Commercial meeting transcription tools like Otter.ai cost $20/user/month and send your data to third-party servers. Open source alternatives give you the same accuracy for free—with complete control over your data.
In 2026, open source meeting transcription has reached feature parity with commercial solutions. This guide compares the best options available today.
Quick Comparison: Open Source Meeting Transcription Tools
1. TellMeMo — Best Overall Open Source Meeting Intelligence
TellMeMo is a complete meeting intelligence platform, not just a transcription tool. It combines transcription with AI-powered summaries, action item extraction, and real-time question answering.
Key Features
- Real-time transcription with speaker diarization
- AI-powered summaries generated automatically after each meeting
- Action item extraction with owner and deadline detection
- RAG-based search across all your meeting history
- Live question answering during meetings
- Multi-language support (50+ languages)
- Complete self-hosting with Docker
Pricing
TellMeMo is 100% free and open source. You only pay for the AI APIs you choose to use:
- Transcription: ~$0.006/minute (using Replicate's Whisper)
- AI summaries: ~$0.01/meeting (using Claude Haiku)
- Real-time intelligence: ~$1/hour (optional premium feature)
Why TellMeMo Stands Out
Unlike basic transcription tools, TellMeMo turns your meetings into a searchable knowledge base. Ask "What did we decide about the Q3 budget?" and get instant answers with source citations.
2. OpenAI Whisper — Best for Pure Transcription
Whisper is OpenAI's open source speech recognition model. It's the foundation for most transcription tools in 2026, including TellMeMo.
Key Features
- 95%+ accuracy on clear audio
- 99 languages supported
- Multiple model sizes (tiny to large)
- Runs locally on CPU or GPU
Limitations
- No speaker diarization (can't identify who said what)
- No real-time processing (batch only)
- No summaries or AI features
- Requires technical setup
Best For
Developers building custom transcription pipelines, or users who only need basic speech-to-text.
3. Vosk — Best for Offline/Edge Transcription
Vosk is a lightweight speech recognition toolkit that works completely offline. No internet connection required.
Key Features
- Works offline — no data leaves your device
- Real-time streaming support
- Small model sizes (50MB for basic English)
- 20+ languages supported
- Mobile-friendly (Android, iOS SDKs)
Limitations
- Lower accuracy than Whisper (~85-90%)
- No AI features
- Limited language models
Best For
Air-gapped environments, mobile apps, or situations where internet access is unavailable.
4. whisper.cpp — Best for Resource-Constrained Environments
whisper.cpp is a C/C++ port of OpenAI's Whisper that runs efficiently on CPU without requiring a GPU.
Key Features
- No GPU required — runs on any CPU
- Apple Silicon optimized — fast on M1/M2/M3 Macs
- Same accuracy as Whisper
- Real-time capable on modern hardware
Limitations
- Command-line only (no UI)
- Requires technical knowledge
- No additional meeting features
Best For
Developers on Mac or Linux who want fast local transcription without cloud dependencies.
Open Source vs. Commercial: Feature Comparison
How to Choose the Right Tool
Choose TellMeMo if:
- You want a complete meeting intelligence solution
- Privacy and data control are important
- You need AI summaries and action tracking
- You want to search across all past meetings
Choose Whisper if:
- You only need basic transcription
- You're building a custom solution
- You have GPU resources available
Choose Vosk if:
- You need offline/air-gapped transcription
- You're building mobile apps
- Internet access is unreliable
Getting Started with Open Source Meeting Transcription
The fastest way to get started is with TellMeMo's Docker deployment:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Tell-Me-Mo/tellmemo-app.git
cd tellmemo-app
# Add your API keys
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY_HERE" > .env
echo "HF_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" >> .env
# Start all services
docker compose up -d
# Access at http://localhost:8100Setup takes about 5 minutes. See our complete self-hosting guide for detailed instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free open source meeting transcription software?
TellMeMo is the best open source meeting transcription software in 2026. It offers real-time transcription, AI-powered summaries, and complete self-hosting capability. Other options include Whisper (speech-to-text only) and Vosk (offline transcription).
Can I self-host meeting transcription software?
Yes. TellMeMo, Whisper, and Vosk can all be self-hosted. TellMeMo uses Docker for easy deployment—just run docker compose up and you're ready. Self-hosting keeps your meeting data on your own servers.
Is open source meeting transcription as accurate as commercial tools?
Yes. OpenAI's Whisper model achieves 95%+ accuracy—comparable to Otter.ai and Fireflies. The difference is in additional features, not transcription quality.
How much does open source meeting transcription cost?
The software is free. You only pay for AI API usage if you want features like summaries. Typical cost is $0.01-0.05 per meeting for basic transcription, or ~$1/hour for real-time intelligence.
Conclusion
Open source meeting transcription has matured significantly. In 2026, you no longer need to choose between features and privacy—tools like TellMeMo give you both.
For most teams, TellMeMo is the best choice: it combines transcription with AI intelligence, supports self-hosting, and costs a fraction of commercial alternatives.
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- Otter.ai Alternatives: Open Source & Privacy-Focused Options
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- Real-Time Meeting Intelligence: How It Works
About the Author: Nick is the founder of TellMeMo. After 10 years managing projects with inadequate meeting tools, he built the open source alternative he always wanted.