Local Text-to-Speech Open Models: A 5-Minute Guide

Local TTS starts in 5 minutes, and your use case picks the model. The beginner default is Kokoro (82M) - Apache-licensed so commercial is fine, weights about 327MB, and it runs in real time even on a CPU with no GPU (a measured 5x on a 32-core CPU and 36x on a T4), in just a few lines of Python. But it cannot clone a voice (fixed voicepacks). If you need your own voice or multilingual cloning, you move to Chatterbox or XTTS - and here the license splits: Chatterbox is MIT (commercial OK) while XTTS v2 is CPML (non-commercial).

In one line: local TTS is chosen by use case - just-fast on CPU is Kokoro (Apache, no cloning), embedded is Piper, cloning plus commercial is Chatterbox (MIT), personal multilingual cloning is XTTS (CPML, non-commercial), and for Korean, Kokoro or Chatterbox are smoothest.

In plain terms: picking a TTS model is picking a ride. Kokoro is a bicycle (light, instant, anywhere), Piper is an e-scooter (ultralight, embedded), Chatterbox is your own car (it even clones a voice), and XTTS is a rental (multilingual but a no-commercial clause).

Which model fits your use case?#

==Just fast = Kokoro, embedded = Piper, cloning + commercial = Chatterbox, personal multilingual cloning = XTTS. RTF (real-time factor) below 1 means faster than real time (lower is better), and Kokoro is a measured ~0.03 on an A100. Korean has a trap: Kokoro supports Korean, and Chatterbox Multilingual V3 clones Korean across 23+ languages, but Piper has no official Korean voice== (community forks only). So for Korean, Kokoro (fixed voice) or Chatterbox (cloning) are the smoothest.

Below is the decision flow: two questions about your use (do you need cloning? is it commercial?) split the model.

A 5-minute pick of local TTS open models - use, license, hardware, Korean (2026 public measurements) · columns: Use case, Model, License, Hardware, Cloning / Korean · 출처 Hax hax.moche.ai/en/p/1067?ref=ai_answer

Use case | Model | License | Hardware | Cloning / Korean
Just fast, CPU | Kokoro 82M | Apache (commercial OK) | CPU real-time, <1GB | No clone / Korean yes
Embedded, Raspberry Pi | Piper | GPL (commercial OK) | CPU only | No clone / Korean partial (fork)
Cloning + commercial | Chatterbox | MIT (commercial OK) | GPU recommended | Clone yes / Korean yes (Multi V3)
Personal multilingual clone | XTTS v2 | CPML (non-commercial!) | GPU 4-6GB | Clone yes / Korean personal-only

Contents

How does the 5-minute install actually go?

Where do beginners get stuck?

How do you do it in 5 minutes?

How does the 5-minute install actually go?#

Mostly one pip line plus a few lines of Python. For Kokoro, install the system dependency espeak-ng, then pip install kokoro soundfile, and pass text, a voice (e.g. af_heart), and a speed to the pipeline to get 24kHz wav. If you dislike code, the Kokoro-FastAPI Docker image gives you an OpenAI-compatible API. Piper is one line, pip install piper-tts; Chatterbox is pip install chatterbox-tts and clones from a 5-second reference. But Chatterbox is Python 3.11 only, so it fails to install on newer Python - make a separate 3.11 venv (the most common beginner failure).

Kokoro's 5-minute path is short, as below: dependency, install, synthesize, and the first wav comes out in three steps.

Where do beginners get stuck?#

Three things: license, Korean, and the first run.

License: XTTS is non-commercial (CPML), while Chatterbox, Kokoro, and Piper are commercial-OK. If you will sell it, check the license first.

Korean: Piper has no official Korean, so use Kokoro or Chatterbox.

First run and benchmarks: the first run is slow due to model download, so measure from the second, and "beats ElevenLabs"-style scores are usually vendor-run benchmarks, so measure on your own text.

How do you do it in 5 minutes?#

Start with the easiest path, and you can synthesize your first voice within five minutes.

For just-fast, pip install Kokoro and synthesize one sentence to feel the RTF (CPU is fine).

If you need your own voice, use Chatterbox (a Python 3.11 venv) with a 5-second reference. Outputs are watermarked.

Do not clone anyone's voice without consent. For commercial use, check the license first (especially XTTS).

Reference links

Kokoro (ultralight 82M TTS)

Piper (embedded TTS)

Chatterbox (cloning, MIT)

Coqui TTS / XTTS v2

Kokoro-FastAPI (no-code API)

Note: RTF, speed, and license details are public 2026 materials and measurements and vary by model, version, hardware, and language (published RTF is often an estimate, and "beats competitor" claims are usually self-run benchmarks). Measure exact speed and quality on your own text. Honor consent, license, and local regulation for cloning, and since models update often, this is reviewed quarterly.