| Features | Pulse | Open Source (Whisper-class) |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Streaming | Native (~64ms TTFT) | Not native (needs extra layer) |
| Production WER (real-world) | Industry-lowest across 30+ languages | ~10%+ on conversational audio |
| Diarization & Timestamps | Built in | Add-on / custom |
| Infrastructure | Managed API | Self-hosted GPUs |
| License cost | ~$0.005/min usage | Free + GPU & ops cost |
Open-source models remove license fees but add streaming, accuracy, and ops burden. Pulse trades a per-minute fee for managed real-time performance. Numbers reflect publicly available data as of June 2026.
Frequently
asked questions
Is open-source speech recognition free?
Does Whisper support real-time streaming?
When does self-hosting open-source STT make sense?
How accurate is Pulse versus open-source models?
Can Pulse run on-premise like a self-hosted model?
What does moving from self-hosted Whisper to Pulse involve?