# Source: https://docs.pipecat.ai/server/services/stt/whisper.md

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pipecat.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Whisper

> Speech-to-text service implementation using locally-downloaded Whisper models

## Overview

`WhisperSTTService` provides offline speech recognition using OpenAI's Whisper models running locally. Supports multiple model sizes and hardware acceleration options including CPU, CUDA, and Apple Silicon (MLX) for privacy-focused transcription without external API calls.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Whisper STT API Reference" icon="code" href="https://reference-server.pipecat.ai/en/latest/api/pipecat.services.whisper.stt.html">
    Pipecat's API methods for Whisper STT integration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Standard Whisper Example" icon="play" href="https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat/blob/main/examples/foundational/13-whisper-transcription.py">
    Complete example with standard Whisper
  </Card>

  <Card title="Whisper Documentation" icon="book" href="https://github.com/openai/whisper">
    OpenAI's Whisper research paper and model details
  </Card>

  <Card title="MLX Whisper Example" icon="microphone" href="https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat/blob/main/examples/foundational/13e-whisper-mlx.py">
    Apple Silicon optimized example
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Installation

Choose your installation based on your hardware:

### Standard Whisper (CPU/CUDA)

```bash  theme={null}
pip install "pipecat-ai[whisper]"
```

### MLX Whisper (Apple Silicon)

```bash  theme={null}
pip install "pipecat-ai[mlx-whisper]"
```

## Prerequisites

### Local Model Setup

Before using Whisper STT services, you need:

1. **Model Selection**: Choose appropriate Whisper model size (tiny, base, small, medium, large)
2. **Hardware Configuration**: Set up CPU, CUDA, or Apple Silicon acceleration
3. **Storage Space**: Ensure sufficient disk space for model downloads

### Configuration Options

* **Model Size**: Balance between accuracy and performance based on your hardware
* **Hardware Acceleration**: Configure CUDA for NVIDIA GPUs or MLX for Apple Silicon
* **Language Support**: Whisper supports 99+ languages out of the box

<Tip>
  No API keys required - Whisper runs entirely locally for complete privacy.
</Tip>