Meetings & transcription
subsai
Subtitle generation with a UI, a CLI and a Python API
★ 1.7k
April 2026
GPL-3.0
Meetings & transcription
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 23 Aug 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 31 Aug 2026We read the project's own documentation and found no sign that development has stopped.
Where this sits among the 68 tools we list in Meetings & transcription
- No API key required55 of 68
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed54 of 68
- Requires terminal commands46 that do not →
- Sends your input to the provider34 that do not →
Only 45 of the 68 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
Generates subtitles from audio or video through whichever interface suits the job — web UI for one-offs, CLI for batches, Python for pipelines — with a choice of Whisper variants so you can trade accuracy against speed, plus translation. Docker available. Try a short clip across a couple of models first; the right choice depends on your material. Local transcription stays local, but translation backends may not. GPL-3.0.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineRequired
- API keyNot required
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
subsai FAQ
- Is subsai free?
- Yes. It runs on your own machine, so there is no usage-based cost either.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use subsai?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does subsai work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use subsai commercially?
- The licence is GPL-3.0. Using it commercially is fine, but if you distribute something built on it you may be required to release that under the same licence. Keep it internal, or check before distributing.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| subsai (this page) | Required | Not needed | Yes | No | Yes |
| subtitler | Not needed | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| voice-pro | Required | Not needed | Yes | No | Yes |
| whisper-diarization | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.