RexaThe short answer
These are different layers of the stack, not rivals. Deepgram sells the speech components and a Voice Agent API priced from 7.5¢ per minute, but does not provide telephony or phone numbers — you build the calling application yourself. Rexa.ai is the finished application: phone numbers, calling logic, compliance controls, recordings and live handoff for 10¢ per minute. If you are building your own product, Deepgram is a building block. If you want to run calls, Rexa is the product.
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Rexa.ai and Deepgram at a glance
| Rexa.ai | Deepgram | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A complete inbound and outbound calling platform | Speech-to-text, text-to-speech and Voice Agent APIs |
| Published rate | 10¢ per minute, all-inclusive | Voice Agent API from 7.5¢/min standard, 16.3¢/min advanced; speech-to-text from 0.48¢/min |
| Telephony and phone numbers | Included by default; bring-your-own carrier supported | Not provided; Deepgram is an API platform for developers to build on |
| Who builds the calling logic | Included in the platform | You do |
| Compliance controls | Calling windows, DNC checks, consent capture and audit evidence included | Not in scope for a speech API; you implement them |
| Free credit | Not offered; prepay starts at 100 | 200 free credit, no card required to start |
Who Deepgram suits better
Deepgram is the better fit if you are building your own voice product, already have or want to own the telephony and application layer, and need best-in-class speech components you can compose yourself. Its speech-to-text pricing is materially cheaper than any bundled platform rate because it is one component, not a whole call.
Who Rexa.ai suits better
Rexa.ai is the better fit if you want to make and receive calls rather than build the thing that makes calls — and if you would rather not own compliance, telephony and handoff engineering yourself.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Deepgram provide phone numbers?
- No. Deepgram provides speech-to-text, text-to-speech and a Voice Agent API for developers to build on, but it is not a telephony provider and does not supply phone numbers. You would pair it with a telephony provider and build the calling application. Rexa.ai includes phone numbers in its per-minute rate.
- Is Deepgram cheaper than Rexa.ai?
- Per component, yes — Deepgram’s Voice Agent API starts at 7.5¢ per minute and its Nova-3 streaming speech-to-text at roughly 0.48¢ per minute. But those prices buy components, not a working phone call. Add telephony, orchestration, compliance and your own engineering time before comparing against a bundled 10¢ platform rate.
- Can I use Deepgram and Rexa.ai together?
- They occupy the same layer for speech, so you would generally pick one path: build on Deepgram, or use Rexa.ai as the finished platform. Rexa.ai runs its own managed speech stack, which is why speech is included in the per-minute rate rather than billed separately.
Scope, limitations, and sources
Comparing a bundled platform rate to component API rates is inherently apples-to-oranges, and the table should be read that way: Deepgram’s per-minute figures do not include telephony, orchestration, or the engineering time to build a calling application, none of which Deepgram sells. Deepgram rates cited are Pay As You Go list prices; committed-volume pricing is negotiated. No latency or accuracy comparison is made, as neither can be established from pricing pages.
Sources
- Deepgram Voice Agent API rates ($0.075/min standard, $0.163/min advanced), Nova-3 speech-to-text streaming rate ($0.0048/min), $200 free credit, and that Deepgram is an API platform rather than a telephony provider. deepgram.com (accessed )
- Rexa.ai per-minute rate and what it includes. rexa.ai (accessed )
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