-3 file rate falls from €0.16/hr (under 100 hours a month) to €0.12/hr above 10,000.
- Want the whole agent from one vendor? AssemblyAI's Voice Agent API and Deepgram's Voice Agent API (Standard tier) are both listed at $0.075/min.
- Run a sample of your own call audio through each vendor's free credits. Published accuracy figures come from each vendor's own test sets, not your callers.
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Prices from vendors' official pricing pages, checked October 19, 2026. Not sponsored; order isn't a ranking.