Assemblyai launches Universal-3 Pro Streaming at $0.45/hr for voice agents
What happened
Between the Mar 2, 2026 and Mar 9, 2026 captures of Assemblyai's pricing page, Pulse recorded 5 changes: Introduced Whisper-Streaming model at $0.30/hr as open-source Whisper enhanced with AssemblyAI infrastructure supporting 99+ languages; Introduced Universal-3 Pro Streaming model at $0.45/hr for voice agents with best-in-class accuracy and advanced prompting capabilities; Added Keyterms Prompting feature (included) for Universal-3 Pro Streaming to improve transcription accuracy with up to 100 words/phrases; Added Speaker Diarization add-on at $0.12/hr for streaming models to detect multiple speakers and segment transcripts; Added Prompting Beta add-on at $0.05/hr for controlling transcription behavior with plain language instructions. Pulse files it as a packaging change (new plan, feature added, new add-on) with an upward direction. Pulse's latest capture (Aug 24, 2026) lists Voice Agent API at $4.5 per hour + $4.5 per hour, Universal-3 Pro at $0.21 per hour of audio, Universal-Streaming Multilingual at $0.15 per hour of audio, Universal-3 Pro Streaming at $0.45 per hour of audio and Universal-2 at $0.15 per hour of audio.
Assemblyai's previous recorded change was "Assemblyai rebrands Audio Intelligence as Speech Understanding" (Week 7, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "Assemblyai unveils Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite model at competitive pricing" (Feb 9, 2026) and "Assemblyai Introduces Guardrails: New Product Category Consolidating Safety Features for Enhanced Transcription Security" (Jan 11, 2026). Assemblyai has been tracked since 2023-11-14.
In the same window Deepgram and Otter also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- — · PlanAdded
BeforeNo Whisper-Streaming model
AfterWhisper-Streaming model
- Universal-3 Pro Streaming · PlanAdded
BeforeNot listed
AfterUniversal-3 Pro Streaming model
- Universal-3 Pro Streaming · FeatureAdded
BeforeNo Keyterms Prompting feature
AfterKeyterms Prompting feature
- — · Add-onAdded
BeforeNo Speaker Diarization add-on
AfterSpeaker Diarization add-on
- — · Add-onAddedNo Prompting Beta add-onPrompting Beta add-on
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Plan | No Whisper-Streaming model | Whisper-Streaming model | Added |
| Universal-3 Pro Streaming | Plan | Not listed | Universal-3 Pro Streaming model | Added |
| Universal-3 Pro Streaming | Feature | No Keyterms Prompting feature | Keyterms Prompting feature | Added |
| — | Add-on | No Speaker Diarization add-on | Speaker Diarization add-on | Added |
| — | Add-on | No Prompting Beta add-on | Prompting Beta add-on | Added |
Values as written on Assemblyai's public pricing page in the two captures Pulse compared; where the page states no number, the cells give the wording before and after.
Evidence
The two captures Pulse comparedFull-page captures of Assemblyai's pricing page (assemblyai.com) from Mar 2, 2026 and Mar 9, 2026; the change is marked around the middle of the page, where Whisper-Streaming model now appears.
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Assemblyai, the last 90 days
Full history- Apr 1, 2026packagingAssemblyai Launches Medical Mode for Healthcare Transcription
- Apr 4, 2026packagingAssemblyai cuts flagship STT price 22% with Universal-3 Pro rebrand
- Mar 16, 2026packagingAssemblyAI adds Claude 4.6 Sonnet, Opus models to LLM Gateway
- Mar 10, 2026packagingAssemblyai launches Universal-3 Pro Streaming at $0.45/hr for voice agents · this change
- Week 7, 2026packagingAssemblyai rebrands Audio Intelligence as Speech Understanding
- Feb 9, 2026packagingAssemblyai unveils Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite model at competitive pricing
- Jan 11, 2026packagingAssemblyai Introduces Guardrails: New Product Category Consolidating Safety Features for Enhanced Transcription Security
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- DeepgramFeb 16Deepgram triples concurrency limits across all API tiers
- OtterJan 12Otter Decreases Pro Plan Price to $8.33/user/month and Increases Annual Billing Discount to 51%
- OtterJan 12Otter Reduces Video Replay Support to Zoom and Google Meet, Updates Enterprise Security Features to Include Upcoming HIPAA Compliance
- OtterJan 12Otter Reduces Enterprise Plan AI Chat Queries from 500 to 200 per User
- OtterJan 12Otter Expands OtterPilot for Sales Integration, Now Syncs Notes to Hubspot and Salesforce
Questions about this change
Did Assemblyai raise prices in March 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Mar 2, 2026 and Mar 9, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: new plan, feature added, new add-on.
What changed on Assemblyai's pricing page between Mar 2, 2026 and Mar 9, 2026?
Plan: No Whisper-Streaming model → Whisper-Streaming model, added; Universal-3 Pro Streaming plan: Not listed → Universal-3 Pro Streaming model, added; Universal-3 Pro Streaming feature: No Keyterms Prompting feature → Keyterms Prompting feature, added; add-on: No Speaker Diarization add-on → Speaker Diarization add-on, added; add-on: No Prompting Beta add-on → Prompting Beta add-on, added. Pulse compared the captures it took on Mar 2, 2026 and Mar 9, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does Assemblyai change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 3 other pricing-page changes for Assemblyai in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "Assemblyai rebrands Audio Intelligence as Speech Understanding" in Week 7, 2026; Assemblyai has been tracked since 2023-11-14.