Inworld STT-1 vs Smallest Pulse
Inworld STT-1 is ahead of Smallest Pulse on final-text delay. The two tie on time to first text. The Pipecat Dataset and The Ocular Dataset are too close to call.
Last updated Methodology by Dileep Chagam
Accuracy vs speed
Each dot is one model. Bottom-left is best: fewer errors and a faster final transcript.
Which to pick
Inworld STT-1 is the better pick over Smallest Pulse on every measure that separates them: quick turn-taking once the caller stops (160ms sooner). They are level on showing words while the caller is still talking. For accuracy on clean, scripted audio and accuracy on real phone conversations, the gap is inside the margin of error, so neither is ahead.
The four metrics, side by side
- Inworld STT-1
- 2.72%10th
- Smallest Pulse
- 3.66%13th
Too close to call: inside the margin of error
- Inworld STT-1
- 10.60%16th
- Smallest Pulse
- 3.46%3rd
Too close to call: inside the margin of error
- Inworld STT-1
- 1.06s6th
- Smallest Pulse
- 1.06s5th
Level
- Inworld STT-1
- 41ms2nd
- Smallest Pulse
- 201ms10th
Inworld STT-1, 160ms 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.
First text and final text, at three percentiles
Inworld STT-1 shows first text after 1.07s and final text after 65ms, and Smallest Pulse shows first text after 3.03s and final text after 773ms, on a bad turn (P95) across the same streamed turns.
| Measure | Model | P50 | P90 | P95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first text | Inworld STT-1 | 1.06s | 1.07s | 1.07s |
| Smallest Pulse | 1.06s | 2.25s | 3.03s | |
| Final-text delay | Inworld STT-1 | 41ms | 60ms | 65ms |
| Smallest Pulse | 201ms | 356ms | 773ms |
- 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.
How each ranks among all 17 models
Place among the 17 models on each metric. Lower is better on all four.
| Metric | STT-1 | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Pipecat Dataset WER | 2.72%10th of 17 | 3.66%13th of 17 |
| Ocular Dataset WER | 10.60%16th of 17 | 3.46%3rd of 17 |
| Time to first text | 1.06s6th of 15 | 1.06s5th of 15 |
| Final-text delay | 41ms2nd of 17 | 201ms10th of 17 |
How much audio each model was tested on
| Model | Pipecat clips | Ocular recordings | Turns timed | Failed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inworld STT-1 | 1,000 | 8 | 206 | 0 |
| Smallest Pulse | 1,000 | 8 | 206 | 0 |
Only clips with usable text count, so the two totals can differ. How WER is scored.
Related comparisons
- Inworld STT-1 vs Soniox STT-RT v5
- Inworld STT-1 vs Speechmatics Linden
- Inworld STT-1 vs Cartesia Ink 2
- Inworld STT-1 vs GPT Realtime Whisper
- Inworld STT-1 vs Reson8
- Inworld STT-1 vs GPT-4o Mini Transcribe
- Inworld STT-1 vs Google Chirp 3
- Inworld STT-1 vs Deepgram Nova-3
- Inworld STT-1 vs AssemblyAI Universal 3.6 Pro
- Inworld STT-1 vs GPT-4o Transcribe
- Inworld STT-1 vs Deepgram Flux English
- Inworld STT-1 vs Deepgram Flux Multilingual
- Inworld STT-1 vs Gradium
- Smallest Pulse vs Deepgram Nova-3
- Smallest Pulse vs GPT-4o Transcribe
- Smallest Pulse vs Deepgram Flux English
- Smallest Pulse vs GPT-4o Mini Transcribe
- Smallest Pulse vs Soniox STT-RT v5
- Smallest Pulse vs Speechmatics Linden
- Smallest Pulse vs Cartesia Ink 2
- Smallest Pulse vs Deepgram Flux Multilingual
- Smallest Pulse vs GPT Realtime Whisper
- Smallest Pulse vs Reson8
- Smallest Pulse vs Google Chirp 3
- Smallest Pulse vs AssemblyAI Universal 3.6 Pro
- Smallest Pulse vs Gradium
Frequently asked questions
Which is more accurate, Inworld STT-1 or Smallest Pulse?
Inworld STT-1 and Smallest Pulse are too close to call on accuracy. On the 1,000 public Pipecat clips, Inworld STT-1 scores 2.72% and Smallest Pulse 3.66%, with likely ranges of 1.67 to 4.68% and 3.34 to 3.99%. The ranges overlap, so the difference is too close to call. On the eight licensed Ocular recordings, Inworld STT-1 scores 10.60% and Smallest Pulse 3.46%, with likely ranges of 3.85 to 22.76% and 2.66 to 4.22%. 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 Smallest Pulse?
Yes. Inworld STT-1 finishes the transcript 160ms sooner. Inworld STT-1 has the final transcript 41ms after the speaker stops and Smallest Pulse 201ms, at the median. Both are measured on the same 206 streamed turns.
Is Inworld STT-1 or Smallest Pulse better for voice agents?
Inworld STT-1 finishes the transcript 160ms 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 Smallest Pulse 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 Smallest Pulse after 1.06s, at the median.