AISHELL-1
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The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free: a recording up to 20 minutes transcribes in full, a longer one is previewed, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export, and credits never expire.
178h Mandarin read-speech corpus — open Chinese ASR baseline.
Best for open Mandarin ASR benchmark — the LibriSpeech-equivalent for Chinese. Pricing: free.
What it is
AISHELL-1 (OpenSLR-33) is 178h of read Mandarin from 400 speakers. The canonical open Mandarin ASR benchmark. License: Apache-2.0.
Watch out for: Apache-2.0 · read prompts · 400 speakers · single language (Mandarin). Cite: Bu et al., O-COCOSDA 2017.
Install / use
from datasets import load_dataset; ds = load_dataset('AISHELL/AISHELL-1')What people actually do with AISHELL-1-style transcription
The tool is the means. These are the jobs — each one priced at published rates, each one wired up on its own page.
Features
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | 1 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
AISHELL-1 vs Whipscribe
| Feature | AISHELL-1 | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | No | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | No | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | OpenSLR, HuggingFace | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to AISHELL-1
Frequently asked about AISHELL-1
Is AISHELL-1 free?
Yes. AISHELL-1 is free and open source.
Does AISHELL-1 work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
AISHELL-1 runs on OpenSLR and HuggingFace. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond OpenSLR and HuggingFace.
How do I install AISHELL-1?
Download the installer for your platform from the vendor. No terminal needed.
How many languages does AISHELL-1 support?
AISHELL-1 lists 1 languages.
Does AISHELL-1 identify different speakers?
No. AISHELL-1 does not label speakers; a conversation comes back as one continuous text. If you need speaker labels, that is a separate tool or a different service.
Does AISHELL-1 give word-level timestamps?
No — AISHELL-1 produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can AISHELL-1 transcribe live audio?
No — AISHELL-1 works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is AISHELL-1 HIPAA compliant?
AISHELL-1 does not claim HIPAA compliance. For PHI, run it on infrastructure you control or choose a service that will sign a BAA.
What are the limitations of AISHELL-1?
Apache-2.0 · read prompts · 400 speakers · single language (Mandarin). Cite: Bu et al., O-COCOSDA 2017.
Who is AISHELL-1 best for?
Open Mandarin ASR benchmark — the LibriSpeech-equivalent for Chinese.
Does AISHELL-1 run offline?
AISHELL-1 runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use AISHELL-1 in the browser?
No — AISHELL-1 is a OpenSLR and HuggingFace application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Who makes AISHELL-1?
AISHELL-1 is made by Beijing Shell Shell Technology.
What kind of tool is AISHELL-1?
In this directory AISHELL-1 is filed under dataset as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to AISHELL-1?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/aishell-1-alternatives comparing AISHELL-1 with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
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