compare
Frenchie vs AssemblyAI.
AssemblyAI goes deep on audio intelligence. Frenchie keeps it narrow.
AssemblyAI is a transcription API with heavy audio-intelligence features — speaker diarization, sentiment analysis, content moderation, topic detection, summarization. If your product surface needs those, use AssemblyAI. Frenchie keeps the scope narrow on purpose: send audio or video, get clean Markdown back. Nothing else.
side by side
The shape of each tool.
| Dimension | AssemblyAI | Frenchie |
|---|---|---|
| Feature scope | Transcription plus diarization, sentiment, moderation, topics, summarization | Transcription to Markdown. Full stop. |
| Integration surface | REST API, SDKs for most languages | MCP tool native in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and every MCP client |
| Pricing model | Per-second tiered pricing plus add-on fees for audio intelligence features | Flat 2 credits per minute = $0.02/min |
| Ideal surface | Consumer-facing audio products, podcast apps, call centers | Agent workflows — Markdown in, Markdown out |
pick AssemblyAI
When AssemblyAI is the right call
- Your product surface shows speakers, sentiment, or content flags to end users — AssemblyAI's audio intelligence is a finished component.
- You need PII redaction, auto-chapters, or topic detection built in rather than layered on.
- You're building a consumer app where transcription is the product, not a step inside a larger agent workflow.
pick frenchie
When Frenchie is the right call
- You want transcription delivered as an MCP tool your agent can call — no SDK, no glue code.
- Your agent does its own summarization, sentiment analysis, or extraction on top of clean text — you don't need the extras baked in.
- You prefer simple flat pricing — no add-on feature fees to track.
together
Can you use both?
Reasonable combination: AssemblyAI for the consumer-facing product where diarization and sentiment feed directly into the UI, Frenchie for the internal agent workflow where Markdown is the right shape. Credit balance is separate from your AssemblyAI spend, so you can keep the billing clean.
questions
The ones that come up.
Does Frenchie have speaker diarization?
No. Frenchie delivers a single Markdown transcript. If your product needs labeled speakers, AssemblyAI or a similar audio-intelligence API is the right tool.
Is Frenchie cheaper than AssemblyAI?
At the base transcription rate, Frenchie is cheaper per minute. Once you turn on audio intelligence add-ons (sentiment, entities, moderation), AssemblyAI adds per-feature fees. Compare apples to apples on the features you actually use.
Can I get summaries from Frenchie?
Not directly — Frenchie returns Markdown, your agent summarizes. Since you're already paying an LLM for the agent, summarization is a prompt away.
Why not just use AssemblyAI?
Use AssemblyAI when audio intelligence is the product. Use Frenchie when clean transcription is a step inside a larger agent conversation.
See if Frenchie fits.
100 free credits on signup. No card. Try it against a real recording from your workflow — compare the transcripts side by side.