Media Processing vs AssemblyAI
AssemblyAI is a speech-AI platform with streaming, speaker labels and audio-intelligence add-ons. Media Processing is a media toolkit: transcription and subtitles next to video and image processing, in the browser and over one API. Here is where each one is the better pick.
Side by side
| Media Processing | AssemblyAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $9/month for 1,500 bonuses; at most 30 bonuses per file | $0.15–$0.21 per hour of audio (batch); add-ons extra |
| What you pay for | Processing time per file: 2 bonuses, +1 per extra minute, capped at 30 | Per hour of audio |
| Free to start | A daily free allowance, no card | $50 credit, no card |
| Transcript formats | TXT, SRT, VTT, ASS, JSON | Text, SRT, VTT, JSON |
| Captions burned into the video | Yes | No |
| Real-time (streaming) transcription | No | Yes |
| Speaker labels | No | Yes, paid add-on |
| Languages | About 100 (Whisper), with auto-detection | 99 (Universal-2), 18 (Universal-3.5 Pro) |
| Longest file | 3 hours of media on paid plans, 30 minutes free | 10 hours, 5 GB |
| Browser app for people who don't code | Yes | Developer playground only |
| Video and image tools in the same API | Yes | No |
Where AssemblyAI is the better pick
- Real-time streaming transcription.
- Speaker labels, PII redaction, sentiment and other audio-intelligence add-ons.
- Files up to 10 hours and 99 languages on Universal-2, plus $50 of free credit.
Where Media Processing is the better pick
- Captions burned into the video in the same job, in four styles.
- Compress, convert, trim and resize video and images with the same key — and a browser studio for people who don't code.
- One price per file with a hard cap: however long it runs, a file never costs more than 30 bonuses.
Prices and features checked on 2026-10-07 from each vendor's public pages. Prices change — check the sources before you decide.
Sources: assemblyai.com · assemblyai.com · assemblyai.com · assemblyai.com
Same thing over the API
One header, one multipart request with the file, then poll the job or take a webhook. The same operation you just tried in the browser.
Questions
Is Media Processing cheaper than AssemblyAI?
It depends on the file. AssemblyAI charges per hour of audio — $0.15–$0.21 on its batch models, add-ons extra. Media Processing charges per file by processing time with a cap of 30 bonuses: on the monthly plans that is about $0.12–$0.18 at most for a file of up to three hours, and short files cost far less. For long recordings the cap usually wins; for speaker labels or audio intelligence, AssemblyAI has features we do not.
Does Media Processing transcribe in real time?
No — files only. For live captions from a stream, a streaming API such as AssemblyAI's is the right tool.
Can I get speaker labels?
Not today. AssemblyAI offers them as an add-on.
How hard is it to switch?
Both are REST APIs with the same shape: send a file, poll the job or take a webhook, download the result. With Media Processing the same key also compresses, converts and burns subtitles into video.