How To Use AssemblyAI? Complete Tutorial For Beginners (video)
Have you ever found yourself staring at hours of audio or video and wishing there was a fast, reliable way to turn all of it into clean, searchable text? That’s exactly the problem I was trying to solve when I tested Assembly AI. Whether you’re building an application, analyzing interviews, automating meeting notes, or simply trying to understand spoken content better, speech-to-text accuracy and speed matter a lot. You can still read full and honest review on AssemblyAI here
In this Assembly AI review, I’m sharing my real experience using the platform, walking through the exact steps I took, the features I tested, and what stood out to me while actually using it. Everything you’ll read here comes directly from what I demonstrated and explained during my hands-on review.
Assembly AI positions itself as a top-tier speech-to-text platform designed for developers and businesses that want reliable, scalable, and easy-to-use transcription and audio analysis. After testing it myself, I can clearly see why it’s often mentioned in that category.
What Assembly AI Is and What It’s Designed to Do
From the moment I started using Assembly AI, it was clear that this platform is built around one core goal: converting audio into text with industry-leading accuracy while also helping users understand that audio at a deeper level.
Assembly AI allows you to upload audio or video files and turn them into text very quickly. Beyond basic transcription, it also lets you identify speakers, format transcripts automatically, and extract insights from speech. What stood out to me during testing is that all of this can be done either through a no-code interface or through a developer-friendly API, depending on how technical you want to get.
This makes Assembly AI useful for very different types of users. If you’re a developer, the API and documentation are front and center. If you’re a beginner with no coding experience at all, the no-code playground gives you a way to transcribe files without touching a single line of code.
Why Assembly AI Stands Out for Transcription Accuracy
One of the main things I emphasized during my review is transcription accuracy. Assembly AI really shines here. The transcripts I generated were clean, readable, and well-structured, even before enabling any advanced options.
The platform supports multiple languages and includes advanced features like speaker diarization, automatic formatting, and audio intelligence. These are not just buzzwords on the website—you can actually see them reflected in the output once your transcription is complete.
From my experience, this level of accuracy makes Assembly AI suitable for serious use cases where you can’t afford sloppy transcripts, such as interviews, research, meetings, or application-level integrations.
Getting Started: Signing Up on AssemblyAI.com
The first thing I did was head over to the official website at assemblyai.com. Right on the homepage, there’s a clear button that says “Try our API for free.” Clicking that is how you begin the signup process.
Assembly AI uses a magic link login system. Instead of creating a traditional password, you enter your email address and receive a login link that expires after one hour. Once I clicked the link from my email, I was immediately taken into my dashboard.
This setup felt fast and frictionless. There was no complicated onboarding, and within minutes I had access to the platform and could start testing features.
Exploring the Dashboard and Free Plan Credits
Once inside the dashboard, I could see my account overview right away. At the time of recording, I was on the free plan, which clearly displayed my available credits.
In my case, I had spent $0 and still had $50 in credits remaining. This made it very easy to understand how much usage I had left and what my current limits were.
The dashboard also highlights different ways to get started, including code-based quick starts and low-code integrations. What I appreciated here is that Assembly AI doesn’t assume every user is a developer. The platform makes it obvious that there are multiple paths depending on your skill level.
No-Code and Low-Code Options for Beginners
One thing I made sure to show is that Assembly AI is not only for people who know how to code. In the quick start section, you’ll see options for low-code integrations using tools like Power Automate, Zapier, and Make.
However, if you’re a complete beginner with zero coding knowledge, the no-code playground is where things get really interesting. This is the part of the platform I focused on first because it allows anyone to test Assembly AI without technical barriers.
Using the Assembly AI Playground to Transcribe Audio
When I opened the playground, I was taken to a clean interface where I could upload an audio file directly. There was no setup required beyond selecting the file.
I uploaded an MP3 file from my computer and immediately had access to several configuration options before starting the transcription. This step is important because it shows how customizable the transcription process can be, even without code.
Choosing the Model Tier
One of the first choices you’re asked to make is selecting a model tier. Assembly AI offers different models depending on your needs.
There’s the Universal model, which provides high accuracy and supports multiple languages with advanced capabilities. There’s also the Slam-1 model, which focuses on the highest accuracy for English and includes fine-tuning support and customization.
During my test, I highlighted how this choice allows you to tailor the transcription process based on language and accuracy requirements. It’s not a one-size-fits-all setup, which is a big plus.
Language Selection and Automatic Detection
Next, I showed how you can choose the language of your audio recording manually or enable automatic language detection. This is particularly useful if you’re working with audio from different sources or aren’t entirely sure what language will be spoken.
Being able to toggle this option directly in the playground makes the transcription process much more flexible.
Enabling Additional Capabilities Before Transcription
Before clicking the transcribe button, Assembly AI lets you enable a wide range of additional capabilities. By default, Lemur is already enabled, which I’ll explain more in a moment.
