60db vs AssemblyAI · prices from AssemblyAI's docs
60db vs AssemblyAI: an honest comparison
AssemblyAI is a speech to text specialist with a strong developer API and a wide set of audio features. 60db also does speech to text, but it is one part of a wider voice platform that also speaks, chats and remembers. This page lays out where each one is stronger, with the public prices, so you can pick for your own audio.
The Free plan includes 3,000 credits every month.
- 01AssemblyAI prices speech to text per hour of audio. 60db prices speech to text per minute, paid from a pool of credits.
- 02Garuda covers 40+ languages. In our own test on 9,997 Hindi clips it had a 12.95% word error rate.
- 03AssemblyAI has a bigger list of audio add-ons. 60db puts text to speech, chat and memory on the same key.
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Which one should you pick?
Pick AssemblyAI if your product mainly works with recorded or live audio that you need to understand. Its models are built for transcription, and its documentation is thorough. If your engineers want a speech to text API with many settings to tune, AssemblyAI is a strong choice.
Pick 60db if you need voice on both sides of a conversation. Garuda handles speech to text. Kaak handles text to speech. Vyas handles chat, and Smriti handles memory. They share one API key and one set of credits. If you run a voice agent that listens, thinks and talks, that is one vendor instead of three.
The best test is your own audio. Pick a real recording with two speakers, a product name and some background noise. Run it through both services. Then count the word errors and the bill at your real monthly hours. The rest of this page gives you the numbers to make that test count.
60db vs AssemblyAI at a glance
Each row says what the service includes. Where we could check it, the numbers come from each company's own documentation. Where AssemblyAI is ahead, the table says so.
| What you get | 60db | AssemblyAI | Who is ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech to text price | 25 credits per minute on Garuda. Plans from $6 to $99 a month, plus pay as you go | Universal-2 at $0.15 per hour. Universal-3.5 Pro at $0.21 per hour, pre-recorded | Depends on your volume. Compare the rates below |
| Speaker labels | Check the 60db docs for speaker labels on your plan and format | Speaker labels at $0.02 per hour extra | Check both docs and compare the cost |
| Keyterm boosting | Check the 60db docs | $0.05 per hour extra | AssemblyAI, for documented tuning |
| Free tier | 3,000 credits a month, with a commercial licence | $50 in free credits | Depends: a one-off $50 vs a monthly 3,000 credits |
| Languages for speech to text | 40+ | Check AssemblyAI's language list for your model | Depends on your language. Check both lists |
| Text to speech | Yes. 30 languages and 500+ voices | Listed at $15 per million input characters | 60db, for voice choice and languages |
| Voice cloning | Instant Voice Cloning is included on the Free plan | Check AssemblyAI's docs for current options | Check both before you decide |
| Chat and memory | Yes, on the same key | Not a core product | 60db |
| Concurrency | Free 1, Starter 5, Creator 10, Pro unlimited | Check their plans page | Check both plans |
| Team members | Unlimited team members | Check their plans page for seat rules | 60db |
| Hosted MCP server | Yes, at mcp.60db.ai with OAuth 2.1 | Check their docs | 60db |
| Audio add-ons on transcripts | Core speech features | A wider set of add-ons on top of transcripts. Check their current list | AssemblyAI |
| Live (streaming) speech to text | Check the 60db docs for live audio | Realtime model listed at $0.45 per hour | AssemblyAI, for a documented live price |
| Uptime and contracts | Paid plans include a 99.9% uptime SLA | Enterprise terms on request | Depends on your buyer's paperwork |
- Speech to text price
- 60db25 credits per minute on Garuda. Plans from $6 to $99 a month, plus pay as you go
- AssemblyAIUniversal-2 at $0.15 per hour. Universal-3.5 Pro at $0.21 per hour, pre-recorded
- Who is aheadDepends on your volume. Compare the rates below
- Speaker labels
- 60dbCheck the 60db docs for speaker labels on your plan and format
- AssemblyAISpeaker labels at $0.02 per hour extra
- Who is aheadCheck both docs and compare the cost
- Keyterm boosting
- 60dbCheck the 60db docs
- AssemblyAI$0.05 per hour extra
- Who is aheadAssemblyAI, for documented tuning
- Free tier
- 60db3,000 credits a month, with a commercial licence
- AssemblyAI$50 in free credits
- Who is aheadDepends: a one-off $50 vs a monthly 3,000 credits
- Languages for speech to text
- 60db40+
- AssemblyAICheck AssemblyAI's language list for your model
