Portkey vs. AssemblyAI

Learn why developers building Voice AI choose AssemblyAI’s LLM Gateway over Portkey’s LLMOps suite:

0% markup—no subscription tiers or per-request/log fees
Native speech-to-text in the same pipeline—one platform for audio and LLM
Automatic fallbacks, EU data residency by default, and opt-in zero data retention

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At a glance: Portkey vs. AssemblyAI

Model

AssemblyAI LLM Gateway

Portkey

Pricing

0% markup

Subscription + per-log/request fees

Models

25+ curated production models

1,600+ models, 250+ providers

Speech-to-text

First-party models—no extra hop

Routes to third-party ASR

Automatic fallbacks

Configurable per-model

EU data residency

Default-on for EU traffic

Configurable (enterprise)

Zero data retention

Opt-in, per request

Configurable (enterprise)

BAA available

Enterprise

OpenAI SDK compatible

Everything you get with the AssemblyAI LLM Gateway

0% markup

Pay provider token rates with no gateway markup, no subscription tier, and no per-log or per-request fees. The price you see is the price you pay.

Automatic fallbacks

Configure a primary model and any number of backups per request. If a provider errors or rate-limits, the Gateway retries the next model—no code changes.

Native speech-to-text

Transcribe with AssemblyAI’s own speech models and apply any LLM to the result in one pipeline—no second vendor and no extra network hop.

25+ frontier models

A curated, production-grade set from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Alibaba, Mistral, and more behind one OpenAI-compatible API—fewer models to vet, all ready for production.

OpenAI-compatible

Drop into any OpenAI SDK or HTTP client. Change a base URL and a model string, and the rest of your code keeps working.

EU data residency

Route requests through EU-resident infrastructure, on by default for EU traffic—not an enterprise-only configuration step.

Zero data retention

Opt into zero data retention per request or project-wide, so prompts and responses are never stored.

BAA available

Sign a Business Associate Addendum for applications that process PHI, backed by SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

Start building

Get your free API key and make your first Gateway call in minutes—no seats, tiers, or minimums.

Live demo

Pick a model. Take action on your audio.

The same transcript, four different jobs, four different models — all routed through one endpoint.

Prompt

What is runner's knee?

claude-opus-4-7 412 ms · 47 tokens

Based on the transcript, runner's knee is a condition characterized by pain behind or around the kneecap. It is caused by overuse, muscle imbalance and inadequate stretching. Symptoms include pain under or around the kneecap and pain when walking.

Want the gateway without the platform tax?

Get one OpenAI-compatible API with 0% markup and native speech-to-text—no subscription tiers, per-log fees, or per-request overages.

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Playground

We’re not playing around—but you can

Put our Voice AI models and the LLM Gateway to the test in our no-code playground.

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Frequently asked questions

: AssemblyAI’s LLM Gateway is a focused, managed API to a curated set of frontier models with 0% markup and native speech-to-text in the same pipeline. Portkey is a broader LLMOps suite—gateway plus deep observability, guardrails, and governance—priced with subscription tiers and usage fees. Choose AssemblyAI when you’re building on audio and want simple, no-markup access; choose Portkey when your primary need is deep observability and policy enforcement across many providers.
: For pure model access, yes: AssemblyAI charges 0% markup with no subscription or per-request fees, while Portkey monetizes through paid tiers, log volume, and per-request overages (its production plan starts at $49/month plus usage). Portkey’s pricing buys its observability and guardrails platform, which is more than a gateway alone.
: Yes—Portkey’s observability (detailed per-request traces and analytics) and its dedicated guardrails product (50+ checks) are more mature than AssemblyAI’s, and that is a genuine reason teams choose it. AssemblyAI’s advantage is elsewhere: 0% markup, native first-party speech-to-text, and default-on data governance for Voice AI pipelines.
: AssemblyAI, because it runs its own speech-to-text models and applies any LLM to the transcript in one pipeline—no second vendor and no extra network hop. Portkey can route to third-party ASR models, but it has no first-party speech model or audio intelligence.
: Portkey was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in mid-2026 and is being folded into its Prisma AIRS security platform, which may shift its roadmap and packaging toward enterprise security use cases. AssemblyAI’s LLM Gateway is an independent, Voice AI–focused product, which some teams prefer for vendor independence.
: Yes, with AssemblyAI: EU residency is on by default for EU traffic, zero data retention is available per request, and a Business Associate Addendum (BAA) is available for workloads that process PHI. Portkey offers a BAA and HIPAA support at its enterprise tier, and EU residency and ZDR are configurable there rather than on by default.