VCTK
Don’t want to install VCTK? 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.
44h multi-speaker English corpus — 109 speakers across global accents for TTS.
Best for multi-speaker TTS, voice cloning, accent modeling. Pricing: free.
What it is
VCTK is 44 hours of English read speech from 109 speakers spanning global English accents. The standard multi-speaker TTS + voice-cloning corpus. License: ODC-By 1.0.
Watch out for: ODC-By 1.0 · 109 native-English speakers across UK / IE / US / CA / AU / NZ / IN accents · prompted reading. Cite: Yamagishi et al., 2019.
Install / use
from datasets import load_dataset; ds = load_dataset('CSTR-Edinburgh/vctk')What people actually do with VCTK-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 |
VCTK vs Whipscribe
| Feature | VCTK | 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 | No | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | DataShare, HuggingFace | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to VCTK
Frequently asked about VCTK
Is VCTK free?
Yes. VCTK is free and open source.
Does VCTK work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
VCTK runs on DataShare and HuggingFace. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond DataShare and HuggingFace.
How do I install VCTK?
Download the installer for your platform from the vendor. No terminal needed.
How many languages does VCTK support?
VCTK lists 1 languages.
Does VCTK identify different speakers?
No. VCTK 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 VCTK give word-level timestamps?
No — VCTK produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can VCTK transcribe live audio?
No — VCTK works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is VCTK HIPAA compliant?
VCTK 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 VCTK?
ODC-By 1.0 · 109 native-English speakers across UK / IE / US / CA / AU / NZ / IN accents · prompted reading. Cite: Yamagishi et al., 2019.
Who is VCTK best for?
Multi-speaker TTS, voice cloning, accent modeling.
Does VCTK run offline?
VCTK runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use VCTK in the browser?
No — VCTK is a DataShare and HuggingFace application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Who makes VCTK?
VCTK is made by Edinburgh CSTR.
What kind of tool is VCTK?
In this directory VCTK is filed under dataset as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to VCTK?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/vctk-alternatives comparing VCTK 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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