Beyond that, you can turn on features like summarization, topic detection, auto chapters, content moderation, important phrase extraction, and sentiment analysis. During my walkthrough, I pointed out how useful these options are for content creation and studying.
For example, content moderation allows you to filter or disable profanities, while important phrase detection helps highlight key points in the transcript. These options make the output far more useful than plain text alone.
What Lemur Is and How It Works
Lemur is Assembly AI’s AI layer that works on top of your transcript. Once your audio is transcribed, Lemur allows you to ask questions, generate summaries, and extract additional insights directly from the transcript.
What makes Lemur especially powerful is that it works without requiring any coding. You simply upload your file, wait for the transcription to complete, and then interact with the transcript using natural language prompts.
From my experience, this feature is extremely helpful for people who want quick insights without manually reading through long transcripts.
Transcribing the Audio File
After setting everything up, I clicked the “Transcribe File” button. At this point, Assembly AI uploaded the file and ran it through their models.
The processing time was very short. Within seconds, the transcript appeared on the screen. This is where you can really see the speed and accuracy working together.
Reviewing and Playing Back the Transcript
Once the transcript was generated, I could scroll through it and review the text. There’s also an option to play the audio alongside the transcript, which helps you verify accuracy and see exactly where certain phrases occur.
This is especially useful if you’re working with interviews or long recordings and need to jump to specific sections quickly.
Interacting With the Transcript Using Lemur
Because Lemur was enabled, I was able to ask questions directly about the transcript. Lemur responds based on the content of the audio I uploaded, not generic assumptions.
This interaction layer is what turns a simple transcription tool into something much more powerful. Instead of just reading text, you can actively explore and analyze the content.
Viewing the Generated Code Behind the Scenes
Another part I demonstrated is the ability to view the actual code used to generate the transcription. Even though I was using the no-code playground, Assembly AI still shows the underlying code that powers the process.
You can see code snippets from start to finish, which makes it easy to understand how everything works behind the scenes. This is a great learning tool for beginners who want to transition into using the API later.
Supported Programming Languages
Assembly AI provides SDKs and code examples for multiple programming languages. During my walkthrough, I showed options for Python, JavaScript, Ruby, C, and PHP.
If you want to copy any of these code snippets, there’s a simple copy button that lets you grab the code instantly and use it in your own application.
Using Assembly AI Without Logging In vs With an Account
One interesting point I mentioned is that you can actually use Assembly AI without logging in. However, if you want to integrate the API into your own website or application, you’ll need to create an account.
Once logged in, you gain access to your API key, usage tracking, transcription history, and other account-level features.
Accessing Your API Key
Inside the dashboard, there’s a section where you can view and copy your default API key. This key is what you use to connect Assembly AI to your own applications.
Copying the API key is straightforward, and once you have it, you can start building custom integrations that use Assembly AI as a transcription service.
Monitoring Usage and Costs
Assembly AI provides clear visibility into your usage and costs. In the dashboard, you can see how many credits you’ve spent, how many remain, and a daily breakdown of usage.
At the time of testing, my usage was still at zero, but the interface made it easy to understand how costs would accumulate as I used the service more.
Transcription History and Account Overview
Another useful feature is transcription history. Any files you’ve previously transcribed appear in your account, making it easy to revisit or reuse them later.
This is especially helpful if you’re working on ongoing projects and need to reference past transcriptions.
Understanding Rate Limits and Model Usage
Assembly AI also provides detailed information about rate limits for different models. For pre-recorded audio transcription, there are limits on concurrent transcriptions and API calls.
For streaming speech-to-text, the usage limit is listed as unavailable, which effectively means it’s unlimited but only accessible to paid users. Lemur is also marked as a paid-only feature when viewed under the rate limits section.
This transparency helps you understand exactly what’s available on your current plan and what requires an upgrade.
Pricing Overview as Shown During Testing
During my review, I navigated to the pricing section through the platform. I showed the current plan details and the pay-as-you-go model.
The pricing displayed was $0.12 per hour, with an option to add credits as needed. All features included under the plan were listed clearly, making it easy to decide whether upgrading makes sense based on your usage.
Who Assembly AI Is Best For Based on My Experience
Based on my hands-on testing, Assembly AI is well-suited for developers who need a robust speech-to-text API, as well as businesses that require scalable and secure transcription services.
At the same time, the no-code playground makes it accessible to beginners, students, and content creators who just want accurate transcripts without technical complexity.
Watch the Full Video Review of Assembly AI
If you want to see everything I described here in action, I highly recommend watching the full video review.
In the video, you’ll be able to see the real Assembly AI interface, the live transcription process, and the exact steps I took while testing the platform. Watching the video gives you a visual understanding of how the dashboard, playground, and features actually work in real time.
