compare
Frenchie vs Whisper.
Whisper is a transcription model you run. Frenchie is a managed MCP server.
Whisper is an open-source transcription model you install, run, and scale yourself. Frenchie is a managed MCP server for agent workflows. Whisper fits if you have GPU capacity and want tight control over the pipeline. Frenchie fits if you want transcription delivered into your agent conversation without owning the ops.
side by side
The shape of each tool.
| Dimension | Whisper | Frenchie |
|---|---|---|
| Integration surface | Python library, Hugging Face, or your own inference server | MCP tool callable from any MCP client |
| Hosting model | Self-hosted — your GPUs, your containers, your monitoring | Fully managed — send file, receive Markdown |
| Primary use case | High-volume batch transcription, custom fine-tuning, offline workflows | Agent-driven transcription during live sessions |
| Ops burden | GPU capacity planning, model weights, chunking long audio, retries | Zero infrastructure — one API key |
pick Whisper
When Whisper is the right call
- You have GPU capacity in place and transcription volume justifies the ops investment.
- You need to fine-tune the model on domain-specific audio or vocabulary.
- Your workload is batch — overnight, warehouse-bound — and fits inside a job scheduler you already run.
pick frenchie
When Frenchie is the right call
- Your agent needs to transcribe a recording in a conversation and you don't want to run a GPU fleet.
- You want async job handling (chunking, retries, scaling) delivered as a service, not engineered in-house.
- You're building MCP-native and want transcription to feel like a native tool call.
together
Can you use both?
A fine-tuned Whisper running on your cluster can handle the predictable batch — call center archives, podcast backlogs, daily meeting batches. Frenchie handles the ad-hoc stuff: an audio file dropped into a Claude Code conversation, a one-off voicemail your agent needs to read. Different shapes, same underlying job.
questions
The ones that come up.
Is Frenchie cheaper than running Whisper?
At low volume, Frenchie is cheaper — you don't run hardware. At high sustained volume, a well-tuned self-hosted Whisper wins on unit cost but requires ops investment.
Can I switch from Whisper to Frenchie?
Yes. You call an MCP tool or HTTP endpoint, you get Markdown. No lock-in on our side — files are deleted after delivery, no training data kept.
Does Frenchie handle long audio the way Whisper does?
Yes. Frenchie chunks long audio automatically, transcribes in parallel, merges the result — async so your agent doesn't block while the job runs. Max 2 GB per file.
Why not just use Whisper?
Run it if you have GPUs and ops appetite. Call Frenchie if you want transcription as a zero-ops tool your agent can invoke directly.
See if Frenchie fits.
100 free credits on signup. No card. Try it against a real recording from your workflow — compare the transcripts side by side.