Speech to text
Vibe: review, pricing, data and alternatives
Vibe serves people transcribing audio and video on their computers. It processes multiple files, transcribes microphone or system audio, creates subtitles, summarizes transcripts and translates speech into English. A free tier exists. Access and transparency score: 68/100, #5 of 15 in its category.
| Access | 20/30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Openness | 30/30 | |
| Trust | 18/40 |
What is Vibe?
Vibe serves people transcribing audio and video on their computers. It processes multiple files, transcribes microphone or system audio, creates subtitles, summarizes transcripts and translates speech into English.
According to its documentation, Vibe lets you:
- transcribe audio and video files on your computer
- process multiple files in sequence
- transcribe microphone or system audio
- create subtitle files
- summarize transcripts with a connected or local model
- translate speech into English
We file it under Speech to text, the category of tools to transcribe audio to text, and it also overlaps with subtitles and dubbing and aI summarisers. The category lists 15 verified tools on this site.
The service launched in 2024.
Who is it for?
It is mostly useful to these profiles: students, researchers, podcasters, and video creators. The need it covers is simple to state: transcribe audio to text.
Vibe is a good candidate if:
- you want to try before paying
- you plan to connect it to your tools or automations through its API
- you must keep your data in Europe or on your own machine
- you want to read the code or host it yourself
The best test is a concrete case from your daily work: if the tool does not beat your current method within a week, move on to an alternative.
How much does Vibe cost?
Pricing model: open source (public code). Basic use costs nothing.
To estimate what the same work would cost done directly with an AI model, use our API price calculator. Prices change often: always check the official site before subscribing.
Data and privacy
According to its privacy policy, data is processed on your device (local processing).
Local processing is the most favourable case: your files do not leave your machine for the features concerned.
Exporting your content: SRT, VTT, TXT, HTML, PDF, JSON, DOCX. Being able to get your data back makes switching tools easier later.
Three habits apply to every AI tool:
- turn off the use of your content for training if the option exists
- use a work account separate from your personal account
- review everything the tool produces before publishing or sending it
Platforms, languages and API
Vibe runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, and API.
The interface is available in 20 languages.
A public API lets you call it from your own programs or an automation tool, and plug it into an AI agent.
The source code is public: thewh1teaglethewh1teagle/vibe.
How we scored it
Our 68/100 score does not judge output quality: it measures what can be publicly verified about access to the tool, its openness and how far the publisher can be trusted.
| Criterion | Points | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 20/30 | free tier, published price, French interface |
| Openness | 30/30 | API, data export, open code |
| Trust | 18/40 | identified publisher, declared hosting, age, presence in reference lists |
The full calculation is explained on our method page.
Comparison with alternatives
Vibe against other tools in the speech to text category:
| Tool | Free | Entry price | API | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe | Yes | not published | Yes | 68 |
| Whisper | Yes | $0.01 pay as you go | Yes | 95 |
| AssemblyAI | Yes | $0.15 pay as you go | Yes | 78 |
| Rev | Yes | $0.25 pay as you go | Yes | 75 |
| Wispr Flow | Yes | $12 per month | Yes | 73 |
| Deepgram | Yes | $0 pay as you go | Yes | 65 |
| HappyScribe | Yes | £102 per year | Yes | 65 |
| Sonix | No | $10 pay as you go | Yes | 60 |
Verdict
Vibe is a decent option; compare its price and terms with the category leaders.
Strengths
- Free tier to try it
- Public API
- Public source code
- Local processing available
- Available on many platforms
Alternatives
- Whisperfree tier
- AssemblyAIfree tier
- Revfree tier
- Wispr Flowfree tier
- Deepgramfree tier
- HappyScribefree tier
Categories and jobs
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Is Vibe free?
Yes, a free plan exists, with usage limits.
Where is Vibe data stored?
According to the publisher, on your device (local processing).
Does Vibe have an API?
Yes, a public API is documented.
What are the alternatives to Vibe?
In the same category: Whisper, AssemblyAI, Rev, and Wispr Flow.
Vibe or Whisper: which one to choose?
Our score is 68/100 for Vibe and 95/100 for Whisper. Try both on the same task before paying.
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Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score