Mozilla DeepSpeech

Name: Mozilla DeepSpeech
Author: Mozilla

by Mozilla

Don’t want to install Mozilla DeepSpeech? 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.

The original open RNN-T from Mozilla — archived but historic.

Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS · free

Upstream is archived. Mozilla DeepSpeech’s repository has been set read-only by its owner, so there are no further releases, fixes, or security patches. The last commit landed 2025-06-19. It can still be cloned and run, and forks may be maintained elsewhere. See the repository.

TL;DR

Best for reference implementations + historical models for low-resource languages. Pricing: free.

What it is

The repo that introduced open-source streaming ASR to many developers. MPL-2.0.

Best for: Reference implementations + historical models for low-resource languages.
Watch out for: Archived; superseded by Coqui STT and modern E2E systems.

Install / use

pip install deepspeech

What people actually do with Mozilla DeepSpeech-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.

Transcribe a whole back catalogue in one runThe archive is the asset, but one-at-a-time upload means it never gets done.…1,000 hours ≈ $480, onceTranscribe every new file in a Drive folderFiles accumulate in a folder nobody opens, and the knowledge in them is invisible to search.…≈ $0.29 per audio hour on the $24 packCut short-form clips out of a webinar automaticallyThe clips worth posting are buried somewhere in a 60-minute recording and finding them by scrubbing costs more than the…60-min webinar ≈ $0.72

Wire it into Amazon S3 n8n Make.com Google Drive Zapier Slack

Features

Speaker diarization	No
Word-level timestamps	Yes
Streaming / real-time	Yes
Languages supported	2
HIPAA eligible	No

Links

GitHub repo ↗

Mozilla DeepSpeech vs Whipscribe

Feature	Mozilla DeepSpeech	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	2	99
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS	Web, API, MCP

Alternatives to Mozilla DeepSpeech

OpenAI Whisper

OpenAI

The reference open-source multilingual ASR model from OpenAI.

OSS · MIT ★ 108.7k

whisper.cpp

Georgi Gerganov

C/C++ port of Whisper — runs on anything, from a Raspberry Pi to Apple Silicon.

OSS · MIT ★ 53.5k

faster-whisper

SYSTRAN

4× faster than reference Whisper using CTranslate2 — production sweet spot.

OSS · MIT ★ 25.3k

Frequently asked about Mozilla DeepSpeech

Is Mozilla DeepSpeech free?

Yes. Mozilla DeepSpeech is free and open source.

Does Mozilla DeepSpeech work on Mac, Windows and Linux?

Mozilla DeepSpeech runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS.

How do I install Mozilla DeepSpeech?

With pip: `pip install deepspeech`. You need Python and, for most audio tools, ffmpeg on your PATH first.

How many languages does Mozilla DeepSpeech support?

Mozilla DeepSpeech lists 2 languages.

Does Mozilla DeepSpeech identify different speakers?

No. Mozilla DeepSpeech 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 Mozilla DeepSpeech give word-level timestamps?

Yes — Mozilla DeepSpeech produces timing per word, which is what subtitle cues and clip boundaries need.

Can Mozilla DeepSpeech transcribe live audio?

Yes — Mozilla DeepSpeech supports streaming / live input, not just finished files.

Is Mozilla DeepSpeech HIPAA compliant?

Mozilla DeepSpeech 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 Mozilla DeepSpeech?

Archived; superseded by Coqui STT and modern E2E systems.

Who is Mozilla DeepSpeech best for?

Reference implementations + historical models for low-resource languages.

Does Mozilla DeepSpeech run offline?

Mozilla DeepSpeech runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.

Can I use Mozilla DeepSpeech in the browser?

No — Mozilla DeepSpeech is a Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.

Where is the Mozilla DeepSpeech source code?

On GitHub at github.com/mozilla/DeepSpeech.

What kind of tool is Mozilla DeepSpeech?

In this directory Mozilla DeepSpeech is filed under toolkit, framework, legacy as a open-source tool.

What are the alternatives to Mozilla DeepSpeech?

There is a side-by-side page at /tools/mozilla-deepspeech-alternatives comparing Mozilla DeepSpeech 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.

Transcribe your recordings

Running Mozilla DeepSpeech yourself? Send the same file here and compare the transcript. Transcribe any language, any recording · Transcription services from $0.29 an hour · Transcribe from any meeting or recording platform · How to transcribe, step by step

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Long recording to get through?

One file up to 10 hours, as an upload or a link: see MP3 to text for long recordings, transcribing a podcast episode and the SRT generator.

Looking at paid options?

Before you choose a transcription tool or service: see an honest roundup of the best transcription services, the cheapest way to transcribe an hour of audio and our transcription service with prices and turnaround.