# Vibe review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source desktop app that transcribes audio offline Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Vibe is an MIT-licensed desktop app for transcribing audio and video files, microphone input and system audio on your own computer. It runs Whisper, Parakeet and Nemotron models locally, and exports captions or documents in several formats. - **Category:** Voice Dictation - **Made by:** thewh1teagle - **Website:** https://thewh1teagle.github.io/vibe - **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to dictate straight into other apps, since this is a transcription app. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Vibe is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Open-source app under the MIT license; no paid plan is listed. | Read from https://github.com/thewh1teagle/vibe on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Vibe before buying. ## Key features - **Offline transcription:** The README says transcription is fully offline and that no data leaves your device. - **Several local models:** Supports Whisper, Nemotron 3.5 and Parakeet TDT v3 models, with custom models addable in settings. - **Files, microphone and system audio:** Transcribes audio and video files in batches, microphone input and system audio, with a realtime preview. - **Export formats:** Saves transcripts as SRT, VTT, TXT, HTML, PDF, JSON or DOCX, and can translate to English. - **Summaries and speakers:** Speaker diarization is built in; summaries use the Claude API or a local Ollama model. - **CLI and HTTP API:** A command-line interface and an HTTP API with Swagger docs let scripts drive transcription. ## Good for - People who want free transcription that stays on their own computer - Batch-transcribing recordings and exporting subtitles - Users who prefer open-source software ## Worth knowing - It is a transcription app, not a system-wide dictation tool that types into other apps. - Desktop only: macOS, Windows and Linux are listed, with no web, iOS or Android app. - Summaries through the Claude API need your own connection to that service; Ollama keeps them local. - Pull requests are limited to a few collaborators, per the repository's README. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Vibe is a free, open-source desktop app that transcribes audio and video on your own machine with Whisper models. It's a transcription app, not one that types into other apps, and it's desktop only. - **Value for money: A.** Free to download and run, with no paid tier. A program anyone can download counts as free. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Nothing is locked: it's free and open source, and it runs offline. - **Features: C.** Offline transcription from files, microphone and system audio, several models, summaries, speakers, export formats, a CLI and an HTTP API. It does not type into other apps, which is what dictation tools do. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You install it and choose a model, and summaries need a connection to Ollama or Claude. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Desktop only: macOS, Windows and Linux. No web, iOS or Android app. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Vibe's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among voice dictation apps - Vibe's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 22 of the 42 other voice dictation apps we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 25 of 42) and worst on features (C, above 1). - Vibe has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/voice-dictation ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Vibe is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could not: Dictation that types into any app on your computer. - You could not: Speech turned into text you can trust. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Ollama, Claude and YouTube among them, and has an API. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Ollama, Claude, YouTube, Vimeo **Tags:** Transcription, Open source, Works offline, Local-first, Public API, Dictation ## Alternatives - [MacWhisper](https://toolgpa.com/tools/macwhisper): Mac transcription and dictation app that runs models locally. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/macwhisper-vs-vibe) - [Handy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/handy): Free, open-source offline speech-to-text for desktop. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/handy-vs-vibe) - [Whispering](https://toolgpa.com/tools/whispering): Open-source dictation app that uses your own models or API keys. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/vibe-vs-whispering) - [VoiceInk](https://toolgpa.com/tools/voiceink): Open-source Mac dictation with local models and a one-time price. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/vibe-vs-voiceink) - [OpenWhispr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openwhispr): Open-source dictation with free local models and meeting notes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openwhispr-vs-vibe) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://github.com/thewh1teagle/vibe - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thewh1teagle/vibe/main/README.md - https://thewh1teagle.github.io/vibe Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/vibe Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).