#44th of 22 in Voice

buzz

Offline desktop app for transcribing and translating audio with Whisper

Stars: 22k
License: MIT
Last commit: Oct 2026
Last release: Aug 2026
Language: Python

Missed the latest GitHub check; these facts may be older.

Overview

Buzz is a desktop app that transcribes and translates audio and video files, YouTube links, or live microphone input with OpenAI's Whisper, on the local machine. It supports several Whisper backends (Whisper.cpp with Vulkan, CUDA, Apple Silicon, Hugging Face models) and exports to TXT, SRT and VTT. It also has a CLI, a watch folder and a plugin system.

Who it is for: People transcribing or subtitling audio and video locally on their own computer

Strengths

Runs offline; transcription and translation stay on the local machine
Several Whisper backends: Whisper.cpp with Vulkan, CUDA, Apple Silicon, Hugging Face models
Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio
CLI and watch folder allow scripted or automatic transcription

Weaknesses

Current releases require Apple silicon; last Intel Mac version is 1.4.5
Windows installer is unsigned and triggers a security warning
PyPI install needs ffmpeg, Python 3.12 and manual torch CUDA setup for GPU
Export formats listed are only TXT, SRT and VTT

What it needs

GPU optional
Needs ffmpeg (PyPI install), Python 3.12 (PyPI install)
Models: Whisper, Whisper.cpp, Hugging Face Whisper-type models

Head to head

Also in Voice

See all 22

Also in Voice
Rank	Project	Score
1	voicestudioDesktop app for voice cloning, dubbing and dictation with local speech models66.4k starsAGPL-3.0	82 out of 100
2	whisper.cppC/C++ port of OpenAI Whisper for local speech-to-text transcription54.4k starsMIT	75 out of 100
3	VoiceboxLocal voice studio for cloning, TTS, dictation and agent speech57.5k starsMIT	70 out of 100
#5	meetilyDesktop app that records, transcribes and summarizes meetings locally Live demo ↗ (opens in a new tab)31.7k starsMIT	65 out of 100
#6	Speech-to-SpeechLocal voice agent pipeline with an OpenAI Realtime-compatible server13.5k starsApache-2.0	63 out of 100

How to choose

Latency decides usability for voice agents; check the end-to-end numbers the project publishes.
Most quality models need a GPU; CPU-only setups are slower and limited to smaller models.
Check language coverage and whether models are downloaded at build or at first run.

Health

Releases: Not checked
Top contributor: Not checked
Security advisories: Not checked
Package advisories: Not checked
OpenSSF Scorecard: Not checked

Not read for this project yet: each refresh reads the facts of a few projects. Bots and coding-agent accounts are left out of the commit counts. Not part of the score: how we check.

License in plain words

MIT Permissive

Use it at work: Yes
Change it and rebrand it: Yes
Sell it or host it for others: Yes

Your part: Keep the copyright and license notice in copies you ship.

A plain summary, not legal advice. Read the license on GitHub ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Where to run it

Vast.ai ↗ (opens in a new tab)Rent a GPU by the hour from a marketplace of hosts.

Referral links: if you sign up through one, we get a commission. They never change a rank.

#4 of 22 in Voice on Archestack, as of 15 Oct 2026.

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