LibreAI / Audio / izwi
// audio · izwi-ai/izwi

izwi

Local-first voice AI runtime: transcription, diarization, TTS, cloning.

💎 Hidden gem★ 385 stars⑂ 40 forksMITupdated 2026-10
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

izwi is an open-source audio project by izwi-ai (izwi-ai/izwi on GitHub). It has 385 GitHub stars and 40 forks, is released under the MIT license, and was last updated on GitHub on 4 October 2026.

Repository
izwi-ai/izwi
GitHub stars
385
Forks
40
License
MIT
Last updated on GitHub
4 October 2026
Category
Audio
Listing
Hidden gem — a shorter page for a lesser-known project
Official site
Official site
// how it works

How it works

  1. Install the runtime

    Deploy the Rust binary on your hardware.

  2. Use the API

    Call it like the OpenAI API — audio in, results out.

  3. Transcribe and diarize

    Get text with speaker labels, all locally.

  4. Speak and clone

    Generate TTS or clone voices on demand.

// features

Why people love it

Local-first

Everything runs on your own hardware — no cloud.

Transcription plus diarization

Text with who-said-what speaker labels.

TTS and cloning

Speech synthesis and voice cloning built in.

OpenAI-compatible API

Familiar interface for easy integration.

Rust performance

Fast, efficient runtime for audio workloads.

MIT licensed

Free for personal and commercial use.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Step 1 — Clone the repo

    Download the source and move into the project folder.

    git clone https://github.com/izwi-ai/izwi.git
    cd izwi
  2. Step 2 — Check the README

    Every project documents its own setup; start with install requirements.

    cat README.md | head -60
  3. Step 3 — Run it

    Follow the project's launch command — Docker, pip, npm, or a binary release.

    # see README for the exact launch command
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains izwi?

It is an open-source project at izwi-ai/izwi with 40 forks. Check the repo's contributors and recent commits to see how active maintenance is.

Is izwi free for commercial use?

MIT licensed — commercial use allowed with attribution.

Is the API really OpenAI-compatible?

Yes — it is designed so existing OpenAI-style clients can switch easily.

What voice features are included?

Local-first transcription, speaker diarization, TTS, and voice cloning.

Why Rust?

For fast, efficient audio processing with low resource use.

// keep exploring

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// alternatives

Alternatives in Audio

The most-starred other Audio projects in the LibreAI catalogue — the realistic shortlist if izwi is not the right fit.

Get izwi

Free and open — grab the source, star the repo, and start creating.