Whisper vs Deepgram
Whisper is free and runs anywhere, including offline. Deepgram is a paid API that's faster, cheaper at volume than hosting Whisper yourself, and better at realtime.
Whisper
Free
Pick Whisper if…
You want zero cost, full privacy, or offline transcription.
Deepgram
Free plan
Pick Deepgram if…
You need realtime, high volume, or speaker separation without running infrastructure.
Side by side
| Whisper | Deepgram | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Category | Audio & Voice | Audio & Voice |
| Best known for | OpenAI's open-source speech recognition, strong across accents. | Fast, cheap speech-to-text API built for high volume. |
| Tags | transcription, open-source, speech-to-text | transcription, api, realtime |
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Comparisons are editorial and can't be bought. Pricing models change — check both vendors before deciding. Some links earn a commission; see the disclosure.