Meetings & transcription
WhisperLive
Near-live transcription of a microphone or an audio file
★ 4.3k
September 2026
MIT
Meetings & transcription
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 6 Sept 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 13 Sept 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 67 tools we list in Meetings & transcription
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed53 of 67
- Requires terminal commands45 that do not →
- Requires an API key54 that do not →
- Sends your input to the provider34 that do not →
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
Transcribes speech as it happens rather than after the fact, and also handles pre-recorded files. It supports word-level timestamps, custom vocabulary for names and jargon, and speaker diarization. The design splits into a server and a client, which you start separately - so setup is developer-oriented and needs Python or Docker. If you only want to transcribe a finished recording, a simpler tool will suit you better.
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 keyRequired
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
WhisperLive FAQ
- Is WhisperLive free?
- WhisperLive itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use WhisperLive?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does WhisperLive work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use WhisperLive commercially?
- The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhisperLive (this page) | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| whisper-web | Not needed | Not needed | Yes | No | Yes |
| distil-whisper-web | Not needed | Not needed | No | Yes | 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.