TL;DR
Meetily is the best self-hosted meeting transcription tool in 2026. It runs entirely on your infrastructure with no cloud dependencies, offers bot-free recording, and uses Whisper AI for 95%+ accuracy. Unlike cloud-based tools that upload your conversations to third-party servers, self-hosted solutions keep your data under your complete control.
Self-hosted meeting transcription tools are essential for organizations that need complete data sovereignty. Whether you're bound by GDPR, HIPAA, or simply don't trust cloud providers with your confidential conversations, running transcription on your own infrastructure is the only way to guarantee privacy.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll compare the 10 best self-hosted meeting transcription tools available in 2026.
Quick Comparison: Self-Hosted Meeting Tools
| Tool | Best For | Price | Key Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meetily ⭐ | Complete meeting workflow | Free / Open Source | Bot-free recording + transcription + summaries |
| OpenAI Whisper | Raw transcription engine | Free / Open Source | 95%+ accuracy, 99 languages |
| Vosk | Lightweight deployments | Free / Open Source | Runs on Raspberry Pi, offline |
| Mozilla DeepSpeech | Custom model training | Free / Open Source | Train on your own data |
| Kaldi | Research & enterprise | Free / Open Source | Maximum customization |
How We Evaluated These Tools
We tested each self-hosted meeting transcription tool over 3 months on real meeting recordings.
Self-hosting capability - Can it run entirely on your infrastructure?
Transcription accuracy - 90%+ accuracy on clear audio?
Ease of deployment - Setup time under 1 hour?
Resource requirements - Runs on commodity hardware?
Active maintenance - Regular updates and community support?
What Is Self-Hosted Meeting Transcription?
Self-hosted meeting transcription means running the transcription software on your own servers, computers, or infrastructure rather than sending audio to a third-party cloud service.
Key benefits of self-hosting:
Complete data sovereignty - Your meeting audio never leaves your infrastructure
GDPR/HIPAA compliance - No third-party data processors involved
No subscription fees - Most self-hosted tools are free and open source
Offline capability - Works without internet connection
Custom integration - Connect to your existing systems
ℹ️ Self-Hosted vs Cloud: The Privacy Difference
When you use Otter or Fireflies, your meeting audio is uploaded to their servers, processed by their systems, and stored in their cloud. With self-hosted tools, the audio never leaves your control.
10 Best Self-Hosted Meeting Transcription Tools
1. Meetily (Best Overall Self-Hosted Solution)
License: MIT (Open Source)
Languages: 99+ via Whisper
Deployment: Desktop app or self-hosted server
Meetily is a complete self-hosted meeting solution that goes beyond transcription. It captures meetings without visible bots, transcribes using local AI, and generates summaries and action items.
Why Meetily Stands Out:
Bot-free recording - No visible "Notetaker" joining your meetings
Complete workflow - Recording, transcription, summaries, action items
Desktop + self-hosted - Run on your laptop or deploy to your servers
Multiple AI engines - Choose Whisper for accuracy or Parakeet for speed
Cross-platform - Windows, macOS, Linux support
Self-Hosting Options:
Desktop Mode - Run entirely on your laptop (simplest)
Self-Hosted Server - Deploy to your own servers for team access
Air-Gapped - Works completely offline after setup
Best For: Organizations that need a complete meeting intelligence solution they can self-host, not just a transcription engine.
Self-Host Meetily Today
Download the open source meeting tool that runs entirely on your infrastructure.
2. OpenAI Whisper (Best Transcription Engine)
License: MIT (Open Source)
Languages: 99 languages
Deployment: Python library, Docker, CLI
Whisper is the gold standard for open source speech recognition. Released by OpenAI, it achieves near-human accuracy across 99 languages.
Key Features:
95%+ accuracy on clear English audio
Multilingual transcription without language detection
Multiple model sizes (tiny to large)
Active community with frequent improvements
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Requires Python environment or Docker
GPU recommended for larger models (but CPU works)
Raw transcription only - no meeting recording built-in
You'll need to build a workflow around it
Best For: Developers who want to build their own meeting transcription system using the best available engine.
3. Vosk (Best Lightweight Option)
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: 20+ languages
Deployment: Python, Java, C++, Node.js, more
Vosk is a speech recognition toolkit designed for edge devices. It can run on a Raspberry Pi while still delivering good accuracy.
Key Features:
Runs on minimal hardware (Raspberry Pi, mobile devices)
Fast processing (real-time capable)
Works completely offline
Multiple language bindings
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Lower accuracy than Whisper (but much faster)
Limited language support compared to Whisper
Raw transcription only
Great for real-time applications
Best For: IoT deployments, edge computing, or situations where hardware resources are limited.
4. Mozilla DeepSpeech (Best for Custom Training)
License: MPL 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: English (with community models for others)
Deployment: Python, C++, TensorFlow
DeepSpeech allows you to train custom speech recognition models on your own data. If you have domain-specific vocabulary, this is powerful.
