Whisper Models
Choose the right model for your needs
When using local transcription, you need to download a Whisper model. This guide helps you choose the right one.
Available Models
| Model | Size | Speed | Accuracy | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
tiny | ~75 MB | Fastest | Basic | Quick tests, low-power devices |
tiny.en | ~75 MB | Fastest | Basic | English-only, slightly better |
base | ~150 MB | Fast | Good | General multilingual use |
base.en | ~150 MB | Fast | Good | Recommended for English |
small | ~500 MB | Medium | Better | When accuracy matters |
small.en | ~500 MB | Medium | Better | Professional English dictation |
medium | ~1.5 GB | Slow | High | Technical/medical content |
medium.en | ~1.5 GB | Slow | High | High-stakes English content |
large-v3 | ~3 GB | Slowest | Highest | Maximum accuracy needed |
English vs Multilingual
Models ending in .en are English-only. They’re:
- Faster — Optimized for a single language
- More accurate — No confusion with other languages
- Recommended — If you only dictate in English
Multilingual models (without .en) support many languages but may be slightly less accurate for any single language.
Downloading Models
- Go to Settings in Yap
- Scroll to the Models section
- Click on a model to download it
- Wait for the download to complete
Models are downloaded from HuggingFace and stored in:
~/Library/Application Support/yap/models/
Changing Models
- Ensure the desired model is downloaded
- In Settings, click on the model to select it
- The green checkmark indicates the active model
You can have multiple models downloaded and switch between them as needed.
Model Performance
Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
| Model | Transcription Time (10s audio) |
|---|---|
| tiny.en | ~1 second |
| base.en | ~2 seconds |
| small.en | ~4 seconds |
| medium.en | ~8 seconds |
| large-v3 | ~15 seconds |
Intel Mac / Windows
Expect 2-3x slower performance compared to Apple Silicon.
Storage Considerations
Models take up disk space:
| Models Downloaded | Total Storage |
|---|---|
| tiny + base | ~225 MB |
| All English models | ~3.2 GB |
| All models | ~7 GB |
You can delete models you don’t use to save space:
# View downloaded models
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/yap/models/
# Delete a specific model
rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/yap/models/ggml-base.en.bin
Recommendations
Daily Use
base.en — Best balance of speed and accuracy
Professional Work
small.en or medium.en — When accuracy is critical
Low-Power Devices
tiny.en — Fast enough for real-time feel
Technical Content
medium.en or large-v3 — Better with jargon and specialized terms
Non-English Languages
small or medium (multilingual) — Good accuracy across languages