openedai-speech vs Speaches
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Speaches
OpenAI-compatible speech-to-text and text-to-speech server
| Feature | openedai-speech | Speaches |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 13 · At risk | 83 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 857 | ★ 3,677 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | OpenAI API, ElevenLabs | OpenAI Audio API, ElevenLabs |
What are openedai-speech and Speaches?
openedai-speech
openedai-speech is a self-hosted text-to-speech server that mimics the OpenAI audio speech API. It uses local models such as Piper and Coqui XTTS to generate audio without sending data to the cloud.
- OpenAI speech API compatible
- Piper and XTTS backends
- Custom voice mapping
- Drop-in replacement
Speaches
Speaches is a self-hosted server that provides OpenAI-compatible transcription, translation, and text-to-speech endpoints. It supports streaming and a range of open speech models for private voice applications.
- OpenAI-compatible audio API
- Streaming transcription
- Text-to-speech support
- Multiple open models
openedai-speech vs Speaches: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: openedai-speech's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Speaches is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for openedai-speech versus MIT for Speaches. Speaches has the considerably larger community, at 3,677 GitHub stars versus 857.
Why pick each one
Choose openedai-speech if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose Speaches if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is openedai-speech or Speaches better?
Neither is universally better. Speaches has the larger community, while openedai-speech is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are openedai-speech and Speaches free and open-source?
Yes. openedai-speech is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Speaches under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run openedai-speech and Speaches with Docker?
openedai-speech: yes. Speaches: yes.