AssemblyAI vs Deepgram (vs Gladia): Which speech-to-text API should you choose in 2026?
Blog post from Gladia
In the evolving landscape of speech-to-text (STT) APIs, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, and Gladia each offer distinct advantages tailored to different user needs. AssemblyAI excels in leveraging large language models (LLMs) through its LeMUR framework for advanced audio analysis, making it ideal for extracting insights from audio content, though its real-time transcription capabilities face limitations. Deepgram, focusing on real-time voice applications, combines speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionalities in a unified API, providing ultra-low latency suitable for real-time conversational AI. Meanwhile, Gladia positions itself as a pure-play STT provider, emphasizing multilingual transcription with native code-switching, robust data privacy by not using customer data for model training, and transparent, all-inclusive pricing. Each platform's strategic direction, pricing models, language support, and integration capabilities cater to different priorities, such as real-time performance, data privacy, and multilingual accuracy, influencing the choice for developers building voice-enabled applications.