AssemblyAI
by AssemblyAI
Universal-2 model + diarization, PII redaction, topic detection, summarization.
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TL;DR
Best for product teams that want transcription + NLP (summaries, topics, sentiment, PII) in one API. Pricing: from $0.37/hr.
Category
Transcription APIs
License
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Stars
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Last push
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Pricing
from $0.37/hr
Platforms
API
What it is
AssemblyAI ships its own Universal-2 ASR model alongside a rich NLP layer: speaker diarization, PII redaction, auto-chapters, topic detection, and sentiment. HIPAA-eligible with a BAA on higher tiers. Good pick for products that need the transcript to be a starting point, not the finish line. Last price check: 2026-04-20.
Best for: Product teams that want transcription + NLP (summaries, topics, sentiment, PII) in one API.
Watch out for: Per-minute cost rises with add-ons; proprietary model (Universal-2), so no self-host path.
Watch out for: Per-minute cost rises with add-ons; proprietary model (Universal-2), so no self-host path.
Install / use
Features
| Speaker diarization | Yes |
| Word-level timestamps | Yes |
| Streaming / real-time | Yes |
| Languages supported | 99 |
| HIPAA eligible | Yes |
AssemblyAI vs Whipscribe
| Feature | AssemblyAI | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Transcription APIs | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | Not verified | $4–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · $2 single unlock · 60 min free on signup |
| Speaker diarization | Not verified | Yes |
| Word timestamps | Not verified | Yes |
| Streaming | Not verified | No |
| Languages | 99 | 99 |
| Platforms | API | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to AssemblyAI
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