Compare Lab
AssemblyAI vs Hume AI
AssemblyAI is positioned as transcription APIs for live and recorded audio, with model-specific language and analysis options. Hume AI is positioned as hume TTS and EVI API sunset: announced access end November 13, 2026 at 05:01 U
AssemblyAI is positioned as transcription APIs for live and recorded audio, with model-specific language and analysis options. Hume AI is positioned as hume TTS and EVI API sunset: announced access end November 13, 2026 at 05:01 UTC. Retained for historical comparison and migration research. Start by deciding who owns the missing layers, then inspect the documented differences below.
STT and Voice Engines are different product categories. An underlying engine or framework is not a complete substitute for a deployed agent workflow.
17 jointly documented catalog fields. This measures evidence coverage, not equivalent quality or an overall winner.
TTS + EVI API sunset · Announced end: 13 Nov 2026, 05:01 UTC. Read notice & sources →
Test opening hours, booking conflicts and an unanswered transfer.
Start where the records differ.
Values and evidence states are compared together. Shared facts follow the differences; Unknown never means No.
| Decision point | AssemblyAI | Hume AI |
|---|---|---|
| Billing modelDifferent records | component-stack | monthly-bundle |
| Billing unitDifferent records | Async audio hours; streaming connection hours; agent session minutes; gateway tokens | Monthly subscription + EVI minutes / TTS characters / supplemental LLM usage |
| HIPAA pathDifferent records | Yes | Yes |
| WebhooksDifferent records | YesUnknown | YesAPI / webhook |
| Bring your telephonyShared state | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your modelShared state | Yes | Yes |
Your requirements & next steps
Your requirements
Ready-made / AI receptionist · Strict evidence mode
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STT hours/session duration, agent minutes, gateway tokens and add-ons remain distinct.
Subscription includes TTS/EVI/Voice allowances; overage and managed external LLM usage add cost.
Model rates are scoped; add-ons stack; reference states updated May 29, 2026 and conflicts are retained.
Free plan exists; paid entry is not a complete phone-call bill.
Idle streaming connection duration is billable. No fabricated all-in phone cost per minute.
Incompatible product allowances are not collapsed into one all-in minute price.
SSO costs $199 per connection per month; do not mistake no base fee for no fixed optional charges.
First-month Creator promotion is separate from regular price; Enterprise custom.
Not a fixed monthly audio allowance; credits do not expire.
Plan-scoped EVI allowance; does not include every third-party carrier/model charge.
No invented bundle overage.
TTS characters, EVI minutes and supplemental model usage remain separate.
Component choices and call mix must be specified.
Not yet researched against this buyer-critical field standard.
Not yet researched against this buyer-critical field standard.
No complete phone bill ceiling from minutes alone; carrier, model and addon scope vary.
No complete phone bill ceiling from minutes alone; carrier, model and addon scope vary.
Anyone with this link can view the encoded decision criteria.
Vendor documentation establishes a claim. Public model benchmarks are separate context, not measurements of these platforms.
Open saved comparison ↗What to verify together.
AssemblyAI
A transcription hour is not a complete agent hour.
Universal-2 async / Universal-Streaming $0.15/hour; U3.5 Pro async $0.21/hour; U3 realtime $0.45/hour; Voice Agent $0.075/min · V3.3 evidence review · Voice Agent API reference; standalone STT is hourly; transport/add-ons separate
Excluded / confirm: Complete cost cannot be established from this reference. No complete phone bill ceiling from minutes alone; carrier, model and addon scope vary. · Twilio carrier; optional custom/Gateway LLM; standalone STT add-ons and per-channel billing
STT hours/session duration, agent minutes, gateway tokens and add-ons remain distinct.
Hume AI
VoiceAgent.best recommends evaluating migration options rather than starting a new long-term TTS or EVI API deployment. This is our editorial judgment; replacement compatibility has not been established.
$3/month Starter; included EVI minutes and overage depend on plan · V3.3 evidence review · Starter subscription reference; EVI 40 minutes; external LLM/telephony extra
Excluded / confirm: Complete cost cannot be established from this reference. Selected external LLM, carrier, token/character consumption and overages prevent a complete cost ceiling from monthly minutes alone. · Hume-managed external LLM usage extra; BYO key/custom model paid outside Hume; Twilio separate
Subscription includes TTS/EVI/Voice allowances; overage and managed external LLM usage add cost.
The evidence overlap.
Both records have documented values for Product type, Call direction, Technical setup, Pricing model, Published numeric pricing, Bring your telephony, Twilio, Realtime / streaming audio, OpenAI models, Anthropic models, Google models, Bring your model and additional fields shown in Compare. Matching availability does not measure behavior under your call conditions.
Run the same booking, tool failure and unsuccessful human-transfer cases. Record both outcomes and billable units before signing a deployment agreement.
Review Hume API sunset & migration guidance →