Text to speech

Sesame CSM

A conversational speech model that takes the context of the conversation into account and sounds like a real person. English only.

Developer
Sesame, USA
First release
Mar 2025
Latest release
Mar 2025
Sizes
1B
License
Commercial use allowedApache 2.0
Russian
Not supported
Ready-made builds
GGUF
Running
On your own serverNeeds a GPU
Industries
Customer support, Software development, Media and production
Deploy on your server Hugging Face GitHub

What it does

  • Voice for a conversational assistant
  • Voicing dialogues
  • Voice product prototypes

Where it is used

Voice botsProduct developmentMedia

Hardware requirements

LaptopLaptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions
fits
1 GPUOne GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions
no versions
ClusterServer with several GPUs — flagship versions
no versions

Versions

  1. CSM-1B

How to run it

On your own serverWeights are downloaded from Hugging Face and served with vLLM (load and API) or llama.cpp (modest hardware). The model then runs in a closed network with no per-request fees.Hugging Face
How much hardware you needCalculate the VRAM for the model size, context length and number of concurrent requests.Open the hardware calculator

I can set this up end to end: pick the model size, deploy it on your server and connect it to your systems. Quantization compresses a model so it takes less video memory and runs on more modest hardware. Answers change slightly, so quality is checked on your own examples.

Frequently asked questions

Can Sesame CSM be used in a commercial project?

Yes. License: Apache 2.0. It allows commercial use, but it is still worth having a lawyer review the license before launch.

What hardware does Sesame CSM need?

At minimum: Laptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions. Without a GPU the model is not practical. You can calculate the exact VRAM for your model size and context in the hardware calculator.

Does Sesame CSM support Russian?

No. The model card lists its languages and Russian is not among them.

Where can I download Sesame CSM and what does it cost?

The Sesame CSM weights are open and free to download. You only pay for the hardware it runs on and for the setup. Source links are at the bottom of this page.

How I deploy it for clients

  1. SelectionI pick the model size for your task and hardware and test it on your examples.
  2. DeploymentI deploy it on your server or in a closed network and provide an API.
  3. Fine-tuningI fine-tune it on your data (LoRA) or connect a knowledge base — whichever is cheaper for the task.
  4. IntegrationI connect it to your CRM, ERP, bot, website or team chat and set up monitoring.

Similar models

Text to speechOrpheus TTSCanopy Labs · USACommercial use allowed

Language-model-based speech synthesis with lively intonation and emotional cues. Responds quickly, suitable for voice assistants. Mainly English.

DetailsVoice assistantsMoshi / HibikiKyutai · FranceCommercial use with conditions

A voice assistant that listens and speaks at the same time, with no delay for recognition and synthesis. Hibiki does simultaneous speech-to-speech translation between several European languages.

DetailsText to speechDiaNari Labs · South KoreaCommercial use allowed

A model that voices entire two-person dialogues with laughter, sighs and pauses. English only.

Details

Source: huggingface.co/sesame/csm-1b. Data checked against the model card on 22 Sep 2026. Have a lawyer review the license before commercial launch.