Speech to text
Whisper: review, pricing, data and alternatives
Whisper transcribes audio recordings, recognizes the spoken language and translates recordings into English. It serves people who want to obtain transcriptions or produce subtitles with timestamps from audio. A free tier exists; the first paid plan costs $0.01 pay as you go. Access and transparency score: 95/100, #1 of 15 in its category.
What is Whisper?
Whisper transcribes audio recordings, recognizes the spoken language and translates recordings into English. It serves people who want to obtain transcriptions or produce subtitles with timestamps from audio.
According to its documentation, Whisper lets you:
- transcribe an audio recording
- recognize the spoken language
- translate a recording into English
- produce subtitles with timestamps
We file it under Speech to text, the category of tools to transcribe audio to text, and it also overlaps with aI translation and subtitles and dubbing. The category lists 15 verified tools on this site.
The publisher is OpenAI. The service launched in 2022, which gives it some track record.
Who is it for?
It is mostly useful to these profiles: developers, podcasters, video creators, and researchers. The need it covers is simple to state: transcribe audio to text.
Whisper 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 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 Whisper cost?
Pricing model: open source (public code). A free plan is offered, usually limited in volume or features.
The first paid plan costs $0.01 pay as you go (whisper-1 API, per minute of audio; model marked as deprecated but still offered. Free local execution), according to the pricing page, checked on October 24, 2026.
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 in several regions depending on the plan.
Exporting your content: yes (details on the official site). 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
Whisper runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, and API.
Interface languages are not specified.
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: openaiopenai/whisper.
How we scored it
Our 95/100 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 | 25/30 | free tier, published price, French interface |
| Openness | 30/30 | API, data export, open code |
| Trust | 40/40 | identified publisher, declared hosting, age, presence in reference lists |
The full calculation is explained on our method page.
Comparison with alternatives
Whisper against other tools in the speech to text category:
| Tool | Free | Entry price | API | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Vibe | Yes | not published | Yes | 68 |
| 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
Whisper is among the most accessible and transparent tools in its category.
Strengths
- Free tier to try it
- Public API
- Public source code
- Established since 2022
- Available on many platforms
Alternatives
- AssemblyAIfree tier
- Revfree tier
- Wispr Flowfree tier
- Vibefree tier
- Deepgramfree tier
- HappyScribefree tier
Categories and jobs
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Is Whisper free?
Yes, a free plan exists, with usage limits. The first paid plan costs $0.01 pay as you go.
Where is Whisper data stored?
According to the publisher, in several regions depending on the plan.
Does Whisper have an API?
Yes, a public API is documented.
What are the alternatives to Whisper?
In the same category: AssemblyAI, Rev, Wispr Flow, and Vibe.
Whisper or AssemblyAI: which one to choose?
Whisper starts at $0.01 pay as you go, AssemblyAI at $0.15 pay as you go and our score is 95/100 for Whisper and 78/100 for AssemblyAI. 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