Whisper drives search for STT alternatives

Browser STT is fine for demos, not for production transcription. For a near-finished app, the practical path is usually managed STT first, then self-host Whisper only if privacy or volume makes the extra ops burden worth it.

• –Whisper can be wrapped behind your own service, so “local-only” does not have to mean “no API.”
• –`whisper.cpp` and `faster-whisper` are the two most practical open-source routes if you want lower memory use and better throughput.
• –Accuracy issues often come from chunking, VAD, and context handling, not just the base model.
• –GPU-backed self-hosting can beat per-minute API pricing at scale, but small teams usually underestimate monitoring, batching, and capacity planning.
• –A hybrid setup is often the safest MVP move: paid API now, open-source stack later if costs or privacy requirements justify the switch.