OpenWhispr vs Whispering

OpenWhispr

• Open-source dictation on Mac, Windows or Linux
• Unlimited free local transcription with a paid cloud option
• Teams that need SSO, audit logs and compliance documents

Whispering

• People who want dictation software whose code they can audit
• Users willing to add their own API keys and pay providers directly
• Offline dictation with on-device models on Mac and Linux

OpenWhispr

• The Free plan caps OpenWhispr Cloud at 2,000 words a week and meeting recordings at 5 hours a month.
• The iPhone and iPad app, device sync, Agent mode and API and MCP access all start on Pro.
• Chat over your data needs Business, and SSO, SCIM and audit logs are limited to Enterprise.
• Local model speed depends on your hardware, and cloud processing needs an internet connection.

Whispering

• Cloud transcription and AI transformations need your own provider API keys, and the provider bills the usage.
• The macOS download is for Apple Silicon only, and Windows builds include just the English-only Parakeet engine for local transcription.
• It is built for short dictation; the site suggests a dedicated recording app for long sessions.
• The browser version has no system-wide shortcuts, and the project's README on GitHub says the hosted web build is no longer being republished.

OpenWhispr

Dictation in any app

Press a hotkey, speak, and the text appears at the cursor in any application on macOS, Windows or Linux, in 100+ languages with auto-detection.

Local models or cloud

Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models run on the device for free and work offline. Cloud processing uses OpenWhispr Cloud or your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or Groq keys.

Bot-free meeting notes

Captures the computer's audio during a Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call without a bot joining, then turns your rough notes and the transcript into decisions and action items.

Audio file transcription

Drop in MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC and other audio files to get a transcript, processed on the device by default, then summarize it or extract action items.

Voice instructions and Agent mode

Spoken instructions such as "clean this up" or "draft an email to Mike" rewrite or generate text. Agent mode is included from the Pro plan.

Custom dictionary

Add names, jargon and technical terms the models tend to miss. The dictionary also learns new words from the corrections you make.

Whispering

Shortcut-driven dictation

Press a keyboard shortcut, speak, and the text is copied and pasted where the cursor is. The recording shortcut can be changed in settings.

Voice-activated mode

With voice activity detection turned on, recording starts when you begin speaking and stops after a short pause, so no key has to be held.

Cloud providers with your own keys

Audio goes straight from the device to Groq, OpenAI or ElevenLabs under your own API key, with no Whispering server in between. Groq also has a free tier.

Local transcription engines

Version 7.11.0 bundles Parakeet, Moonshine and Whisper C++ for on-device transcription, with Whisper C++ covering 65 languages. Speaches, a local transcription service, is also supported.

AI transformations

Chain steps that send the transcript to a model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or run find-and-replace, to fix grammar, translate or summarize.

Recordings stored on the device

Recordings, transcripts and transformation settings are kept locally. Anonymized usage analytics are collected through Aptabase and can be switched off in settings.

OpenWhispr

• Free$0

  Unlimited local models and your own API keys, 2,000 OpenWhispr Cloud words a week, 5 hours of meeting recordings a month and a custom dictionary.

• Pro$6.67

  per user / month, billed annually ($80), or $8 billed monthly

  Unlimited cloud transcription, Agent mode, 20 hours of meeting recordings a month, device sync, API and MCP access, and the iPhone and iPad app.

• Business$13.33

  per user / month, billed annually ($160), or $16 billed monthly

  Everything in Pro plus unlimited meeting recordings, chat over your data, basic team management and priority support.

• EnterpriseCustom

  SSO and SAML, SCIM provisioning, audit logs, org-wide retention controls, custom data processing agreements and dedicated support.

Whispering

• Whispering$0

  The full desktop and browser app. Cloud providers bill usage to your own API key: the site lists Groq at $0.02 to $0.04 per hour of audio.

OpenWhispr

• Annual discount

  2 months free with annual billing

  Pro is $80 a year against $8 a month, and Business is $160 per user a year against $16 a month.

• Education

  40% off for 12 months for students and teachers

  People using OpenWhispr for their studies or classroom get 40% off for 12 months by emailing support with proof of status. The same offer covers military service and assistive use.

• Nonprofit

  40% off for 12 months for non-profits

  Non-profit work qualifies for 40% off for 12 months. Email support with proof of status to receive a personal code.

Whispering

No public discounts listed.