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Whisper vs whisper.cpp: catalog facts
Whisper	whisper.cpp
Free Free and open source, including the model weights.	Free Free and open source.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Runs locally, so audio never leaves your machine Transcription, translation to English and language identification	Transcribes speech fully offline No Python dependency
Command-line and Python setup, no graphical interface Larger models are slow without a capable GPU	Mainly a command-line tool with no bundled graphical interface Models must be downloaded separately
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.