Best Free Speaker Diarization Tools (2026)

Best Free Speaker Diarization Tools in 2026

You have a recording of a meeting, an interview, or a panel, and you need a transcript that shows who said what - not one undivided block of text. That is speaker diarization: the layer that labels who spoke when. The catch is that most tools either charge for it, bury it behind a developer API, or require you to set up Python and machine learning libraries first.

We tested the options that actually deliver speaker-labeled transcripts without a paywall. Here are the 6 best free speaker diarization tools for 2026, from no-setup browser apps to open-source libraries.

The best free speaker diarization tools in 2026 are: 1) Speakwise for a free no-setup browser tool, 2) pyannote.audio for open-source accuracy, 3) WhisperX for DIY speaker-labeled transcripts, 4) ScreenApp for occasional browser use, 5) Otter.ai for live meeting capture, and 6) AssemblyAI for free developer API credits. Speakwise is the only option that labels who said what instantly in your browser, with no install and no code.

1. Speakwise - Best Overall Free Tool

Speakwise offers a free, browser-based speaker diarization tool that transcribes your audio and labels each speaker automatically. Upload a file, sign in with Google, and you get a transcript tagged Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on, in minutes. There is nothing to install and no code to write, which makes it the most accessible option for anyone who just needs a clean "who said what" transcript.

Why Speakwise Stands Out

Most free diarization either demands technical setup or caps you at a tiny file. Speakwise removes both hurdles. It handles up to 32 speakers across 90+ languages, accepts files up to 70 MB (about an hour of audio), and runs entirely in your browser. You leave speaker detection on auto, or set the exact count when you know it for cleaner separation on tricky audio.

Privacy is concrete rather than vague. Your audio file is auto-deleted within 24 hours and your transcript after 30 days, and Speakwise never trains AI on either. You can try the free speaker diarization tool now and see a real speaker-labeled sample before you upload anything.

Key Features

Free browser-based diarization: upload audio and get a speaker-labeled transcript with no install, no app, and no code.
Up to 32 speakers: labels every voice automatically as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on, with auto-detect or a manual speaker count.
90+ languages: transcribes and diarizes multilingual audio, useful for interviews and international calls.
Generous file size: accepts files up to 70 MB, roughly an hour of audio, well beyond most free browser tools.
Clean exports: download TXT or SRT, copy the transcript, or rename speaker labels to real names right in the browser.
Clear retention policy: audio deleted within 24 hours, transcript after 30 days; Speakwise never trains AI on your recordings.

Pricing

Free: speaker diarization in the browser, up to 3 files per day
Speakwise iOS app: free trial, then $59.99/year for live recording, AI summaries, and Notion sync on iPhone

Best For

Anyone who wants a speaker-labeled transcript without coding
Meetings, interviews, podcasts, and focus groups
One-off audio uploads where you just need a clean result fast
Multilingual recordings across 90+ languages

Limitations

3 files per day on the free tier
Upload-based, not a live meeting recorder (use the Speakwise iOS app for live capture)
Requires a Google sign-in to run

2. pyannote.audio - Best Open-Source

pyannote.audio is the de facto open-source standard for speaker diarization, built on PyTorch and downloaded millions of times each month. Its latest open model, Community-1 (in pyannote.audio 4.0), is the strongest free option for accuracy, with marked reductions in speaker confusion over the older 3.1 model. It is completely free to self-host.

Key Features

State-of-the-art open-source diarization, with DER around 11 to 19 percent on standard benchmarks
Full control over the pipeline: voice activity detection, embeddings, and clustering
Runs locally, which keeps audio on your own machine
Active community and frequent model updates

Pricing

Free and open-source. You provide the compute.

Best For

Developers building diarization into a product
Privacy-sensitive workflows that must stay on-premise

Limitations

Requires Python, machine learning knowledge, and setup
Outputs raw speaker segments, not a finished transcript, so you pair it with a separate transcription model

3. WhisperX - Best for DIY Speaker-Labeled Transcripts

WhisperX combines OpenAI Whisper for transcription with pyannote for diarization in a single open-source pipeline. The result is a speaker-labeled transcript with word-level timestamps, all generated locally. It is the go-to project for developers who want both the words and the speakers in one run.

Key Features

Whisper transcription plus pyannote diarization in one tool
Word-level timestamps aligned to each speaker
Runs offline on your own hardware
Available free on GitHub

Pricing

Free and open-source.

Best For

Developers who want a complete transcript with speaker labels
Local, offline processing of sensitive audio

Limitations

Command-line setup; a GPU is recommended for reasonable speed
No graphical interface for non-technical users

4. ScreenApp - Best Browser Tool for Occasional Use

ScreenApp is a browser-based tool that runs speaker diarization without any install. It processes common audio formats and returns a timestamped transcript with speaker labels, supporting up to ten distinct voices per file. It is a reasonable pick for the occasional one-off file.

Key Features

Browser-based, no software to install
Up to 10 speakers per file
Timestamped transcript with speaker labels
Accepts large uploads

Pricing

Free tier includes 3 files per month; paid plans lift the cap.

