Deepgram pricing explained (2026): the real cost
verified 2026-06-02Transcribing 100 hours/mo of audio with Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048/min runs 100 x 60 x $0.0048 = $28.80/mo. The same 100 hours pre-recorded at $0.0077/min (~$0.46/hr) is about $46/mo. A 24/7 Standard Voice Agent at $0.075/min for ~10,000 conversation minutes/mo is about $750/mo. Prices verified 2026-06-02 against deepgram.com. prices change often, verify live
The tiers
Monthly and annual. The unit you pay against, per plan.
| tier | monthly | annual | what's included | unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go (STT - Nova-3) | Usage-basedverify live | n/a | $200 free credit, no card; Nova-3 streaming $0.0048/min, pre-recorded $0.0077/min; multilingual $0.0058/$0.0092 | per minute |
| Pay As You Go (TTS - Aura) | Usage-basedverify live | n/a | Aura-2 $0.030 / 1k characters; Aura-1 $0.0150 / 1k characters | per 1k characters |
| Pay As You Go (Voice Agent API) | Usage-basedverify live | n/a | Standard $0.075/min, BYO-TTS $0.065/min, BYO-LLM $0.056/min, Advanced $0.163/min | per minute |
| Growth | ~$333 ($4K+/year prepaid)verify live | n/a | Up to ~20% off PAYG rates via prepaid annual credits, higher concurrency limits | prepaid annual credits |
| Enterprise | Customverify live | n/a | Volume pricing, self-hosted/on-prem deployment, dedicated support, SLAs | custom (contact sales) |
// pools and per-unit rates are volatile · verified 2026-06-02 · cells flagged verify live link to the live vendor page
Headline per-minute rates are for the base Nova-3 model only; add-ons like diarization (+$0.
Headline per-minute rates are for the base Nova-3 model only; add-ons like diarization (+$0.0020/min), redaction (+$0.0020/min), and keyterm prompting (+$0.0013/min) stack on top, and multilingual/Flux models cost more, so a fully featured stream can cost well above the advertised $0.0048/min. The ~20% Growth discount also requires committing $4K+/year in prepaid credits.
See live pricing on Deepgram →Worth it if
- You are a developer building voice features (transcription, TTS, or voice agents) and want a fast, cheap, usage-billed API with optional self-hosting, rather than a no-code product.
- Your usage stays inside the included allowance.
- You value voice AI APIs over raw lowest cost.
Look elsewhere if
- Headline per-minute rates are for the base Nova-3 model only; add-ons like diarization (+$0.0020/min), redaction (+$0.0020/min), and keyterm prompting (+$0.0013/min) stack on top, and multilingual/Flux models cost more, so a fully featured stream can cost well above the advertised $0.0048/min. The ~20% Growth discount also requires committing $4K+/year in prepaid credits.
- You're highly cost-sensitive at scale.
- A cheaper tool in the comparison covers your use case.
Ready to try Deepgram?
Start on the free tier ($200 free credit on Pay As You Go, no credit card required, no expiration), then size your plan with the numbers above.
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Questions
How much does Deepgram really cost?
Transcribing 100 hours/mo of audio with Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048/min runs 100 x 60 x $0.0048 = $28.80/mo. The same 100 hours pre-recorded at $0.0077/min (~$0.46/hr) is about $46/mo. A 24/7 Standard Voice Agent at $0.075/min for ~10,000 conversation minutes/mo is about $750/mo.
Does Deepgram have a free tier?
Free tier: $200 free credit on Pay As You Go, no credit card required, no expiration.
What's the catch with Deepgram's pricing?
Headline per-minute rates are for the base Nova-3 model only; add-ons like diarization (+$0.0020/min), redaction (+$0.0020/min), and keyterm prompting (+$0.0013/min) stack on top, and multilingual/Flux models cost more, so a fully featured stream can cost well above the advertised $0.0048/min. The ~20% Growth discount also requires committing $4K+/year in prepaid credits.
Is Deepgram worth it?
Deepgram is worth it if you specifically need voice AI APIs. That's where it beats the alternatives. Transcribing 100 hours/mo of audio with Nova-3 streaming at $0.0048/min runs 100 x 60 x $0.0048 = $28.80/mo. The same 100 hours pre-recorded at $0.0077/min (~$0.46/hr) is about $46/mo. A 24/7 Standard Voice Agent at $0.075/min for ~10,000 conversation minutes/mo is about $750/mo. If your usage is high-volume or budget is the priority, a cheaper tool in the comparison will do the same work for less.