Quick Answer
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AssemblyAI costs Free to $0.21 per hour as of August 2026, with 3 plans available including a free tier. Plan: Free Tier (free). Enterprise pricing is available on request. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes

AssemblyAI offers 3 pricing tiers: Free Tier, Pay-As-You-Go, Enterprise. The Pay-As-You-Go plan is startups and mid-sized companies with moderate transcription volumes needing flexible billing.

Last verified: | Sources: 4 pricing pages and reviews
Freemium plan type

Yes, AssemblyAI offers a freemium plan as of August 2026. The free tier includes 6 features with limits on pre-recorded transcription and streaming transcription. Pricing verified from 4 sources by CostBench.

Freemium

AssemblyAI offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.

What's Included in the Free Plan

  • Up to 185 hours of pre-recorded transcription (no credit card required)
  • Up to 333 hours of streaming transcription
  • Access to Universal-3.5 Pro and Universal-2 models
  • Access to all add-on features
  • 5 new streams per minute for streaming
  • Community support via Discord
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Free Plan Limits

Limit Free Plan Paid Plans
Pre-recorded transcription 185 hours
Streaming transcription 333 hours
Max concurrent streams 5 new streams per minute
Support Community only
SLA None

You'll Need to Upgrade When...

  • You exceed the user limit
  • You need features like advanced automation
  • You require premium support or SLA guarantees
  • You need to remove branding or watermarks
  • You need advanced integrations or API access

Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan

  • ! AssemblyAI branding may appear on your content or communications
  • ! Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
  • ! Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
  • ! API access is typically limited or not available
  • ! Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans

Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?

Free Plan is Enough If...

  • You're an individual or very small team
  • You need only basic features
  • You don't mind usage limits
  • Branding on output is acceptable
  • Community support is sufficient

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is AssemblyAI free?

Yes, AssemblyAI offers a freemium plan with 6 core features included. However, there are limits on pre-recorded transcription, streaming transcription that may require upgrading.

02 What's included in AssemblyAI's free plan?

AssemblyAI's free plan includes: Up to 185 hours of pre-recorded transcription (no credit card required), Up to 333 hours of streaming transcription, Access to Universal-3.5 Pro and Universal-2 models, Access to all add-on features, 5 new streams per minute for streaming, and 1 more features. Key limits include Pre-recorded transcription: 185 hours, Streaming transcription: 333 hours, Max concurrent streams: 5 new streams per minute.

03 What's NOT included in AssemblyAI's free plan?

The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have AssemblyAI branding and limited support options.

04 When should I upgrade from AssemblyAI's free plan?

Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $0/hour.

05 Is AssemblyAI's free plan really free forever?

Yes, AssemblyAI's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.

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