Whisper API vs Deepgram
A side-by-side look at scores, pricing and features — with RECATOOLS' ASEAN-aware verdict for each.
Whisper API
OpenAI's open speech-to-text model; the hosted API retires in 2027
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Deepgram
Speech-to-text, text-to-speech and voice-agent APIs for developers
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| RECATOOLS Score | 8.3 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Capability | ||
| Value for money | ||
| Ease of use | ||
| ASEAN readiness | ||
| API quality | ||
| Pricing | Freemium | Usage_based |
| Free tier | The open-source Whisper model is free to run yourself under the MIT licence; the hosted API is paid | $200 one-time credit on Pay As You Go: no credit card, no expiry; promotional credits are non-transferable |
| Paid from | $0.006 a minute for the whisper-1 API (removal scheduled 26 Feb 2027) | Usage-based: Nova-3 batch $0.0043/min; streaming $0.0048/min promo (regular $0.0077) |
| Has API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free to use | ✓ | ✗ |
| Users | — | 200,000+ developers |
| Founded | 2022 | 2015 |
| Maker | OpenAI | — |
| Verdict | The open-source Whisper model is still one of the most useful pieces of speech technology available: free, MIT-licensed, multilingual and runnable offline through projects such as whisper.cpp and faster-whisper. It does... |
Deepgram is one of the strongest speech APIs for developers: fast, accurate, per-second billing, and a coherent stack for building voice agents, now with an APAC headquarters in Singapore and growing Southeast Asian lang... |
| Full review → | Full review → |
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Comparisons cover up to 4 tools. Scores are RECATOOLS editorial assessments; verify current pricing on each vendor's site.