- Who is aheadDepends on your language. Check both lists
- Text to speech
- 60dbYes. 30 languages and 500+ voices
- AssemblyAIListed at $15 per million input characters
- Who is ahead60db, for voice choice and languages
- Voice cloning
- 60dbInstant Voice Cloning is included on the Free plan
- AssemblyAICheck AssemblyAI's docs for current options
- Who is aheadCheck both before you decide
- Chat and memory
- 60dbYes, on the same key
- AssemblyAINot a core product
- Who is ahead60db
- Concurrency
- 60dbFree 1, Starter 5, Creator 10, Pro unlimited
- AssemblyAICheck their plans page
- Who is aheadCheck both plans
- Team members
- 60dbUnlimited team members
- AssemblyAICheck their plans page for seat rules
- Who is ahead60db
- Hosted MCP server
- 60dbYes, at mcp.60db.ai with OAuth 2.1
- AssemblyAICheck their docs
- Who is ahead60db
- Audio add-ons on transcripts
- 60dbCore speech features
- AssemblyAIA wider set of add-ons on top of transcripts. Check their current list
- Who is aheadAssemblyAI
- Live (streaming) speech to text
- 60dbCheck the 60db docs for live audio
- AssemblyAIRealtime model listed at $0.45 per hour
- Who is aheadAssemblyAI, for a documented live price
- Uptime and contracts
- 60dbPaid plans include a 99.9% uptime SLA
- AssemblyAIEnterprise terms on request
- Who is aheadDepends on your buyer's paperwork
AssemblyAI prices come from its public documentation,. Its names and prices change, and third-party sites often show old rates, so confirm on AssemblyAI's pricing page before you commit. One 60db credit is one character of text to speech. Garuda uses 25 credits per minute of audio.
What 1,000 hours of audio costs on each service
This is a simple test. One thousand hours of pre-recorded speech, transcribed once. AssemblyAI bills by the hour, so the math is direct. For 60db, we turn minutes into credits and compare them with plan sizes.
| Option | Cost for 1,000 hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AssemblyAI Universal-2 | $150 | $0.15 per hour, before add-ons |
| AssemblyAI Universal-3.5 Pro | $210 | $0.21 per hour, before add-ons |
| AssemblyAI Universal-2 with speaker labels | $170 | Adds $0.02 per hour for speaker labels |
| 60db Garuda on the Pro plan | $99 a month | 60,000 minutes at 25 credits each is 1.5 million credits. The Pro plan includes 2 million |
- AssemblyAI Universal-2
- Cost for 1,000 hours$150
- Notes$0.15 per hour, before add-ons
- AssemblyAI Universal-3.5 Pro
- Cost for 1,000 hours$210
- Notes$0.21 per hour, before add-ons
- AssemblyAI Universal-2 with speaker labels
- Cost for 1,000 hours$170
- NotesAdds $0.02 per hour for speaker labels
- 60db Garuda on the Pro plan
- Cost for 1,000 hours$99 a month
- Notes60,000 minutes at 25 credits each is 1.5 million credits. The Pro plan includes 2 million
The 60db row assumes the job fits inside one month's Pro plan credits. That makes it a plan price, not a per-hour price. The comparison changes if your volume is smaller, or if you also need credits for text to speech. AssemblyAI rows assume no add-ons unless stated.
Hours, minutes and credits
AssemblyAI charges by the hour of audio you send. The rate depends on the model you pick. Speaker labels and keyterm boosting cost extra on top. Check each add-on you turn on, because they add up.
60db charges in credits. Garuda uses 25 credits per minute of audio. Text to speech uses one credit per character. Your plan gives you one pool, and that pool covers all three services. Pay as you go is there when the pool runs out. You get one bill, one balance and one key to rotate.
Accuracy changes with language, accent and background noise for any speech model. That is why we suggest a short test on your own audio before you plan a budget around either one.
What AssemblyAI does better today
A comparison that only lists our wins is an advert. Here is where AssemblyAI is the stronger choice.
Audio add-ons.
AssemblyAI offers a wider set of features on top of transcripts. If you want the insight and not only the words, check its current list against what you need.
Documentation for speech to text.
Its guides cover streaming, webhooks, speaker labels and many options in depth. Engineers who want to tune every setting will find more written down.
Free audio to test.
Its free tier is $50 in free credits. That is a one-off amount to trial with, while 60db's 3,000 credits renew every month.
Live captioning pricing.
AssemblyAI lists a realtime model at $0.45 per hour. If your product is live captions or meeting notes, that clear hourly price is easy to plan around.
Enterprise paperwork.
If your buyer needs a contract and a security review before a pilot, check what AssemblyAI offers for that process and compare it with ours.
