MLX Whisper
Local speech-to-text using Apple MLX, optimized for Apple Silicon Macs.
Quick Start
mlx_whisper /path/to/audio.mp3 --model mlx-community/whisper-large-v3-turbo
Common Usage
# Transcribe to text file
mlx_whisper audio.m4a -f txt -o ./output
# Transcribe with language hint
mlx_whisper audio.mp3 --language en --model mlx-community/whisper-large-v3-turbo
# Generate subtitles (SRT)
mlx_whisper video.mp4 -f srt -o ./subs
# Translate to English
mlx_whisper foreign.mp3 --task translate
Models (download on first use)
| Model | Size | Speed | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| mlx-community/whisper-tiny | ~75MB | Fastest | Basic |
| mlx-community/whisper-base | ~140MB | Fast | Good |
| mlx-community/whisper-small | ~470MB | Medium | Better |
| mlx-community/whisper-medium | ~1.5GB | Slower | Great |
| mlx-community/whisper-large-v3 | ~3GB | Slowest | Best |
| mlx-community/whisper-large-v3-turbo | ~1.6GB | Fast | Excellent (Recommended) |
Notes
- Requires Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Models cache to
~/.cache/huggingface/ - Default model is
mlx-community/whisper-tiny; use--model mlx-community/whisper-large-v3-turbofor best results