Key Features:
Train models on your specific audio data
Optimize for your accent, terminology, industry
Production-ready deployment
Active (but slower) community
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Significant effort to train custom models
Pre-trained models less accurate than Whisper
Mozilla has reduced active development
Steep learning curve for training
Best For: Organizations with specialized vocabulary (medical, legal, technical) willing to invest in custom model training.
5. Kaldi (Best for Research & Enterprise)
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: Many (model-dependent)
Deployment: C++, Python bindings
Kaldi is the academic standard for speech recognition research. It offers maximum flexibility at the cost of complexity.
Key Features:
State-of-the-art techniques available
Extensive documentation and recipes
Used by major tech companies
Maximum customization possible
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Extremely steep learning curve
Requires significant expertise to deploy
Not recommended for non-experts
Overkill for most meeting transcription needs
Best For: Research teams, large enterprises with ML expertise, or organizations building commercial speech products.
6. Faster Whisper (Best Performance-Optimized Whisper)
License: MIT (Open Source)
Languages: 99 languages
Deployment: Python, Docker
Faster Whisper is a reimplementation of Whisper using CTranslate2 for up to 4x faster transcription with lower memory usage.
Key Features:
Same accuracy as original Whisper
4x faster transcription
Lower memory requirements
CPU-friendly
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Drop-in replacement for Whisper
All Whisper model sizes supported
Slightly more complex setup than vanilla Whisper
Active development and community
Best For: Anyone who wants Whisper accuracy but faster processing times.
7. WhisperX (Best for Speaker Diarization)
License: BSD (Open Source)
Languages: 99 languages
Deployment: Python
WhisperX adds word-level timestamps and speaker diarization to Whisper transcriptions, identifying who said what.
Key Features:
Accurate word-level timestamps
Speaker diarization (who spoke when)
Batch processing support
Built on Whisper for accuracy
Self-Hosting Considerations:
More complex than basic Whisper
Requires additional models for diarization
Higher resource requirements
Best for multi-speaker meetings
Best For: Meeting transcription where you need to know which speaker said what.
8. SpeechBrain (Best Modern Research Platform)
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: Multiple
Deployment: Python, PyTorch
SpeechBrain is a modern PyTorch-based speech toolkit that's becoming the new standard in academic research.
Key Features:
Modern PyTorch architecture
Excellent documentation
Easy to customize and extend
Growing community
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Newer than Kaldi, less battle-tested
Requires PyTorch expertise
Still evolving rapidly
More accessible than Kaldi
Best For: Teams familiar with PyTorch who want a modern, flexible speech recognition framework.
9. NeMo (Best NVIDIA Integration)
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: Multiple
Deployment: Python, NVIDIA GPUs
NVIDIA NeMo is optimized for NVIDIA hardware, offering excellent performance if you have NVIDIA GPUs available.
Key Features:
Optimized for NVIDIA GPUs
High-quality pretrained models
Enterprise support available
Easy fine-tuning
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Requires NVIDIA GPUs for best performance
More complex than simpler tools
Excellent if you're already in the NVIDIA ecosystem
Commercial support available
Best For: Organizations with NVIDIA GPU infrastructure looking for optimized performance.
10. Coqui STT (DeepSpeech Successor)
License: MPL 2.0 (Open Source)
Languages: Multiple
Deployment: Python, various platforms
Coqui STT is a community continuation of DeepSpeech after Mozilla reduced development.
Key Features:
Continuation of DeepSpeech
Growing model zoo
Active community development
Production deployment focused
Self-Hosting Considerations:
Smaller community than Whisper
Good accuracy but not Whisper-level
More production-focused than DeepSpeech
Worth watching as it evolves
Best For: DeepSpeech users looking for continued support and development.
Self-Hosted vs Cloud: Detailed Comparison
| Feature | Self-Hosted (Meetily) | Otter (Cloud) | Fireflies (Cloud) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Sovereignty | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| GDPR Compliant | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| HIPAA Capable | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Offline Operation | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| No Subscription | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Accuracy | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Setup Complexity | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Why Self-Host Your Meeting Transcription?
1. Complete Data Control
When you self-host, your meeting audio and transcripts never leave your infrastructure. You decide:
Where data is stored
Who can access it
How long it's retained
When it's deleted
2. Compliance Made Simple
Self-hosting eliminates the complexity of third-party data processing agreements:
GDPR: No cross-border data transfers
HIPAA: No BAAs required with vendors
SOC 2: Your own security controls
Industry regulations: Meet any requirement
3. No Vendor Lock-In
Cloud services can:
Raise prices
Change terms
Discontinue service
Get acquired
Self-hosted software you control can't be taken away.
4. Cost Savings at Scale
While cloud transcription typically costs $0.01-0.10 per minute, self-hosted costs are:
Initial: Hardware/server setup
Ongoing: Electricity and maintenance
Per-minute: Essentially zero
For high-volume users, self-hosting pays for itself quickly.
⚠️ Self-Hosting Isn't Free
Self-hosting has hidden costs: server maintenance, updates, troubleshooting, and your time. For individuals or small teams, cloud tools may be more economical despite privacy tradeoffs.
