# Whispering

> Open-source dictation app that uses your own models or API keys

Whispering is a free, open-source speech-to-text app from the Epicenter project. Press a keyboard shortcut, speak, and the transcript is copied and pasted at the cursor. Transcription runs through a provider you choose: on-device engines for offline use, or cloud services such as Groq, OpenAI and ElevenLabs reached directly with your own API keys. Optional transformations pass the transcript through a language model to fix grammar, translate or reformat it.

- **Category:** Voice Dictation
- **Made by:** Epicenter
- **Website:** https://epicenter.so/whispering/
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Whispering is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The app is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. Local transcription costs nothing; cloud transcription is billed by the provider whose API key you add.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://epicenter.so/whispering/ on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Whispering before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Groq, OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Speaches, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Ollama, LM Studio

**Tags:** Dictation, AI features, Open source, Works offline, Local-first

## Alternatives

- [Handy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/handy): Free, open-source offline speech-to-text for desktop. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/handy-vs-whispering)
- [OpenWhispr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openwhispr): Open-source dictation with free local models and meeting notes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openwhispr-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/voiceink-vs-whispering)
- [Superwhisper](https://toolgpa.com/tools/superwhisper): Voice-to-text app with offline models and custom AI modes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/superwhisper-vs-whispering)
- [Wispr Flow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wispr-flow): Voice dictation that cleans up your speech in any app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/whispering-vs-wispr-flow)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://epicenter.so/whispering/
- https://epicenter.so/
- https://github.com/EpicenterHQ/epicenter/releases/tag/v7.11.0
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EpicenterHQ/epicenter/v7.11.0/apps/whispering/README.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EpicenterHQ/epicenter/main/apps/whispering/README.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EpicenterHQ/epicenter/main/README.md

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/whispering
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).