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local-ai

whisper.cpp

Voice & audio Intermediate Open source Free

An efficient C and C++ implementation of OpenAI's Whisper for local transcription, from the same lineage as llama.cpp. It runs Whisper well across CPU, NVIDIA, and Apple Silicon, which makes local speech-to-text practical on ordinary hardware.

Strengths

  • Efficient local transcription, including on CPU-only machines
  • Broad hardware support, from Apple Silicon to NVIDIA
  • MIT licensed, and widely embedded in other tools

Weaknesses

  • A library and command-line tool rather than a polished app
  • Setup rewards some command-line comfort
  • Inherits Whisper's quirks, such as hallucinating during long silences

At a glance

Licence
MIT
Pricing
Free
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux
GPU required
No

Links

Works with

Entry last verified 30 July 2026.