I record interviews, meetings, and random thoughts. Tried a bunch of voice memo apps that claim "privacy" while uploading everything to their servers. Whisper Notes actually keeps recordings offline. Here's why it works.
Why Offline
Most voice apps upload to the cloud. Faster processing, less battery drain. But your recordings sit on someone else's servers—accessible to employees, hackers, law enforcement.
Whisper Notes processes locally:
- • Recordings stay on your device
- • Works without internet
- • No tracking
- • No server breaches
Interface
Clean, simple. Tap to record, tap to stop. No unnecessary screens between you and the recording.
The main recording interface prioritizes clarity and ease of use
Transcription Quality
Offline transcription usually sucks—cloud services have more power, better models. Whisper Notes surprised me. It runs the Whisper AI model locally and gets close to cloud accuracy.
What works:
- • Accuracy rivals cloud services (struggles with heavy accents)
- • 80+ languages, auto-detects which one you're speaking
- • Formats long transcripts into paragraphs
- • Highlights text as audio plays
Long transcripts benefit from paragraph formatting and synchronized playback
Lock Screen Widget
New feature: lock screen widget with Live Activity. Useful when walking or driving. Tap the widget, start recording without unlocking your phone.
Why it's good:
- • One tap from lock screen → recording starts
- • Live Activity shows duration while you talk
- • Capture thoughts while walking, no need to fumble with unlock
The lock screen widget makes starting recording and tracking status with Live Activity easy
Compared to Alternatives
Tested other voice memo apps. Here's where Whisper Notes wins and loses:
- • Privacy: Most apps say "privacy" but upload to servers anyway. Whisper Notes actually stays local.
- • Price: $4.99 once. No subscription. Rare in 2025.
- • Accuracy: Not as good as Rev or Descript for messy audio. Good enough for clear speech and personal notes.
- • Speed: Slower than cloud services. Long recordings take time to process on-device.
- • Multi-device: Enable Handoff to copy transcripts from iPhone to Mac automatically.
Biggest limitation: processing speed. Cloud services are faster. But for daily voice memos, interviews, and meetings, I'll take the privacy tradeoff.
Not Perfect
App crashes occasionally with very long recordings. The transcription edit UI could be better. But updates come regularly, and things improve.
Found a bug? Email [email protected]. They respond faster than most indie app developers.
Download Whisper Notes