Piper (Rhasspy)
Don’t want to install Piper? 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.
Fast, on-device neural TTS optimized for Raspberry Pi 4.
Upstream is archived. Piper (Rhasspy)’s repository has been set read-only by its owner, so there are no further releases, fixes, or security patches. The last commit landed 2025-08-26. It can still be cloned and run, and forks may be maintained elsewhere. See the repository.
Best for home Assistant / Wyoming-protocol setups needing fast offline TTS on a Pi 4. Pricing: free (MIT).
What it is
Piper is Rhasspy's current-generation TTS, optimized for Raspberry Pi 4-class hardware. Wyoming-protocol support makes it a drop-in TTS for Home Assistant Assist alongside Vosk for STT. 30+ languages and ~100 voices. MIT. Consent posture: synthetic-only — no cloning surface.
Watch out for: Synthetic voices only — no cloning surface.
Install / use
Download from github.com/rhasspy/piper/releases
What people actually do with Piper (Rhasspy)-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 | 30 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Links
Piper (Rhasspy) vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Piper (Rhasspy) | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free (MIT) | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | — | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | — | Yes |
| Streaming | — | No |
| Languages | 30 | 99 |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows, Raspberry Pi | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Piper (Rhasspy)
Frequently asked about Piper (Rhasspy)
Is Piper (Rhasspy) free?
Yes. Piper (Rhasspy) is free and open source (free (MIT)).
Does Piper (Rhasspy) work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Piper (Rhasspy) runs on Linux, macOS, Windows and Raspberry Pi.
How many languages does Piper (Rhasspy) support?
Piper (Rhasspy) lists 30 languages.
Does Piper (Rhasspy) identify different speakers?
No. Piper (Rhasspy) 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 Piper (Rhasspy) give word-level timestamps?
No — Piper (Rhasspy) produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can Piper (Rhasspy) transcribe live audio?
No — Piper (Rhasspy) works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is Piper (Rhasspy) HIPAA compliant?
Piper (Rhasspy) 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 Piper (Rhasspy)?
Synthetic voices only — no cloning surface.
Who is Piper (Rhasspy) best for?
Home Assistant / Wyoming-protocol setups needing fast offline TTS on a Pi 4.
Does Piper (Rhasspy) run offline?
Piper (Rhasspy) runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use Piper (Rhasspy) in the browser?
No — Piper (Rhasspy) is a Linux, macOS, Windows and Raspberry Pi application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the Piper (Rhasspy) source code?
On GitHub at github.com/rhasspy/piper.
What kind of tool is Piper (Rhasspy)?
In this directory Piper (Rhasspy) is filed under tts as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to Piper (Rhasspy)?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/piper-tts-alternatives comparing Piper (Rhasspy) with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
Can I automate Piper (Rhasspy)-style transcription without running it myself?
Yes. If what you want is transcripts rather than the tool itself, Whipscribe does the same job as a hosted API: submit a file or URL, poll a job id, pull the result as txt, json, srt, vtt or docx. $0.012 a minute — about $0.72 an audio hour — bought as credits that never expire. The automation recipes on this site show it wired to Drive folders, Zoom recordings, S3 buckets and no-code platforms.
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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One file up to 10 hours, as an upload or a link: see MP3 to text for long recordings, how to transcribe a podcast and the SRT generator.
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