Whisper vs Parakeet vs Qwen3-ASR in 2026: Which Offline Speech-to-Text Model Should You Use?

Use Parakeet for English or European languages on a computer, Qwen3-ASR when the language is mixed or unknown, and Whisper when you need the widest language list. All three are open, all three run offline, and Off Grid AI runs each of them on your own computer with one click. Whisper and Qwen3-ASR also run on your phone.

We make Off Grid AI. Model facts below come from each model's own page, checked 6 November 2026.

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The three at a glance

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Whisper

Whisper is the model most offline dictation apps are built on. It comes in sizes from Tiny to Large v3, and its multilingual builds cover 99 languages.

Pick it when you need a language the other two do not cover, or a very small model for an older phone. Large v3 Turbo is a good balance of speed and accuracy on a computer.

Parakeet TDT 0.6B

Parakeet TDT 0.6B is NVIDIA's compact speech model. v2 is English only, and v3 adds 24 more European languages. NVIDIA reports an average word error rate of 6.34% for v3 across the Open ASR Leaderboard test sets, from a model under 700 MB.

Pick it for accurate English or European-language transcripts on a computer. Running it yourself usually means NVIDIA's NeMo toolkit and Python. Off Grid AI ships the runtime, so it is a download and a click. The Parakeet guide walks through it.

Qwen3-ASR

Qwen3-ASR arrived in January 2026. It understands 30 languages, plus 22 Chinese dialects, and works out which one you are speaking, so you do not set a language first. The 1.7B build is for computers. The 0.6B build fits on a phone.

Pick it if you switch languages, transcribe recordings in a language you do not know, or want a newer model on your phone. Guides: Android and iPhone.

Which one to pick

• English on a computer: Parakeet TDT 0.6B v2.
• French, German, Spanish or another European language on a computer: Parakeet TDT 0.6B v3.
• Mixed or unknown languages: Qwen3-ASR.
• On your phone: Qwen3-ASR 0.6B, or Whisper on phones with less memory.
• A language none of the others list: Whisper.

You do not have to choose once. In Off Grid AI, keep two downloaded and switch with Use. If Parakeet or Qwen3-ASR cannot transcribe a recording, Whisper does it instead and the app tells you.

Try them in Off Grid AI

1. Download Off Grid AI for your computer, or get it on the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open Models, then Transcription on a computer or Speech on a phone.
3. Download a model and select it.
4. Attach a recording to a chat, or tap the microphone and speak.

Speech to text is free in Off Grid AI, with no account and no minute limit.

FAQ

Which is better, Whisper or Parakeet?
For English or a European language on a computer, Parakeet. For other languages, or on a phone, Whisper or Qwen3-ASR.

What is Qwen3-ASR good at?
Mixed and unknown languages. It understands 30 and detects which one you speak.

Which model works on a phone?
Whisper and Qwen3-ASR 0.6B, both offline, on iPhone and Android.

Can I try all three without Python?
Yes. Off Grid AI runs all three on Mac, Windows and Linux for free.

Related guides

• Best offline speech-to-text apps in 2026
• How to get meeting transcripts with speaker names on your computer in 2026
• How to transcribe audio when you do not know the language in 2026

Download Off Grid AI and try all three on your own recordings.