Tacotron 2
Don’t want to install Tacotron 2? 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.
Google's seminal end-to-end TTS architecture — the neural-TTS starting point.
Best for education and academic baselines; legacy systems still using Tacotron-style pipelines. Pricing: free (BSD-3-Clause).
What it is
Tacotron 2 is the 2017 Google paper that defined modern end-to-end neural TTS. NVIDIA's BSD-licensed PyTorch implementation is the most-used public reference. Consent posture: synthetic-only architecture.
Watch out for: Slower and lower-quality than VITS / XTTS; effectively English-only in the public checkpoint.
Install / use
git clone https://github.com/NVIDIA/tacotron2What people actually do with Tacotron 2-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 |
Links
Tacotron 2 vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Tacotron 2 | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free (BSD-3-Clause) | $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 | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Tacotron 2
Frequently asked about Tacotron 2
Is Tacotron 2 free?
Yes. Tacotron 2 is free and open source (free (BSD-3-Clause)).
Does Tacotron 2 work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Tacotron 2 runs on Linux. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond Linux.
How do I install Tacotron 2?
Clone and run it from source: `git clone https://github.com/NVIDIA/tacotron2`. Expect to install its dependencies yourself — the README has the exact steps per OS.
How many languages does Tacotron 2 support?
Tacotron 2 lists 1 languages.
Does Tacotron 2 identify different speakers?
No. Tacotron 2 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 Tacotron 2 give word-level timestamps?
No — Tacotron 2 produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can Tacotron 2 transcribe live audio?
No — Tacotron 2 works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is Tacotron 2 HIPAA compliant?
Tacotron 2 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 Tacotron 2?
Slower and lower-quality than VITS / XTTS; effectively English-only in the public checkpoint.
Who is Tacotron 2 best for?
Education and academic baselines; legacy systems still using Tacotron-style pipelines.
Does Tacotron 2 run offline?
Tacotron 2 runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use Tacotron 2 in the browser?
No — Tacotron 2 is a Linux application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the Tacotron 2 source code?
On GitHub at github.com/NVIDIA/tacotron2. It is maintained by Google / NVIDIA reference.
What kind of tool is Tacotron 2?
In this directory Tacotron 2 is filed under tts as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to Tacotron 2?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/tacotron2-alternatives comparing Tacotron 2 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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