# whisper.cpp

Framework · https://godooo.ai/en/framework/whisper-cpp

> whisper.cpp is an open-source AI framework, launched in 2022, made for developers.

A dependency-free C/C++ port of OpenAI's Whisper for fast speech recognition on any device.

Main jobs: Speech to text. It is open source and free to use. You can use it offline on your own machine, on your own server, in the terminal and through an API.

## At a glance

- **Type:** [Framework](https://godooo.ai/en/browse#framework)
- **Launched:** 2022
- **Galaxy:** [Voice & Music](https://godooo.ai/en/galaxy/audio)
- **Open source:** Yes · MIT
- **Source code:** [github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp)
- **GitHub stars:** 53,902
- **How you run it:** Runs offline · Self-host · Terminal · API
- **Made for:** Developers
- **Website:** [github.com](https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp)

## What it can do

- **[Speech to text](https://godooo.ai/en/capability/speech-to-text)** — main job, _proposed by a machine, awaiting calibration_. “High-performance inference of OpenAI's Whisper automatic speech recognition (ASR) model” (read on [github.com](https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp), 2026-09-24)
- **[Run models locally](https://godooo.ai/en/capability/local-inference)** — supported, _proposed by a machine, awaiting calibration_. “fully offline, on-device” (read on [github.com](https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp), 2026-09-24)

## Alternatives

- **[Whisper](https://godooo.ai/en/model/whisper)** (Open source, free): Also does: Speech to text, Run models locally
- **[Descript](https://godooo.ai/en/product/descript)** (Free plan + paid upgrades): Also does: Speech to text; no code needed
- **[faster-whisper](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/faster-whisper)** (Open source, free): Also does: Speech to text
- **[llamafile](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/llamafile)** (Open source, free): Also does: Run models locally, Speech to text; no code needed
- **[LocalAI](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/localai)** (Open source, free): Also does: Run models locally, Speech to text
- **[Otter.ai](https://godooo.ai/en/product/otter)** (Free plan + paid upgrades): Also does: Speech to text; no code needed
- **[WhisperX](https://godooo.ai/en/cli/whisperx)** (Open source, free): Also does: Speech to text
- **[Fireflies.ai](https://godooo.ai/en/product/fireflies)** (Free plan + paid upgrades): Also does: Speech to text; no code needed
- **[Mistral](https://godooo.ai/en/model/mistral)** (Open source, free): Also does: Run models locally, Speech to text
- **[ElevenLabs](https://godooo.ai/en/product/elevenlabs)** (Free plan + paid upgrades): Also does: Speech to text; no code needed
- **[CapCut 剪映](https://godooo.ai/en/product/capcut)** (Free plan + paid upgrades): Also does: Speech to text; no code needed
- **[MarkItDown](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/markitdown)** (Open source, free): Also does: Speech to text

## Connections

- **Based on:** [Whisper](https://godooo.ai/en/model/whisper)

## Questions

### What is whisper.cpp?

whisper.cpp is an open-source AI framework, launched in 2022, made for developers. A dependency-free C/C++ port of OpenAI's Whisper for fast speech recognition on any device.

### Is whisper.cpp free?

Yes. whisper.cpp is open source (MIT) and free to use.

### Is whisper.cpp open source?

Yes, under the MIT license. The source code is at https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp.

### Can whisper.cpp run locally?

Yes. whisper.cpp can run offline on your own machine. It can also be self-hosted on your own server.

### What can whisper.cpp do?

Main jobs: Speech to text. It can also do: Run models locally.

### What are open-source alternatives to whisper.cpp?

Open-source ones: Whisper, faster-whisper, llamafile, LocalAI, WhisperX, Mistral and MarkItDown. Others: Descript, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, ElevenLabs and CapCut 剪映.

## Sources

- [github.com](https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp) — checked 2026-09-24

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Last updated 2026-09-24 · sources checked 2026-09-24 · Markdown version of https://godooo.ai/en/framework/whisper-cpp. Every page on this site has one: add .md to its address.