What is OpenWhispr?
OpenWhispr centers on a “privacy-first” philosophy. All speech recognition runs locally on the device, with no audio or text ever being uploaded. It supports automatic recognition of over 100 languages with real-time switching, offers offline mode, AI-assisted polishing, customizable hotkeys, and automatic term-learning features. Users can freely choose to run a local speech model (such as Whisper Base) or connect to cloud APIs like OpenAI and Cohere—all functions are available free of charge.
Key features
Local Speech-to-Text: All voice data remains on the user’s device and is never uploaded to any server. The software can operate reliably even when offline, meeting compliance requirements under HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and GDPR.
AI-Powered Polishing and Command Response: Supports voice commands such as “Organize this email” or “Draft a meeting rescheduling notice for Mike,” automatically generating well-structured, grammatically correct text. It also learns proper nouns and technical terms—such as Kubernetes, gRPC, and PostgreSQL—based on user corrections.
Use cases and audience
Privacy-conscious professionals, users in regulated industries like healthcare and finance, IT and security teams, developers, office workers who frequently travel or face limited internet access, and open-source technology enthusiasts.
- Used for organizing meeting notes, it converts speech to text and automatically cleans up content—adjusting formatting, adding punctuation, and correcting grammar.
- Perform offline voice input in a no‑network environment, ideal for business travel, confidential scenarios, or bandwidth‑constrained settings.
- Cross-platform text input, compatible with ChatGPT, Claude, Google Docs, Slack, Teams, Grammarly, and all other applications that accept text input.
Real-time speech streaming (supporting mixed-language input), natural language commands (e.g., “Organize these meeting notes” or “Write an apology letter to the client”), and user-added proper nouns and technical terms (such as Dr. Smith, gRPC, and Kubernetes).
Structured text output, including proofread meeting minutes, polished email bodies, and neatly formatted to-do lists; supports AI-driven text generation tasks like rewriting, summarizing, and expanding, with all results provided as plain text ready for copy-paste.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenWhispr really free?
Yes, OpenWhispr is completely free to download and use, featuring local speech recognition, AI text cleaning, offline mode, and support for over 100 languages—no subscription fees.
Which languages does it support?
Supports more than 100 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, and others, with automatic language detection and the ability to switch mid-conversation.
How to use
- 01
Download and install OpenWhispr (supports macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS).
- 02
Upon launch, local speech recognition is enabled by default, allowing you to start voice input without an internet connection.
- 03
Activate it with a keyboard shortcut, then speak commands such as “Clear this email” or “Write Mike an email about the meeting reschedule,” and the AI will generate text instantly.
- 04
Paste the generated content into any application (such as Gmail, Notion, or Cursor), with all data remaining securely stored on your local device.
Benefits and limitations
Benefits
- Open-source software, licensed under the MIT License
- Supports local processing, prioritizes privacy, and can be used offline
- Compatible with multiple desktop and mobile platforms
- Supports multiple languages and allows selection of voice models
- Can organize and polish dictated text based on voice commands
- Customizable vocabularies help accurately recognize names and technical terms
Limitations
- Downloading local models may consume significant storage space; listed model sizes range from 75 MB to 1.6 GB
- Cloud transcription is an optional feature, so users who require it may need to configure cloud services or obtain API keys
- The information provided does not specify the exact pricing or usage restrictions of the paid plans.
Pricing and availability
Completely free; no subscription required, no usage limits, no word or character caps, and no monthly or annual payments. Running the local model incurs no cloud service charges, and you can also optionally configure a custom API key (such as OpenAI, Cohere, etc.) for on-demand calls.
- Pricing source
- https://openwhispr.com/
- Pricing last updated
- 2026-10-30
Prices and limits may change. Check the official website for current terms.
Official website & sources
Updated on 2026-10-30