Moonshine
Don’t want to install Moonshine? 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.
Tiny English ASR optimized for resource-constrained devices.
Best for on-device English captioning on Raspberry Pi class hardware. Pricing: free.
What it is
A family of fast, accurate English-only ASR models from Useful Sensors. MIT.
Watch out for: English-only; 27M params for the smallest model.
Install / use
pip install useful-moonshineWhat people actually do with Moonshine-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 | Yes |
| Streaming / real-time | Yes |
| Languages supported | 1 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Links
Moonshine vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Moonshine | 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 | Yes | No |
| Languages | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, Edge | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Moonshine
Frequently asked about Moonshine
Is Moonshine free?
Yes. Moonshine is free and open source.
Does Moonshine work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Moonshine runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and Edge.
How do I install Moonshine?
With pip: `pip install useful-moonshine`. You need Python and, for most audio tools, ffmpeg on your PATH first.
How many languages does Moonshine support?
Moonshine lists 1 languages.
Does Moonshine identify different speakers?
No. Moonshine 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 Moonshine give word-level timestamps?
Yes — Moonshine produces timing per word, which is what subtitle cues and clip boundaries need.
Can Moonshine transcribe live audio?
Yes — Moonshine supports streaming / live input, not just finished files.
Is Moonshine HIPAA compliant?
Moonshine 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 Moonshine?
English-only; 27M params for the smallest model.
Who is Moonshine best for?
On-device English captioning on Raspberry Pi class hardware.
Does Moonshine run offline?
Moonshine runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use Moonshine in the browser?
No — Moonshine is a Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and Edge application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the Moonshine source code?
On GitHub at github.com/usefulsensors/moonshine. It is maintained by Useful Sensors.
What kind of tool is Moonshine?
In this directory Moonshine is filed under edge, mobile, oss engine as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to Moonshine?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/moonshine-alternatives comparing Moonshine 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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