OpenAI's downloadable speech-recognition models and Python tools for local transcription and speech translation into English.
Official sources reviewed Oct 4, 2026 · Some details not confirmed
What runs locally
Free local transcription with downloadable model weights; no hosted minute allowance or account is needed.
Plan type
Free local software
Free allowance
Free local transcription with downloadable model weights; no hosted minute allowance or account is needed.
Download on free
Yes
Watermark on free
Not applicable
Commercial use on free
Not confirmed
Credit card required
No
Paid plan
The local package has no subscription. OpenAI's separate hosted whisper-1 transcription API costs $0.006 per audio minute.
READ THIS BEFORE YOU START
The limitation that matters
Code and model weights use the MIT license; that does not establish rights to every input recording or resulting transcript. Setup and local compute are required.
This listing covers the local package. Processing time and memory depend on model size and hardware; the repository lists roughly 1–10 GB VRAM across models. The command-line tool saves text, SRT, VTT, and structured transcript files. Hosted whisper-1 API use is billed separately.
Plan details can change. A source check confirms published information; it is not a hands-on quality review or a guarantee that the plan fits every project.
Check the original sources
These are the provider pages used for this record. An unconfirmed field means we could not establish a clear answer from the reviewed information.
The software is free to run on your own computer. Free local transcription with downloadable model weights; no hosted minute allowance or account is needed.
How much does Whisper cost?
The local package has no subscription. OpenAI's separate hosted whisper-1 transcription API costs $0.006 per audio minute.
Do I need a credit card to start using Whisper?
No. The reviewed official sources say no credit card is required to start.
Can I download what I make on Whisper's free plan?
Yes, according to the reviewed official sources. Check the export format and quality limits before relying on it.
What is the main limit of Whisper's free plan?
Code and model weights use the MIT license; that does not establish rights to every input recording or resulting transcript. Setup and local compute are required.
Local desktop and self-hosted AI workspace for document chat, retrieval, agents, and connections to local or hosted models.
Free local software
Free desktop and self-hosted software; local models avoid provider token quotas while using your own compute.
↳Building a private assistant over your own documents
Keep in mindMIT-licensed application code does not grant universal rights to connected models or outputs. Desktop is local; hosted multi-user service and external APIs have separate costs.
Desktop app and Python library for running downloaded language models and chatting with local documents.
Free local software
Free local model inference on your hardware, with no hosted prompt-credit quota.
↳Private document chat on a personal computer
Keep in mindThe app's permissive software license does not license every model or its outputs. Check each model's commercial terms and hardware requirements.
Open-source desktop assistant for downloading local models, building assistants, connecting tools, and serving a local API.
Free local software
Free local inference after downloading a model; no cloud account or per-prompt usage fee is required.
↳Local AI chat with optional cloud providers and tool connections
Keep in mindJan's Apache 2.0 code license is separate from downloaded model licenses. Output-use rights and hardware requirements vary by model; connected online tools require network access.