Model Selection Guide

StarWhisper uses OpenAI's Whisper AI models for transcription. Each model offers a different balance of speed, accuracy, and resource usage. Choose the model that best fits your needs.

Model Comparison

Model	Size	Speed	Accuracy	RAM	Best For
Tiny	75 MB	~6x real-time	85%	~200 MB	Quick notes, low-power devices
Base	142 MB	~4x real-time	90%	~400 MB	General dictation
Small Recommended	466 MB	~2x real-time	94%	~600 MB	Daily use, professional work
Medium PRO	1.5 GB	~1.5x real-time	96%	~1 GB	Professional transcription
Large PRO	2.9 GB	~1x real-time	98%	~1.5 GB	Maximum accuracy

How to Choose

Choose Tiny if:

• You need the fastest possible transcription
• Working on a low-power laptop or tablet
• Recording quick notes that don't need high accuracy
• Storage space is very limited

Choose Base if:

• You want faster than real-time transcription
• General accuracy (90%) is sufficient
• Balanced between speed and accuracy

Choose Small if:

• Recommended for most users
• Good balance of speed and accuracy
• Daily dictation and professional use
• Most popular model for general users

Choose Medium (Pro) if:

• Professional transcription work
• Client-facing documents require high accuracy
• Working with specialized vocabulary
• Accuracy is more important than speed

Choose Large (Pro) if:

• Maximum accuracy required (98%)
• Legal, medical, or academic transcription
• Poor audio quality that needs better understanding
• Time allows for slower processing

Model Switching

To change your model:

1. Right-click the recording circle
2. Select Settings
3. Go to Transcription tab
4. Select your model from the dropdown
5. Click Download if needed
6. Restart StarWhisper if prompted

GPU Acceleration Impact

With GPU acceleration enabled, all models transcribe significantly faster:

Model	CPU Speed	GPU Speed	Speedup
Tiny	~6x real-time	~30x real-time	5x faster
Small	~2x real-time	~20x real-time	10x faster
Large	~1x real-time	~10x real-time	10x faster

Speed vs Accuracy Trade-off

The following table shows real-world performance for a 1-minute recording:

Model	CPU Time	GPU Time	Words/min
Tiny	10 seconds	2 seconds	~150 words
Small	30 seconds	3 seconds	~140 words
Large	60 seconds	6 seconds	~135 words

Memory Usage

Consider your available RAM when choosing a model:

Your RAM	Recommended Models
4 GB	Tiny, Base
8 GB	Tiny, Base, Small
16 GB+	All models including Medium and Large

Recommendation Summary