What you gain by building on 60db
These are the reasons teams choose 60db for voice work. Each one ties to a feature you can check.
Speech in and speech out on one key
A voice agent needs to hear and to answer. 60db gives you Garuda for speech to text and Kaak for text to speech under one API key and one set of credits. You do not stitch two vendors and two invoices together to answer a phone call.
Chat and memory on the same account
Vyas chat and Smriti memory sit on the same account as speech. If your agent needs to remember a caller's last order, you add memory to the same key. With AssemblyAI you would add a separate language model and memory service.
Hindi accuracy with a number attached
In our own test on 9,997 Hindi clips, Garuda had a 12.95% word error rate. We have not run the same clips through AssemblyAI in this comparison, so test both on your own Hindi or Indic audio before you rely on any number, including ours.
Voice cloning on the Free plan
Instant Voice Cloning is included on the Free plan. If you need a voice that sounds like a specific person, check which option fits your rights to that voice and your budget, and compare it with AssemblyAI's current options.
A commercial licence from the first credit
The Free plan includes a commercial licence, so you can test a real product idea before you pay. Check AssemblyAI's terms for your use case and any limits on the models you pick.
Unlimited team members
60db does not charge per seat. Everyone on the team can use the same account. Check AssemblyAI's plans for seat rules if several people need access.
What it takes to start
To start with AssemblyAI, you create an account, get an API key, send audio or stream it, and read the model options. Its documentation walks you through each step. Plan time to choose the model and the add-ons that fit your product.
To start with 60db, you sign up, create an API key, and call the speech to text or text to speech endpoint. The same key works for chat and memory. Keep the key in your secret store, and rotate it when people leave the team.
A developer can make a first call on either service in an afternoon. The bigger job is the test set: real audio, real noise, real accents. Build that set once and use it for both vendors. It will save you from choosing on a demo clip.
How to run a test you can trust
Take 20 to 30 real files from your product. Include the hard ones: crosstalk, phone line audio, accents, product names and numbers. A test on clean studio audio tells you very little.
Score word errors the same way for both services. Write down the word error rate, and note where each service got a name or number wrong. Those errors often cost more than the average score suggests.
Add the bill to the same test. Multiply your real monthly hours by each price. Add the add-ons you will really use, such as speaker labels. Compare the total cost per hour of correct transcript, not only the list price.
Match the tool to the job
AssemblyAI suits a team that builds an analytics product on recorded calls, meetings or media. The audio features do much of the work, and the team wants to tune the transcript pipeline in detail. It fits product teams with data or machine learning skills who want the options.
60db suits a team that builds a voice product, such as an agent, a phone flow, an app with narration, or a tool that turns text into audio and back. The team wants one vendor for speaking, listening and answering. It fits small teams who need the voice loop working quickly.
Some teams use both. They might run a large archive through AssemblyAI's audio features, and run live voice on 60db. Keep the two behind one interface in your code, so you can switch later without a rewrite.
Costs beyond the per-hour rate
The per-hour rate is the number most people compare, but it is not the whole bill. Speaker labels, keyterm boosting and other features add to the AssemblyAI price. Check each one you turn on.
On 60db, the bill is one pool of credits. Speech to text, text to speech and chat all draw from the same balance. That is simpler to plan. It also means a big transcription job can use up credits you planned for voice output. Watch the balance during large runs.
Engineering time matters too. If you rely on a feature built into one API, such as summaries or redaction, building the same thing on the other side means extra code and extra testing. Count that work before you decide.
Before you sign up, ask
These questions work for AssemblyAI, for us, and for any other speech vendor.
What is the price per hour or per minute for my model, with the add-ons I need?
What happens to my audio?
Is it stored, for how long, and can I turn that off?
Which languages and accents were tested for the model I plan to use?
What is the uptime commitment, and what do I get if it is missed?
Can I export my transcripts and my data if I leave?
Test both on your own recordings
Pick ten real files from your product, including the hard ones. Run each through both services. Count the word errors and the cost per hour.
8 questions
60db vs AssemblyAI: common questions
Straight answers, including the ones where AssemblyAI comes out ahead.
It depends on the job. AssemblyAI's Universal-2 costs $0.15 per hour before add-ons, so 1,000 hours costs $150. A 60db Pro plan at $99 covers about 1,000 hours of Garuda speech to text if the job fits its 2 million credits. Smaller jobs can cost more on 60db, and very large jobs may need a bigger plan. Run your own volume through both price lists.
Run your own test today
3,000 free credits a month, a commercial licence, and speech to text, text to speech, chat and memory on one key.