Is Deepgram or Squadcast better?

Neither clearly leads. Deepgram starts at Free and Squadcast at $12/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Deepgram or Squadcast?

Deepgram has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Deepgram and $12/month for Squadcast.

Does Deepgram or Squadcast run on more platforms?

Deepgram runs on web, api. Squadcast runs on Web, Desktop.

Can I use Deepgram for free?

Yes. Deepgram has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Squadcast starts at $12/month.

What is Deepgram best used for?

Deepgram is most often used for building real-time voice agents for customer support, transcribing recorded audio at scale via batch stt, adding conversational text-to-speech to voice applications, self-hosting speech models for data residency requirements. Of those, building real-time voice agents for customer support and transcribing recorded audio at scale via batch stt are not what Squadcast is typically brought in for.

What can Deepgram do that Squadcast cannot?

Deepgram covers Flux speech-to-text, Flux text-to-speech, Voice Agent API, Real-time and batch processing. Squadcast covers Local recording, Progressive upload, Video recording, Screen sharing.

AI Tools · head to head

Deepgram vs Squadcast

Deepgram

AI Tools

Voice AI API platform for speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and voice agents

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Squadcast

Video & Audio Production

Professional remote recording for podcasters

From: $12/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Deepgram has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Deepgram pricing is entirely usage-based, so total cost can be harder to predict than flat subscription tools.; Squadcast free plan limited to 1 recording hour per editor per month and exports capped at 720p with watermarks
They diverge on capability: Deepgram covers Flux speech-to-text, Squadcast covers Local recording.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deepgram and Squadcast actually diverge.

Attributes where Deepgram and Squadcast differ
Attribute	Deepgram	Squadcast
Starting price	Free	$12/month
Pricing model	usage-based	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	web, api	Web, Desktop
Category	AI Tools	Video & Audio Production
Founded	Unknown	2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Deepgram

Flux speech-to-text
Flux text-to-speech
Voice Agent API
Real-time and batch processing
Self-hosted deployment
Audio intelligence

Only in Squadcast

Local recording
Progressive upload
Video recording
Screen sharing
Dolby audio
Cloud storage
Descript
Dropbox

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Deepgram

Building real-time voice agents for customer supportnot Squadcast
Transcribing recorded audio at scale via batch STTnot Squadcast
Adding conversational text-to-speech to voice applicationsnot Squadcast
Self-hosting speech models for data residency requirementsnot Squadcast

Squadcast

Remote podcast recording with per-editor hour-based billingnot Deepgram

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Deepgram

Pricing is entirely usage-based, so total cost can be harder to predict than flat subscription tools.
The Growth plan requires a minimum $4K/year commitment to unlock discounted rates.
Enterprise features and custom SLAs require a direct sales conversation rather than self-serve signup.
Some promotional per-minute rates are time-limited, meaning long-term pricing may differ from current promotional rates.

Squadcast

Free plan limited to 1 recording hour per editor per month and exports capped at 720p with watermarks
Hobbyist plan monthly price of $24 per person rises to $35 per person if paid monthly instead of annually
Recording hour rollover is capped at twice the plan's monthly hour allotment

Pricing, plan by plan

Deepgram

Free

Pay As You Go$undefined/mo
- $200 free credit to start
- No minimums or expiration
- No credit card required to start
Growth$undefined/mo
- Save up to 20% with annual pre-paid credits
- Minimum $4K/year commitment
- Credits applied against actual usage
Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Custom pricing for large-scale deployments
- Dedicated support and contracts

Squadcast

$12/month

Indie$12/month
- 5 hours recording
- Audio only
- Up to 3 guests
Creator$20/month
- 10 hours recording
- Audio + Video
- Up to 5 guests
Studio$44/month
- 25 hours recording
- All features
- Up to 9 guests

Which should you pick?

Choose Deepgram if

You need flux speech-to-text.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, api.
You also want flux text-to-speech.

Deepgram review

Choose Squadcast if

You need local recording.
You work on Web, Desktop.
You also want progressive upload.

Squadcast review

Questions people ask

Is Deepgram or Squadcast better?: Neither clearly leads. Deepgram starts at Free and Squadcast at $12/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Deepgram or Squadcast?: Deepgram has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Deepgram and $12/month for Squadcast.
Does Deepgram or Squadcast run on more platforms?: Deepgram runs on web, api. Squadcast runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Deepgram for free?: Yes. Deepgram has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Squadcast starts at $12/month.
What is Deepgram best used for?: Deepgram is most often used for building real-time voice agents for customer support, transcribing recorded audio at scale via batch stt, adding conversational text-to-speech to voice applications, self-hosting speech models for data residency requirements. Of those, building real-time voice agents for customer support and transcribing recorded audio at scale via batch stt are not what Squadcast is typically brought in for.
What can Deepgram do that Squadcast cannot?: Deepgram covers Flux speech-to-text, Flux text-to-speech, Voice Agent API, Real-time and batch processing. Squadcast covers Local recording, Progressive upload, Video recording, Screen sharing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deepgram: What does Deepgram cost?

Deepgram uses usage-based pricing starting with $200 in free credit, pay-as-you-go rates per minute or per character, a Growth plan with annual pre-paid credits requiring a $4K/year minimum, and custom Enterprise pricing.

Source

Deepgram: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

New users get $200 of free credit with no credit card required, which can be applied to speech-to-text, text-to-speech, or voice agent usage before any payment is needed.

Source

Deepgram: How is usage metered?

Usage is metered per minute of audio for speech-to-text and voice agent calls, and per 1,000 characters for text-to-speech, with add-ons like redaction and entity detection billed separately per minute.

Source

Deepgram vs Squadcast

Deepgram

Squadcast

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Deepgram

Only in Squadcast

What people use each for

Deepgram

Squadcast

Where each one falls short

Deepgram

Squadcast

Pricing, plan by plan

Deepgram

Squadcast

Which should you pick?

Choose Deepgram if

Choose Squadcast if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Deepgram

More on Squadcast

Keep looking

Other head to heads