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InworldOpenAI

Inworld STT-1 vs GPT Realtime Whisper

Inworld STT-1 is ahead of GPT Realtime Whisper on time to first text and final-text delay. The Pipecat Dataset and The Ocular Dataset are too close to call.

Last updated Methodology by Dileep Chagam

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Accuracy vs speed

Each dot is one model. Bottom-left is best: fewer errors and a faster final transcript.

Top half on bothBest picks
Final-text delay P50 (ms)
Pipecat Dataset WER (%)
Shaded box: top half on both measures. Dotted line: no other model is both more accurate and faster.
Verdict

Which to pick

Inworld STT-1 is the better pick over GPT Realtime Whisper on every measure that separates them: showing words while the caller is still talking (316ms sooner) and quick turn-taking once the caller stops (502ms sooner). For accuracy on clean, scripted audio and accuracy on real phone conversations, the gap is inside the margin of error, so neither is ahead.

Head to head

The four metrics, side by side

Pipecat Dataset WER
Inworld STT-1
2.72%10th
GPT Realtime Whisper
2.16%5th

Too close to call: inside the margin of error

Ocular Dataset WER
Inworld STT-1
10.60%16th
GPT Realtime Whisper
3.53%4th

Too close to call: inside the margin of error

Time to first text
Inworld STT-1
1.06s6th
GPT Realtime Whisper
1.38s10th

Inworld STT-1, 316ms sooner

Final-text delay
Inworld STT-1
41ms2nd
GPT Realtime Whisper
543ms14th

Inworld STT-1, 502ms sooner

Lower is better on every metric. The small figure is each model's place in the whole field. What each metric measures.

WER · Word error rate
Share of words the model got wrong: replaced, missing or added. Lower is better.
Pipecat Dataset
1,000 short public clips from Pipecat's STT benchmark dataset.
Ocular Dataset
8 recordings from 4 real phone conversations, licensed from Ocular.
TTFT · Time to first text
How long after the audio starts streaming until the first words appear.
TTFS · Final-text delay
How long after the caller stops until the full transcript arrives. A voice agent waits for this before it replies.
Latency

First text and final text, at three percentiles

Inworld STT-1 shows first text after 1.07s and final text after 65ms, and GPT Realtime Whisper shows first text after 2.86s and final text after 669ms, on a bad turn (P95) across the same streamed turns.

MeasureModelP50P90P95
Time to first textInworld STT-11.06s1.07s1.07s
GPT Realtime Whisper1.38s1.84s2.86s
Final-text delayInworld STT-141ms60ms65ms
GPT Realtime Whisper543ms647ms669ms
P50 / P90 / P95 · Typical, slow and slowest turns
Half of turns are faster than P50. Only 1 in 10 is slower than P90, and 1 in 20 slower than P95.
Ranking

How each ranks among all 17 models

Place among the 17 models on each metric. Lower is better on all four.

MetricSTT-1Realtime Whisper
Pipecat Dataset WER2.72%10th of 172.16%5th of 17
Ocular Dataset WER10.60%16th of 173.53%4th of 17
Time to first text1.06s6th of 151.38s10th of 15
Final-text delay41ms2nd of 17543ms14th of 17
Coverage

How much audio each model was tested on

ModelPipecat clipsOcular recordingsTurns timedFailed
Inworld STT-11,00082060
GPT Realtime Whisper1,00082060

Only clips with usable text count, so the two totals can differ. How WER is scored.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, Inworld STT-1 or GPT Realtime Whisper?

Inworld STT-1 and GPT Realtime Whisper are too close to call on accuracy. On the 1,000 public Pipecat clips, Inworld STT-1 scores 2.72% and GPT Realtime Whisper 2.16%, with likely ranges of 1.67 to 4.68% and 1.92 to 2.41%. The ranges overlap, so the difference is too close to call. On the eight licensed Ocular recordings, Inworld STT-1 scores 10.60% and GPT Realtime Whisper 3.53%, with likely ranges of 3.85 to 22.76% and 2.58 to 4.51%. The ranges overlap, so the difference is too close to call. Word error rate counts incorrect, missing, and extra words, so lower is better.

Is Inworld STT-1 faster than GPT Realtime Whisper?

Yes. Inworld STT-1 finishes the transcript 502ms sooner. Inworld STT-1 has the final transcript 41ms after the speaker stops and GPT Realtime Whisper 543ms, at the median. Both are measured on the same 206 streamed turns.

Is Inworld STT-1 or GPT Realtime Whisper better for voice agents?

Inworld STT-1 finishes the transcript 502ms sooner, and the two are too close to call on real conversations. A voice agent cannot reply until the final transcript arrives, and the Ocular recordings are real conversations.

Do Inworld STT-1 and GPT Realtime Whisper stream text while the speaker is talking?

Yes, both return partial text before the speaker stops. Inworld STT-1 shows first text after 1.06s and GPT Realtime Whisper after 1.38s, at the median, so Inworld STT-1 is 316ms sooner.