Vercel AI Gateway vs. AssemblyAI

Both pass through provider rates at 0% markup. Here’s what AssemblyAI’s LLM Gateway adds for Voice AI:

0% markup on both—plus native speech-to-text Vercel doesn’t offer
Transcribe and reason over audio in one pipeline—Vercel routes text, image, and video, not speech
EU data residency on by default and opt-in zero data retention

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At a glance: Vercel AI Gateway vs. AssemblyAI

Model

AssemblyAI LLM Gateway

Vercel AI Gateway

Pricing

0% markup

Speech-to-text

First-party models—no extra hop

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Models

25+ curated production models

Major providers via one API

Automatic fallbacks

Configurable per-model

Automatic failover

EU data residency

Default-on for EU traffic

Not documented as default

Zero data retention

Opt-in, per request

Team-wide add-on

BAA available

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OpenAI SDK compatible

Same 0% markup—plus native speech-to-text

Native speech-to-text

Transcribe with AssemblyAI’s own speech models and apply any LLM to the result in one pipeline. Vercel AI Gateway routes text, image, and video—but not speech.

0% markup

Like Vercel, AssemblyAI passes through provider token rates with no gateway markup—so you can lead with capabilities, not cost.

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.

25+ frontier models

GPT, Claude, Gemini, Qwen, Mistral, and more behind one OpenAI-compatible API. New models are added the day they launch.

OpenAI-compatible

Drop into any OpenAI SDK or HTTP client—no framework lock-in. 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 a team-wide add-on you have to enable.

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 framework required.

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.

Need speech in your gateway?

Get the same 0% markup you’d expect, plus native speech-to-text and default-on data governance in one OpenAI-compatible API.

Get your API key

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.

Explore Playground

Frequently asked questions

: Both are OpenAI-compatible gateways that pass through provider rates at 0% markup, so the difference is scope. AssemblyAI adds native, first-party speech-to-text in the same pipeline and default-on data governance, while Vercel AI Gateway is optimized for the Vercel and AI SDK ecosystem and routes text, image, and video—not speech. Choose AssemblyAI when audio is part of your product.
: Yes. AssemblyAI and Vercel both pass through provider token rates with no gateway markup, so price is not the deciding factor between them. The differentiators are native speech-to-text, EU data residency defaults, and zero data retention.
: 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. Vercel AI Gateway has no native speech-to-text, so audio apps would need a separate transcription provider alongside it.
: Vercel AI Gateway is a natural fit if your app already lives on Vercel and uses the AI SDK, since it integrates tightly with that stack and unifies billing on your Vercel invoice. AssemblyAI’s Gateway is framework-agnostic and purpose-built for pipelines that combine speech and LLMs.
: Yes. Point any OpenAI SDK at the Gateway, change the base URL and model string, and your code works unchanged—with no dependency on a specific framework or hosting platform.
: 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. Vercel offers team-wide ZDR and allowlist controls as add-ons rather than default-on per-request behavior.