OpenWhispr

Overview

OpenWhispr combines in-app dictation, audio transcription and meeting notes in an open-source assistant for iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. It suits people who move between dictating into apps and capturing meetings, particularly those who want a choice between local and cloud processing. Its appeal is breadth; the main constraint is that the free plan caps both transcription and meeting time.

Dictation works in apps that accept text, including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Google Docs, Gmail, Slack and Teams. For meetings, it captures computer audio without joining the call as a bot and can produce structured notes with decisions and action items. That combination is more useful than a dictation-only tool, but users with heavy meeting workloads will need to consider the paid tiers.

Key features

Dictation and audio transcription

Support for 100+ languages and automatic language detection makes OpenWhispr a practical option for multilingual dictation. Audio uploads accept MP3, WAV, M4A, WebM, OGG, FLAC, AAC and formats supported by FFmpeg. A transcript editor, speaker labels, caption export and searchable library extend its use beyond inserting speech as text.

Meeting capture

The note taker works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, Webex and other apps that play computer audio, without plugins or integrations. Capturing the computer’s audio rather than adding a bot avoids a separate call participant, and structured notes can help turn a recording into follow-up actions. The monthly recording allowance still matters: Free includes five hours, Pro 20 hours, while Business removes the meeting-recording limit.

Processing and privacy

With local speech models, audio stays on the user’s device rather than being transmitted elsewhere. OpenWhispr Cloud processes audio through its managed API in real time and says it discards audio without retaining it; the company also says it does not use audio, transcripts or other user content to train AI models. Its security page says cloud data is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest, and diagnostic reporting is off by default. The homepage states HIPAA compliance and independent verification for AICPA SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

Open source and integrations

OpenWhispr says its software is open source under the MIT license. Pro adds personal API access and MCP integration in apps, which gives users who want to connect their workflow more than the core dictation and recording features.

Pricing

Free costs nothing and is billed always free. It includes 2,000 words/week of transcription, five hours of meeting recordings/month, unlimited local AI models, unlimited cloud transcription with the user’s own API keys and community support. This is a useful entry point for occasional dictation or meetings, but the weekly word cap and monthly recording allowance are meaningful constraints for regular use.

Pro costs $6.67 a month, billed $80/user billed annually. It includes unlimited cloud transcription, 20 hours of meeting recordings/month, Agent mode, sync across devices, personal API access, MCP integration, the iPhone & iPad app and email support. It is the clearest fit for an individual who needs frequent cloud transcription or wants the mobile app and integrations; the 20-hour meeting cap remains.

Business costs $13.33 a month, billed $160/user billed annually. It includes unlimited cloud transcription and meeting recordings, Chat over your data and priority support. Choose it when the Pro meeting allowance is too restrictive or those added capabilities matter; it costs more than Pro and is still billed per user annually.

Enterprise has custom pricing. It adds team features and admin, SSO, SAML and SCIM, audit logs and retention controls, and dedicated support, making it the tier for organizations that need those administration and access controls.

Platforms

OpenWhispr is available on iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. Pro specifically includes the iPhone & iPad app and sync across devices, useful for people who want their work to follow them between devices.

Who it's for

OpenWhispr is best for people who want one tool for in-app dictation and bot-free meeting capture, with local processing as an option. Multilingual users can benefit from its 100+ languages and automatic detection, while users handling recorded audio have an editor, speaker labels, captions and a searchable library. It is less suited to someone who needs more than five meeting hours/month on a free plan or more than 20 hours/month on Pro.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Dictation works across a wide range of text-accepting apps, so it can fit into existing writing and messaging workflows.
• Pro: Meeting capture works across several major call apps without a bot, plugin or integration.
• Pro: Local processing keeps audio on the device, while cloud processing has stated non-retention and no-training policies.
• Pro: The free plan includes unlimited local AI models and cloud transcription with the user’s own API keys.
• Con: Free transcription is limited to 2,000 words/week and meeting recordings to five hours/month, which can restrict steady use.
• Con: Pro is billed annually at $80/user, and its 20 meeting hours/month may still be insufficient for frequent meeting-heavy work.

Alternatives

For recording-focused workflows, compare Podcast Transcription Software and Meeting Recording Software. Simon Says is another freemium option with a free trial and a pay-as-you-go plan billed $0 base plus $15/hour or $0.25 per minute based on file duration. Happy Scribe offers a free plan with unlimited meeting recordings, 45 minutes per recording and a 10-minute AI trial. Speechmatics offers a free plan with $100 in credits, no credit card required, two concurrent real-time sessions and 10 pre-recorded files per second.

mercuryScribe is a free, open-source MIT-licensed alternative for personal, academic or commercial use. Rev has a free plan with English-only transcription, 45 AI transcription and caption minutes/month, five files at once and one user. AssemblyAI offers $50 in free audio credits, with five new streaming connections per minute and five concurrent pre-recorded transcriptions. AudioPod AI has a free Basic tier with 1,000 credits/month, 30 minutes per file and 500 MB uploads. Whipscribe gives a free first transcript of any length, with the next file unlocking from $2.

Verdict

Choose OpenWhispr if you want dictation across apps and meeting notes from computer audio in one open-source tool, with local processing available when keeping audio on-device is important. Its free plan is a sound way to start, but regular users should weigh its word and recording caps against Pro’s annual per-user charge—and look elsewhere if they need a different workflow or more meeting capacity without moving to Business.