Best For

Occasional, non-technical users
Quick single transcripts

Limitations

Only 3 free files per month
Account signup required
Fewer supported speakers than dedicated diarization engines

5. Otter.ai - Best for Live Meeting Capture

Otter.ai is a meeting transcription tool that includes automatic speaker labels. Its free plan gives you 300 minutes per month and is built around live capture, integrations, and recurring meetings rather than one-off uploads. Speaker labeling improves as you confirm voices over time.

Key Features

Live transcription with automatic speaker labels
300 free minutes per month
Calendar and video-conferencing integrations
Searchable transcript history

Pricing

Free plan with 300 minutes per month; paid plans add minutes and features.

Best For

Live meeting capture and recurring calls
Teams already using Otter for notes

Limitations

Built for live meetings, not one-off file uploads
English-focused; weaker on other languages
Cloud-only processing

If Otter is not the right fit, our Otter.ai alternatives breakdown compares mobile-first options for meeting notes.

6. AssemblyAI - Best Free API Credits for Developers

AssemblyAI is a speech-to-text API that adds speaker diarization to its transcription. New accounts get free credits to start, and diarization is a low-cost add-on at roughly $0.02 per hour. It is a developer tool, not an end-user app, so it suits teams building diarization into their own software.

Key Features

High-accuracy transcription with speaker labels via API
Free starter credits for new accounts
Diarization add-on at about $0.02 per hour
Scales to high volume

Pricing

Free credits to start, then pay-as-you-go from $0.15 per hour for transcription.

Best For

Developers integrating diarization into a product
High-volume, programmatic workloads

Limitations

API and code only, with no interface for end users
Free credits run out, then you pay per hour

For a wider look at developer speech-to-text options, see our AssemblyAI alternatives guide and the trends in our AI transcription statistics.

How to Choose the Best Free Speaker Diarization Tool

Technical effort: browser tools like Speakwise and ScreenApp work with zero setup. pyannote, WhisperX, and AssemblyAI require code. Pick based on whether you want a result now or a feature to build.
Free limits: check the real cap. Speakwise allows 3 files per day, ScreenApp 3 files per month, Otter 300 minutes per month, and API tools give one-time credits.
Speakers and accuracy: more speakers and overlapping speech are harder. Tools that let you set the speaker count, and engines that support many voices, separate cleaner on busy audio.
Privacy and retention: confirm what happens to your audio. Speakwise deletes audio within 24 hours and never trains on it; self-hosted pyannote and WhisperX keep everything on your machine.
Output and live vs upload: decide if you need TXT and SRT exports, word timestamps, or live meeting capture. Upload tools handle existing files; Otter is built for live calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free speaker diarization tool in 2026?

For most people, Speakwise is the best free option because it labels who said what directly in your browser, with no install and no code, handling up to 32 speakers across 90+ languages. Developers who want full control and the highest open-source accuracy should use pyannote.audio, whose Community-1 model leads free benchmarks. The right pick depends on whether you want a finished transcript instantly or a library to build into your own software.

Can you do speaker diarization for free?

Yes. Several tools offer free speaker diarization. Browser tools like Speakwise and ScreenApp give you speaker-labeled transcripts with no payment, within free usage limits. Open-source libraries such as pyannote.audio and WhisperX are completely free to self-host if you can run Python. Cloud APIs like AssemblyAI provide free starter credits. The trade-off is usually setup effort versus usage caps: browser tools are instant but limited, while open-source is unlimited but technical.

What is the most accurate free speaker diarization tool?

Among free options, the open-source pyannote.audio Community-1 model leads on accuracy, reaching a Diarization Error Rate around 11 to 19 percent on standard benchmarks, especially on noisy real-world audio. It does require Python and setup, so it suits developers. If you want strong results without coding, a browser tool like Speakwise produces clean speaker labels on clear multi-speaker audio. No diarizer is perfect on heavy overlapping speech, so reviewing labels afterward is normal.

Can ChatGPT identify different speakers in audio?

No. ChatGPT cannot process a raw audio file to determine who spoke when, because it works with text rather than sound waveforms. To separate speakers you need a dedicated diarization tool that analyzes the audio itself. A free browser tool produces the speaker-labeled transcript, which you can then paste into ChatGPT for summarizing or analysis. The reliable workflow is to diarize first with a real tool, then use ChatGPT on the resulting text.

Is there a free online speaker diarization tool with no coding?

Yes. The Speakwise free tool runs in your browser: upload an audio file, sign in with Google, and get a transcript that labels each speaker, with no coding required. It supports up to 32 speakers, 90+ languages, and files up to 70 MB. ScreenApp is another no-code browser option, though its free tier is limited to 3 files per month. Both avoid the Python setup that open-source libraries like pyannote and WhisperX require.

Final Verdict

Free speaker diarization is no longer reserved for developers. For the fastest path to a transcript that shows who said what, a browser tool wins, and Speakwise leads that group with up to 32 speakers, 90+ languages, and a clear deletion policy, all with no install. ScreenApp covers the occasional file, and Otter.ai fits live meetings.

If you are building diarization into your own product, pyannote.audio and WhisperX give you the most control, and AssemblyAI offers a clean API with free credits. The best tool is the one that matches your effort level: instant and limited, or unlimited and technical.

Try the free Speakwise speaker diarization tool - upload your audio and get a speaker-labeled transcript free, no install.

If you would rather record meetings and interviews live, the Speakwise iOS app captures conversations with one tap and delivers transcripts, AI summaries, and action items in 100+ languages.