Side by side
Express Scribe vs Whisper
Both stand on ai transcription tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+1
Choose Express Scribe if you need a transcription player with timestamps, configurable playback controls and dictation handling across desktop platforms. Look elsewhere or consider a professional edition if your workflow depends on proprietary recorder formats, which are not included in the free edition.
Visit Express Scribe
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Whisper provides multilingual speech-processing capabilities as locally installable, MIT-licensed code and model weights. Performance varies by language, and the turbo model is not intended for translation.
Visit WhisperThe facts
| Express Scribe | Whisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Express Scribe Basic Annual Plan: $79.99 a year | See the plans |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | nch.com.au | github.com |
| On ai transcription tools | #3 of 46 | #1 of 46 |
Express Scribe: what it does well
- Runs on Linux, macOS and Windows.
- Variable-speed playback retains constant pitch.
- Supports keyboard hotkeys and professional USB foot pedals.
- Receives dictations through FTP, email or a local network.
- Works with SAPI-compliant speech-recognition software.
What to know first
- The free edition is limited to common audio formats.
- Proprietary recorder formats require a professional edition.
- The native Linux build may not support some proprietary formats.
Whisper: what it does well
- Supports transcription, translation and language identification
- Includes six model sizes with different tradeoffs
- Code and weights are MIT-licensed
- Offers command-line and Python interfaces
- Exports TXT, VTT, SRT, TSV, JSON and JSONL
What to know first
- Requires ffmpeg for installation
- Rust may be needed if a prebuilt wheel is unavailable
- VRAM needs range from approximately 1 GB to 10 GB
- Turbo is not trained for translation
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