faster-whisper vs whisper.cpp
Updated
Both are free, open-source fast speech-to-text tools. whisper.cpp is more popular (55k vs 26k GitHub stars). Pick faster-whisper if your team works in Python; pick whisper.cpp if you want the bigger community (55k vs 26k GitHub stars).
Side by side
 faster-whisper |  whisper.cpp | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Voice & audio | Voice & audio |
| GitHub stars | 26,133 | 54,667 |
| Stars this week | +143 | +156 |
| Last update | 1d ago | 6d ago |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Commercial use | ||
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Runs on Mac | ||
| Runs without a GPU | ||
| GPU memory | 2 GB+ | Not stated |
| Needs a paid API key | No | No |
| Self-hostable | ||
| Trending this week | – | – |
Hardware details are as stated by each project and may be incomplete.
Choose faster-whisper if…
Transcribes audio faster than OpenAI Whisper with CTranslate2.
- your team works in Python
Choose whisper.cpp if…
Port of OpenAI's Whisper model in C/C++
- you want the bigger community (55k vs 26k GitHub stars)
- you're on a Mac
- your team works in C++
FAQ
Is faster-whisper better than whisper.cpp?
Both are free, open-source fast speech-to-text tools. whisper.cpp is more popular (55k vs 26k GitHub stars). Pick faster-whisper if your team works in Python; pick whisper.cpp if you want the bigger community (55k vs 26k GitHub stars).
Which is better for commercial use, faster-whisper or whisper.cpp?
Both use permissive licenses (MIT and MIT), so both allow commercial use.
Do faster-whisper and whisper.cpp run on a Mac?
whisper.cpp runs on macOS, according to the project. faster-whisper doesn't say.
Are faster-whisper and whisper.cpp free?
Yes. Both are open source and free to use.