AI model by Deepgram
Deepgram Nova-3 and Flux for business
Deepgram's speech-to-text models: Nova-3 for general transcription in 60+ languages, and Flux for voice agents with built-in end-of-turn detection.
- Reviewed on September 24, 2026
- Deepgram
Capability tiersRelative, not benchmarks
Key facts about Deepgram Nova-3 and Flux
- Model ID at review
- nova-3, flux-general-en, flux-general-multi
- Provider
- Deepgram
- Main category
- Speech
- Open weights
- No, available as a hosted service
- Last reviewed
- September 24, 2026
Fit
Where it fits and where it does not
Good at
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Real-time streaming transcription.
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Voice agents, with end-of-turn detection in Flux.
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Many languages, including switching mid-conversation in Nova-3.
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Custom vocabulary without retraining.
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Specialized medical versions of Nova-3.
Not the right choice for
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Generating speech, which needs a text-to-speech model.
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Summaries or answers on their own.
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Recording people without consent.
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Uses that need a transcript with no human review.
Use cases
Business use cases we would use it for
Phone assistants
Call center analysis
Our notes
When we would choose it
Deepgram offers two main speech-to-text lines at the time of review. Nova-3 is its general-purpose model, covering more than 60 languages, handling speakers who switch languages mid-conversation and accepting custom vocabulary without retraining. There are specialized medical and pharmaceutical versions. Flux is newer and built for voice agents, with end-of-turn detection inside the model. Flux Multilingual became generally available in April 2026 with 10 languages.
End-of-turn detection matters more than it sounds. A voice assistant that answers too early interrupts people, and one that waits too long feels slow. Building turn detection into the speech model makes that timing more natural.
Both models work for streaming and for pre-recorded audio, through REST and WebSocket APIs. Deepgram also launched its own text-to-speech in August 2026, which we have not reviewed here.
For transcription of recorded meetings, compare Nova-3 with OpenAI GPT Transcribe. For live voice agents, Flux is a strong candidate. Pair either with a language model and a voice such as ElevenLabs or OpenAI TTS.
Before launching a voice assistant, we would run test calls with real staff and customers, measure how often the assistant interrupts or waits too long, and check that callers are told they are speaking with an AI. See AI customer support.
Before you commit
Things to check before you commit
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Your own audio
Test real calls with your accents, noise and terms.
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Languages
Nova-3 covers 60+ languages. Flux Multilingual covers 10. Check yours.
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Consent and data
Get consent to record and check data terms for audio.
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Deployment
Deepgram mentions self-hosted releases. Ask if you need on-premise.
Alternatives
Models to compare it with
GPT Transcribe
OpenAI's current speech-to-text model, replacing Whisper and the GPT-4o transcribe models, with streaming and keyword or language hints.
ElevenLabs Eleven v3
ElevenLabs text-to-speech: the expressive Eleven v3 in 70+ languages, a real-time conversational version, and the low-latency Flash models, with voice cloning.
GPT-4o mini TTS
OpenAI's current text-to-speech model for turning text into natural spoken audio, at a low price level.
Keep exploring
Solutions, services and guides
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View all related services- Voice AI Speech to text, call summaries and voice assistants that take bookings or answer routine calls.
- AI workflows Step-by-step automations where AI handles the reading, sorting and drafting inside a process you control.
- Cross-platform apps One codebase for iOS and Android with React Native or Flutter, so both apps ship together.
- AI Product Development AI agents, knowledge assistants, copilots and document automation built into the way your team already works.
- Customer portals A secure place where your customers upload documents, check status, pay and message your team.
- AI agents AI that takes actions in your systems, such as qualifying leads or processing requests, with people checking the results.
Solutions
View all solutions- Meeting notes automation Transcribe meetings and calls, summarize decisions and push action items into your CRM or project tool.
- AI support agent An assistant that answers routine questions from your own content, checks orders and hands anything else to a person.
- Scheduling automation Let customers book, change and confirm appointments themselves, by web, chat or phone, with reminders that cut no-shows.
- AI lead qualification Score, research and route every new inquiry so your team talks to the best leads first.
- Feedback analysis Read every review, survey and ticket, group them by theme and sentiment, and show what customers keep asking for.
- Email triage Sort a shared inbox by topic and urgency, pull out the key details and draft replies for a person to send.
Industries
View all industries- Hospitality and travel Booking sites, guest messaging, review analysis and multilingual content for hotels, tour operators and travel businesses.
- Home services Booking, dispatch, quotes, invoicing and reviews for plumbers, electricians, cleaners and other home service businesses.
- Real estate Listing sites, lead handling, CRM automation and document workflows for agencies, brokers and developers.
- Vacation rentals Booking websites, owner and guest portals, turnover scheduling and guest messaging for rental operators.
- Healthcare Patient booking, intake forms, internal knowledge assistants and admin automation for clinics and care providers.
- Recruiting and staffing Candidate screening assistants, ATS integrations, interview notes and onboarding automation for recruiters and staffing firms.
Guides and articles
View all guides and articles- What can AI do for a small business? Practical AI uses for small businesses, from inboxes and documents to customer support, with costs and first steps.
- How to build an AI workflow with MCP servers Plan, connect and test an AI workflow that uses MCP servers, from a single task to a reliable process.
- AI chatbot vs AI agent What separates a chatbot that answers from an agent that acts, and when you need each.
MCP servers
View all mcp servers- Google Calendar Google's own Calendar MCP server lets AI list calendars and events, create, update and delete events, respond to invites and suggest times.
- Asana Asana's official MCP server lets AI search work, read and create tasks and projects, add comments and post project status updates.
- ClickUp ClickUp's official MCP server lets AI search the workspace, read and create tasks, track time, create docs and send chat messages.
- Discord A community MCP server that lets AI read and send Discord messages, react, send direct messages and manage channels through a bot.
- Gmail Google's own Gmail MCP server lets AI search and read threads, manage labels and create drafts. It has no send tool.
- Slack Slack's own hosted MCP server lets AI search messages, read channels and threads, look up people, draft or send messages and create canvases.
Glossary terms
View all glossary terms- Natural language processing Natural language processing is the field of AI that deals with understanding and generating human language, in text or speech.
- AI agent An AI agent is software that uses a language model to plan steps, call tools and act toward a goal, instead of only answering one question.
- Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence is the broad field of building software that performs tasks that normally need human judgment, such as understanding language or images.
- Chatbot A chatbot is software that holds a conversation with people through text or voice, answering questions or completing simple tasks.
- AI copilot An AI copilot is an assistant built into a tool people already use, which suggests, drafts and explains while the person stays in control.
- Automation Automation is using software to perform a task or process with little or no human effort each time it runs.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
Have a question that is not here? Ask us directly.
Nova-3 is general-purpose transcription in 60+ languages. Flux is built for voice agents, with end-of-turn detection built in.
Yes, through streaming WebSocket APIs, as well as pre-recorded audio.
Nova-3 accepts custom vocabulary without retraining.