Head-to-head · facts checked 21 Sept 2026
AssemblyAI vs Auphonic
Auphonic uniquely has 10 features · AssemblyAI uniquely has 5 features.
From
$0.15/hr (pay as you go)
Free plan
No
From
$13/mo (Auphonic S)
Free plan
Yes
The verdict
AssemblyAI or Auphonic?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
AssemblyAI
Free Tier
Free
Up to 185 hours pre-recorded transcription and 333 hours streaming transcription, no credit card required
Universal-3.5 Pro
$0.15/hr
Highly accurate STT model, 99 languages, 12.5M+ hours training data, no minimum commitment
Universal-3.5 Pro
$0.21/hr
Most accurate async STT model, 18 languages, native code-switching, best-in-class speaker diarization
Enterprise / Custom
Custom
Custom rate limits, enhanced concurrency, enterprise-grade flexibility, volume discounts, AWS Marketplace available
Auphonic
Free
Free
2 hours a month, all basic AI algorithms, Auphonic jingle added
Auphonic Free
Free
2 hours/month, all basic AI algorithms, includes jingle, no speech recognition
Auphonic S (Yearly)
$13/mo · $132/yr
9 hours/month, all features including speech recognition, no jingle, priority processing
Auphonic M (Yearly)
$30/mo · $300/yr
21 hours/month, all features, priority processing
Auphonic L (Yearly)
$64/mo · $624/yr
45 hours/month, all features, priority processing
Auphonic XL (Yearly)
$136/mo · $1,356/yr
100 hours/month, all features, priority processing
Auphonic XXL (Yearly)
$290/mo · $2,940/yr
250 hours/month, all features, priority processing
One-Time Credits 5h
$12
5 hours one-time, never expire, $2.40/hr
One-Time Credits 10h
$23
10 hours one-time, never expire, $2.30/hr
One-Time Credits 25h
$55
25 hours one-time, never expire, $2.20/hr
One-Time Credits 50h
$100
50 hours one-time, never expire, $2.00/hr
One-Time Credits 100h
$171
100 hours one-time, never expire, $1.71/hr
Business
Custom
Custom
For everything else about each tool, read the full AssemblyAI review and Auphonic review.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
| HQ | San Francisco, USA | Graz, Austria |
| AI model | Universal-3.5 Pro (Proprietary) | Proprietary AI + OpenAI Whisper (speech recognition) |
| User base | Millions of developers | 2M+ |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Languages | 99 (Universal-2), 18 (Universal-3.5 Pro) | Multilingual — 100+ languages via Whisper speech recognition |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Freemium |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Starting price | $0.15/hr (pay as you go) | $13/mo (Auphonic S) |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing with custom rate limits, enhanced concurrency, and enterprise-grade flexibility | > 1000 h/mo (custom) |
| All plans | Free Tier — Free Universal-3.5 Pro — $0.15/hr Universal-3.5 Pro — $0.21/hr Enterprise / Custom — Custom | Free — Free Auphonic Free — Free Auphonic S (Yearly) — $13/mo Auphonic M (Yearly) — $30/mo Auphonic L (Yearly) — $64/mo Auphonic XL (Yearly) — $136/mo Auphonic XXL (Yearly) — $290/mo One-Time Credits 5h — $12 one-time One-Time Credits 10h — $23 one-time One-Time Credits 25h — $55 one-time One-Time Credits 50h — $100 one-time One-Time Credits 100h — $171 one-time Business — Custom |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Developers who want low per-hour transcription with redaction, word timestamps and a self-hosted option | Podcasters who want levelling, filler-word cutting and publishing to their host fully automated |
| Differentiator | Native code switching and highly accurate speaker diarization; async speech-to-text trained on 12.5M+ hours of audio | Fully automated AI audio post-production with loudness normalization, multitrack support, filler word cutting, and direct publishing integrations, all in one 1-click workflow requiring no audio engineering knowledge. |
| Competitors | Deepgram, OpenAI Whisper, Google Speech-to-Text, Amazon Transcribe, Rev.ai | Adobe Podcast, Descript, Cleanfeed, Hindenburg, Podcastle |
| Features | ||
| 1 Click Audio Processing | — | ✓ |
| AI Based Audio Algorithms | — | ✓ |
| Async Speech to Text | ✓ | — |
| Async Transcription | ✓ | — |
| Auto Renew Option | — | ✓ |
| Code Switching | ✓ | — |
| Free Tier (2h/Month) | — | ✓ |
| Multi Language Support | ✓ | — |
| One Time Credits (Never Expire) | — | ✓ |
| Recurring Monthly Credits | — | ✓ |
| Speaker Diarization | ✓ | — |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio Enhancement | ✕ | ✓ |
| Batch Processing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commercial Rights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages Supported | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✕ | ✕ |
| Music Generation | ✕ | ✕ |
| Noise Removal | ✕ | ✓ |
| Podcast Editing | ✕ | ✓ |
| Text to Speech | ✕ | ✕ |
| Transcription | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice Cloning | ✕ | ✕ |
| Voice Styles | ✕ | ✕ |
| Integrations | ||
| Adobe Audition | ✕ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Garageband | ✕ | ✕ |
| Key Integrations | AWS Marketplace, GPT (LLM Gateway), Claude (LLM Gateway), Gemini (LLM Gateway), Community LLM Models, Python SDK, REST API, WebSocket Streaming API | YouTube, Libsyn, PodBean, SoundCloud, Facebook, RSS.com, Acast, Scrybecast, Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, FTP/SFTP, Zapier, external service integrations API |
| Zapier | — | ✓ |
Section 02
AssemblyAI vs Auphonic: common questions
Is AssemblyAI or Auphonic cheaper?
AssemblyAI's cheapest paid plan is $0.15/hr (pay as you go) and Auphonic's is $13/mo (Auphonic S). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Keep comparing
More AssemblyAI matchups
