AssemblyAI. Pricing model: Usage-based. Value metric: Per audio hour plus per-hour add-ons; LLM Gateway per 1M tokens.
At a glance
| Company | AssemblyAI |
|---|---|
| What it does | AssemblyAI speech + LLM Gateway |
| Pricing model | Usage-based |
| Value metric | Per audio hour plus per-hour add-ons; LLM Gateway per 1M tokens |
| Free tier | Free tier: up to 185 hours pre-recorded or 333 hours streaming transcription. |
| Pricing page | www.assemblyai.com/pricing |
Plans and prices
Prices as published on AssemblyAI's pricing page, checked 27 October 2026. They change often; check the live page before you rely on them.
| Plan | Price | Billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal-3.5 Pro (pre-recorded) | $0.21/hour | usage | |
| Universal-2 (pre-recorded) | $0.15/hour | usage | |
| Universal-3.6 Pro Realtime | $0.45/hour | usage | |
| Universal-Streaming | $0.15/hour | usage | |
| Add-ons | e.g. diarization $0.02/hr (pre-recorded), $0.12/hr realtime; PII text redaction $0.08-0.12/hr; medical mode $0.15/hr | usage | |
| LLM Gateway | Pass-through token prices (e.g. GPT-6 Astra $10/$50; Opus 5.5 $4/$20; GPT-5 Nano $0.05/$0.40) | per 1M tokens | In-region US/EU +10% |
Usage component. Feature add-ons priced per audio hour; volume discounts by contract.
How credits/tokens work. Prepaid usage; enterprise tiered pricing.
What changed in 2025–2026
2026: LLM Gateway lists 50+ third-party models at pass-through rates.
What you can steal
Pricing
Unbundled per-hour add-ons let customers pay only for features they use, at the cost of a long price list. Use add-on pricing where features have clearly different costs and buyers.
Sources
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The Subscription Playbook (ebook + audiobook) and Feed a Starving Crowd, instantly. In Australia? Claim the free hardcover.
Robert Coorey, MBA
Robert is the author of The Subscription Playbook and Feed a Starving Crowd and a Director at BPAG Accountants in Sydney. More about Robert.