Hello Transcribe

Transcribe voice notes, podcasts, and meetings with 100% on-device privacy using Whisper AI, providing secure, offline speech-to-text for Apple device users.

Freemium speech transcription

About Hello Transcribe

Hello Transcribe is a dedicated speech-to-text application designed for Apple ecosystem users who require high-accuracy transcriptions without compromising privacy. By leveraging OpenAI’s Whisper model and Whisper.cpp, the tool processes all audio and video files directly on the user's hardware. This architectural choice ensures that sensitive recordings never leave the device, making it a robust solution for professionals handling confidential information. The app supports a wide range of input formats, including voice notes from messaging apps like WhatsApp, recorded podcasts, and live microphone feeds. The application operates entirely offline, providing reliability in environments without internet connectivity. Users can record meetings in real-time or import existing files to generate text outputs. A significant feature is its multilingual support, which includes the ability to translate foreign language audio into English. For those requiring technical outputs, the Pro version allows for the export of VTT and SRT files, facilitating the addition of subtitles to video content. Data management is handled through iCloud with encryption, ensuring that results are synchronized across devices securely. Hello Transcribe is particularly well-suited for journalists, researchers, and legal professionals who deal with sensitive interviews or proprietary data. It also serves content creators who need to generate captions for social media or long-form videos. Unlike cloud-based transcription services that may store data on external servers, Hello Transcribe’s local processing model offers peace of mind regarding data ownership. The inclusion of various Whisper models, from Base to Large v3 Turbo in the Pro tier, allows users to balance speed and accuracy based on their specific hardware capabilities. What distinguishes this tool is its commitment to a "buy once, use forever" model alongside a subscription option, catering to different user preferences. Recent updates have introduced a Karaoke text view for synchronized audio-text playback and a macOS Share Extension for seamless workflow integration. While it faces the challenge of Apple's background processing restrictions on iOS, the developer has implemented features like Keep Screen Awake and Recover from Failed Dictation to mitigate mobile-specific limitations, making it a highly functional local alternative to mainstream AI transcription services.

Pros & cons

Pros

Guarantees 100% privacy by processing all audio locally without cloud uploads.
Supports high-accuracy Large V3 Turbo Whisper models for superior text generation.
Offers a one-time purchase option for lifetime access to Pro features.
Provides offline functionality, allowing for transcriptions without an active internet connection.
Includes a Karaoke style playback feature that syncs audio with the transcribed text.

Cons

Background transcription is not supported on iOS due to system-level restrictions.
Long transcriptions may suffer from quality issues due to 30-second audio chunking.
Real-time transcription can be prone to data loss if the app crashes or the phone idles.
Requires the latest OS versions such as iOS 18.6 or macOS 15.6 for full compatibility.

Use cases

Journalists and researchers can transcribe sensitive interviews on-device to ensure source confidentiality and data security.
Content creators and podcasters can generate SRT or VTT subtitle files for their videos using the Pro export features.
Office workers can record and dictate notes live during meetings without needing an internet connection.
International travelers can use the translation feature to convert foreign language speech into English text in real-time.
Journalers can use voice-to-text to capture rambling thoughts and then pipe the text into other AI tools for summarization.

Features

offline transcription capability
audio player with karaoke text sync
support for large v3 turbo models
icloud encrypted synchronization
srt and vtt subtitle export
multilingual support and english translation
real-time microphone dictation
on-device whisper ai processing

Pricing

Pro Subscription

$1.99 / month

Large v3 Turbo model support
Export VTT and SRT subtitle files
Save and re-transcribe audio
Manage different configurations with Presets
Encrypted iCloud storage

PRO Purchase

$6.99 / one-time

Lifetime access to all Pro features
Large v3 Turbo model support
Export VTT and SRT subtitle files
Save and re-transcribe audio
Presets for configurations

Free

On-device transcription
Base and Small Whisper models
Multilingual support
Translation to English
Audio player and Karaoke view
Recover from failed dictation

FAQs

Does Hello Transcribe send my audio data to any servers?

No, the app performs all processing 100% on-device using local Whisper models. This ensures your data never leaves your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, maintaining total privacy.

Can I use this app without an internet connection?

Yes, Hello Transcribe works entirely offline since the AI models are downloaded and run locally on your hardware. This is ideal for secure or remote environments.

Can I export transcriptions as subtitles for videos?

Yes, users with the Pro version can export their transcriptions in VTT or SRT formats. These are standard files used for adding captions to podcasts or video content.

Does the app support languages other than English?

Yes, it supports many languages and includes a feature to translate foreign language audio directly into English. Users can choose different model sizes to improve accuracy.

Can it transcribe in the background on an iPhone?

Due to Apple's system restrictions, transcription cannot run in the background on iOS. However, background transcription is possible when using the app on a Mac.

Ratings & reviews

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