ColossalAI
Don’t want to install ColossalAI? Drop the file here.
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.
Open distributed framework — supports Whisper LoRA fine-tunes.
Best for cheap large-model training across multi-GPU nodes. Pricing: free.
What it is
Distributed-training stack with 3D-parallel + ZeRO. Apache-2.0.
Watch out for: Less mature than DeepSpeed for inference.
Install / use
pip install colossalaiWhat people actually do with ColossalAI-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.
Wire it into Make.comGoogle DriveEmergentNotionYouTubeAmazon S3
Features
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | Yes |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | 99 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Links
ColossalAI vs Whipscribe
| Feature | ColossalAI | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 99 | 99 |
| Platforms | Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to ColossalAI
Frequently asked about ColossalAI
Is ColossalAI free?
Yes. ColossalAI is free and open source.
Does ColossalAI work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
ColossalAI runs on Linux. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond Linux.
How do I install ColossalAI?
With pip: `pip install colossalai`. You need Python and, for most audio tools, ffmpeg on your PATH first.
How many languages does ColossalAI support?
ColossalAI lists 99 languages. That is the Whisper-family multilingual set, so quality varies by language — English and the large European languages are strongest.
Does ColossalAI identify different speakers?
No. ColossalAI 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 ColossalAI give word-level timestamps?
Yes — ColossalAI produces timing per word, which is what subtitle cues and clip boundaries need.
Can ColossalAI transcribe live audio?
No — ColossalAI works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is ColossalAI HIPAA compliant?
ColossalAI 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 ColossalAI?
Less mature than DeepSpeed for inference.
Who is ColossalAI best for?
Cheap large-model training across multi-GPU nodes.
Does ColossalAI run offline?
ColossalAI runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use ColossalAI in the browser?
No — ColossalAI is a Linux application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the ColossalAI source code?
On GitHub at github.com/hpcaitech/ColossalAI. It is maintained by HPC-AI Tech.
What kind of tool is ColossalAI?
In this directory ColossalAI is filed under training, distributed as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to ColossalAI?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/hpcaitech-colossal-alternatives comparing ColossalAI with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
Whipscribe is a hosted transcription service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.
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