How to Choose the Right Self-Hosted Tool
For Complete Meeting Workflow: Meetily
If you want recording, transcription, summaries, and action items in one self-hosted package, Meetily is the clear choice. It's designed specifically for meetings, not just transcription.
For Maximum Accuracy: Whisper or Faster Whisper
If you need the best possible transcription accuracy and don't mind building your own workflow, Whisper is the industry standard.
For Limited Hardware: Vosk
If you need to run transcription on edge devices, embedded systems, or minimal hardware, Vosk is the only realistic option.
For Custom Models: DeepSpeech or SpeechBrain
If you have specialized vocabulary and want to train custom models, these platforms offer the flexibility needed.
For Research: Kaldi or SpeechBrain
If you're doing academic research or need cutting-edge techniques, these are the academic standards.
Getting Started with Self-Hosted Transcription
Option 1: Meetily (Easiest)
Download Meetily from meetily.ai/downloads
Install on Windows, macOS, or Linux
Choose your transcription engine (Whisper recommended)
Start recording and transcribing
Time to first transcription: Under 10 minutes
Option 2: Whisper (DIY)
pip install openai-whisper
whisper meeting.mp3 --model base
Time to first transcription: 30 minutes (with Python experience)
Option 3: Docker Deployment
Many tools offer Docker images for easier deployment:
docker run -v /audio:/audio ghcr.io/fedirz/faster-whisper-server:latest
Time to first transcription: 1-2 hours
Key Takeaways
Meetily is the best complete self-hosted meeting solution for 2026
OpenAI Whisper provides the best transcription accuracy for self-hosting
Self-hosting ensures complete data sovereignty and compliance
Vosk is ideal for resource-constrained or edge deployments
Most self-hosted tools are free and open source (MIT, Apache 2.0)
Self-hosting eliminates subscription fees and vendor lock-in
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the best self-hosted meeting transcription tool?
Meetily is the best self-hosted meeting transcription tool in 2026 because it combines bot-free meeting recording with Whisper-powered transcription and AI summaries in one package. If you only need a transcription engine, OpenAI Whisper is the accuracy standard.
Q: Can I self-host Otter.ai or Fireflies?
No. Otter.ai and Fireflies are cloud-only services with no self-hosted option. If you need self-hosted meeting transcription, you must use open source alternatives like Meetily, Whisper, or Vosk.
Q: Is self-hosted transcription GDPR compliant?
Yes. Self-hosted transcription is inherently GDPR compliant because no personal data is transferred to third parties. Your audio stays on your infrastructure, eliminating cross-border data transfer concerns and third-party processor agreements.
Q: How accurate is self-hosted transcription?
Self-hosted tools using Whisper achieve 95%+ accuracy on clear English audio, matching or exceeding cloud services. Whisper supports 99 languages with good accuracy. Lighter tools like Vosk have lower accuracy but work on minimal hardware.
Q: Do I need a GPU for self-hosted transcription?
Not necessarily. Whisper and most tools work on CPU, just slower. Whisper-tiny runs in real-time on modern CPUs. For faster processing, an NVIDIA GPU helps significantly. Vosk is optimized for CPU and works on even Raspberry Pi.
Q: Can self-hosted tools do speaker identification?
Yes. WhisperX adds speaker diarization to Whisper transcription, identifying which speaker said what. Meetily also supports speaker identification. This requires additional processing but works entirely self-hosted.
Q: What hardware do I need for self-hosted transcription?
Minimum: Modern quad-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 5GB storage. Recommended: 16GB+ RAM, NVIDIA GPU (any recent model), SSD. For real-time transcription, more powerful hardware helps. Vosk can run on Raspberry Pi for offline use.
Q: Is self-hosted transcription free?
Yes, most self-hosted transcription tools are free and open source. Meetily (MIT), Whisper (MIT), Vosk (Apache 2.0), and others cost nothing to use. Your only costs are hardware/server infrastructure and your time to set up and maintain.
Conclusion
Self-hosted meeting transcription has never been more accessible. With tools like Meetily providing complete meeting workflows and Whisper offering state-of-the-art accuracy, you no longer need to choose between privacy and quality.
For most organizations, Meetily offers the best balance of features, ease of use, and privacy. It's designed specifically for meetings (not just generic transcription) and runs entirely on your infrastructure.
If you need maximum flexibility or want to build custom solutions, OpenAI Whisper is the transcription engine to build on.
The era of sending your confidential meeting audio to unknown cloud servers is ending. Self-hosted tools are now powerful enough, accurate enough, and easy enough for mainstream adoption.
Try Meetily today and keep your meeting data where it belongs - under your control.
Download Meetily
The best self-hosted meeting transcription tool. Free, open source, runs on your infrastructure.
About the Author
Meetily Team - We build privacy-first AI tools for professionals who need meeting intelligence without compromising data sovereignty. Meetily is open source and trusted by organizations worldwide.
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