AssemblyAI review

Updated September 28, 2026 · DeployCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

AssemblyAI suits teams that want one OpenAI-compatible gateway with a broad model list and room for very long documents. Its overall score is 7.3, and input charges run $0.05 to $10 while the site median is €0.07, so entry cost sits mid group and the catalogue is the draw.

Key facts

Best for
A single OpenAI-compatible gateway over a wide model catalogue.
Input price from
$0.050 to $10↗
Output price from
$0.20 to $50↗
Models offered
Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.5, Opus 4.6, Opus 4.7, Opus 4.8, Opus 5, Opus 5.5, Sonnet 4.5, Sonnet 4.6, Sonnet 5, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Gemini 2.5 Flash, Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite, Gemini 3.6 Flash, Gemini 3.7 Flash, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Gemma-4-31b, Minimax M3, Kimi K3, Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B, Nemotron 3 Super 120B A12B, Nemotron Lightning 3.5 30B A3B, Nemotron Nano 9B v2, GPT OSS 120B, GPT OSS 20B, GPT-4.1, GPT-5, GPT-5 Nano, GPT-5 mini, GPT-5.1, GPT-5.2, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6 Luna, GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-5.6 Terra, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Luna, GPT-6 Sol, Qwen3 32B, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B, Qwen3.5 4B Fast, GLM-5.3, GLM-5.3 Flash↗
Largest context window
1,048,576↗
Free credits
$50 in free credits on signup, no credit card required↗
OpenAI-compatible API
Yes↗
Compliance certifications
SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS↗
Legal entity
AssemblyAI, Inc.↗
Headquarters
United States↗
Support channels
Email, Chat, Help-centre, Community↗
Official website
assemblyai.com

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A single OpenAI-compatible gateway fronts a catalogue that includes Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.5 and Opus 4.6.
  • Input charges run $0.05 to $10 and output charges run $0.20 to $50 on the same endpoint.
  • The largest context window reaches 1,048,576, ranking 11 of 72 brands on that measure.

Cons

  • Entry input price sits above the group median: $0.05 to $10 against €0.07.
  • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, which is thin for teams that want a voice line.
  • Audio, realtime and image generation models appear in the gpt 6 astra, gpt 6 luna and gpt 6 sol catalogue rather than the Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.5 and Opus 4.6 one.
AssemblyAI

Ready to try AssemblyAI?

Scored 9.3 / 10 by DeployCue.

Who it suits

  • Teams already calling OpenAI style endpoints who want to move provider without rewriting client code.
  • Product teams mixing cheap open-weight models with frontier ones over one endpoint.
  • Enterprise buyers who need SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS on file during vendor review.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Teams that need audio, realtime or image generation, where Azure AI Foundry lists those in gpt 6 astra, gpt 6 luna and gpt 6 sol.
  • Price-first buyers, since Salad lists an input price from $0.06 while AssemblyAI entry input charges sit higher.

Frequently asked questions

What does AssemblyAI charge for input and output tokens?+

Rates are set per model rather than through a single plan. Input charges run $0.05 to $10 and output charges run $0.20 to $50, so the cheapest small models and the largest ones sit at opposite ends of the same range. The site median for entry input price is €0.07 and for output €0.23.

Can I try AssemblyAI before committing to spend?+

Signups come with credits in the account and no credit card is required, so a short test run can be made without setting up billing first. Once those credits are used, spending follows the per model rates, with input charges running $0.05 to $10 and output charges running $0.20 to $50 across the catalogue.

Is the API OpenAI-compatible?+

The gateway exposes an OpenAI-compatible API, so most client libraries and model strings carry across with small edits. One endpoint fronts the catalogue, and the largest context window is 1,048,576. The provider is AssemblyAI, Inc., headquartered in the US.

How large a context window can I use?+

The largest context window across the catalogue is 1,048,576, which places AssemblyAI at 11 of 72 brands on that measure. That suits long documents and transcripts, though smaller models in the list sit well below the ceiling.

What certifications does AssemblyAI hold?+

Listed certifications are SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS, which covers the common enterprise procurement checks for security management and payment handling. Each of those is named for the gateway itself, so reviewers can raise them during vendor assessment rather than relying on general claims.

How do I get help from AssemblyAI?+

Support runs on email, chat and help centre. That mix suits self serve debugging through the help centre and community, plus direct email or chat for harder issues. There is no phone line in the list, so teams that depend on voice support should factor that into their choice.

How does AssemblyAI pricing compare with Salad?+

AssemblyAI lists input charges of $0.05 to $10 and output charges of $0.20 to $50, while Salad lists an input price from $0.06. On entry input price AssemblyAI sits at 28 of 71 brands tracked, so it is priced above the cheapest gateways and below the priciest.

Sources

  • assemblyai.com/contact/support checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Support channels

    “Please complete the form to create a support ticket with our team. You can also log in to your account to live chat with our team.”

  • assemblyai.com/docs/llm-gateway/available-models checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Largest context window, Input price from, Models offered, Output price from

    “Gemini 2.5 Flash | gemini-2.5-flash | Max Context 1048576”

  • assemblyai.com/docs/llms.txt checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: OpenAI-compatible API

    “Transcribe with Universal-3.5 Pro through OpenRouter's OpenAI-compatible transcription API”

  • assemblyai.com/legal/terms-of-service checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity

    “Notices to AssemblyAI shall be addressed to: AssemblyAI, Inc. Attn: Legal Department, 169 Madison Ave STE 38365, New York, NY 10016”

  • assemblyai.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Compliance certifications, Free credits

    “ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR - included; no premium pricing.”

Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

AssemblyAI

AssemblyAI

A single OpenAI-compatible gateway over a wide model catalogue.

9.3/10See alternatives