Comparison
whisper.cpp vs sherpa-onnx
Verdict
Pick whisper.cpp when license: whisper.cpp is MIT, sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0; pick sherpa-onnx when license: sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0, whisper.cpp is MIT.
Markdown twin · whisper.cpp alternatives · sherpa-onnx alternatives
GraphCanon updated 1d
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | whisper.cpp | sherpa-onnx |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 | Very active (1d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of 1d · none | No lockfile As of 1d · none |
Tagline
- whisper.cpp
- Port of OpenAI's Whisper model in C/C++ for speech-to-text inference
- sherpa-onnx
- Speech-to-text, text-to-speech, speaker diarization, speech enhancement, source separation, and VAD using next-gen Kaldi with onnxruntime without Internet connection. Support embedded systems, Android
Stars
- whisper.cpp
- 52k
- sherpa-onnx
- 13k
Forks
- whisper.cpp
- 5.9k
- sherpa-onnx
- 1.5k
Open issues
- whisper.cpp
- 1.2k
- sherpa-onnx
- 600
Language
- whisper.cpp
- C++
- sherpa-onnx
- C++
Adopt for
- whisper.cpp
- A port of OpenAI's Whisper model to C++, optimized with `ggml`, for lightweight speech-to-text transcription.
- sherpa-onnx
- -
Persona
- whisper.cpp
- -
- sherpa-onnx
- -
Runtime
- whisper.cpp
- -
- sherpa-onnx
- -
License
- whisper.cpp
- MIT License - permissive license that allows users to use the software in any way, including closed-source applications.
- sherpa-onnx
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- whisper.cpp
- Jul 11, 2026
- sherpa-onnx
- Jul 10, 2026
Categories
- whisper.cpp
- Inference & Serving, Speech & Audio
- sherpa-onnx
- Computer Vision, Inference & Serving, Speech & Audio
Trust and health
Days since push
- whisper.cpp
- 0d
- sherpa-onnx
- 1d
Open issues (now)
- whisper.cpp
- 1.2k
- sherpa-onnx
- 600
Full report
- whisper.cpp
- Trust report
- sherpa-onnx
- Trust report
Choose whisper.cpp if…
- License: whisper.cpp is MIT, sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0.
- Requirements: Requires C++ setup and knowledge; Needs audio files converted into a compatible format supported by `ggml`..
- Tags unique to whisper.cpp: inference, openai, speech-recognition, speech-to-text.
- You need a lightweight solution that does not require Python or PyTorch
When NOT to use whisper.cpp
- When you prefer to work with higher-level languages like Python which might offer more ease-of-use and extensive libraries
- If your project requires real-time speech transcription and has limited computational resources as `ggml` optimization might still require significant CPU/GPU power for high-performance
Choose sherpa-onnx if…
- License: sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0, whisper.cpp is MIT.
- Tags unique to sherpa-onnx: aarch64, android, arm32, asr.
- Also covers Computer Vision.
When NOT to use sherpa-onnx
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (ggml-org/whisper.cpp) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (ggml-org/whisper.cpp) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (ggml-org/whisper.cpp) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (k2-fsa/sherpa-onnx) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (k2-fsa/sherpa-onnx) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (k2-fsa/sherpa-onnx) · observed Jul 10, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: whisper.cpp 52k · sherpa-onnx 13k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between whisper.cpp and sherpa-onnx?
- whisper.cpp: Port of OpenAI's Whisper model in C/C++ for speech-to-text inference. sherpa-onnx: Speech-to-text, text-to-speech, speaker diarization, speech enhancement, source separation, and VAD using next-gen Kaldi with onnxruntime without Internet connection. Support embedded systems, Android. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose whisper.cpp over sherpa-onnx?
- Choose whisper.cpp over sherpa-onnx when License: whisper.cpp is MIT, sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Requires C++ setup and knowledge; Needs audio files converted into a compatible format supported by
ggml.; Tags unique to whisper.cpp: inference, openai, speech-recognition, speech-to-text; You need a lightweight solution that does not require Python or PyTorch. - When should I choose sherpa-onnx over whisper.cpp?
- Choose sherpa-onnx over whisper.cpp when License: sherpa-onnx is Apache-2.0, whisper.cpp is MIT; Tags unique to sherpa-onnx: aarch64, android, arm32, asr; Also covers Computer Vision.
- When should I avoid whisper.cpp?
- When you prefer to work with higher-level languages like Python which might offer more ease-of-use and extensive libraries If your project requires real-time speech transcription and has limited computational resources as
ggmloptimization might still require significant CPU/GPU power for high-performance - When should I avoid sherpa-onnx?
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- Is whisper.cpp or sherpa-onnx more popular on GitHub?
- whisper.cpp has more GitHub stars (51,715 vs 13,499). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are whisper.cpp and sherpa-onnx open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (whisper.cpp: MIT, sherpa-onnx: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to whisper.cpp or sherpa-onnx?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at whisper.cpp alternatives and sherpa-onnx alternatives (whisper.cpp markdown twin, sherpa-onnx markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, whisper.cpp or sherpa-onnx?
- whisper.cpp: Very active. sherpa-onnx: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for whisper.cpp and sherpa-onnx?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: whisper.cpp trust report; sherpa-onnx trust report.