Models and languages
Which model should I choose?
Pick a model by what matters most to you, privacy, speed, accuracy or a light footprint. Here is a cheat sheet.
3 min read
There is no single best model, only the best one for what you are doing. Find your priority in the first column and start there. You can always change it later, per mode.
| Your priority | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Least setup, good balance | Whisper Base, local | Small download, transcribes on device, the recommended default |
| Best accuracy offline | Whisper Large or Turbo, local | Highest quality without sending audio anywhere |
| Fastest on a Mac | Parakeet, local | Uses Apple MLX, very fast on Apple Silicon |
| Top accuracy, no download | OpenAI, cloud | Strong models, needs your API key and a connection |
| Fastest cloud | Groq, cloud | whisper-large-v3-turbo with very low latency |
| A tight, older laptop | Whisper Tiny, local | Smallest and lightest, trades some accuracy |
Rules of thumb
- If privacy matters most, choose a local model. Your audio never leaves your device.
- If you want the least fuss, Whisper Base is a solid balance of speed and accuracy.
- If your machine struggles, drop to a smaller local model or switch to a cloud provider.
- Keep a fast model for quick notes and an accurate one for long dictation, each in its own mode.
FAQ
Questions and answers
I just installed wispa. What should I start with?
Whisper Base, local. It downloads quickly, runs on your device and is accurate enough for everyday dictation. Move up or to a cloud model if you want more.
My transcriptions are slow. What helps?
Use a smaller local model like Base or Tiny, or switch to a cloud provider such as Groq, which is very fast because the work happens on their servers.
Which is most accurate?
A large Whisper model or a strong cloud model like OpenAI. The gap to a mid-size model is small for clear speech, so try Base first.