VoiceInk: VoiceInk is an open-source macOS dictation app that turns speech into text in any application using local whisper.cpp AI models that run entirely on-device. aTrain: Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist VoiceInk when hands-free drafting of emails, messages, and documents in any macos app matters most, and aTrain when universities and public bodies needing gdpr-friendly local transcription matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
VoiceInk is an open-source macOS dictation app that turns speech into text in any application using local whisper.cpp AI models that run entirely on-device.
Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection.
VoiceInk is a native macOS dictation application that converts spoken words into text and inserts them into any app, positioned as an open-source alternative to Superwhisper and Wispr Flow. It runs transcription locally using whisper.cpp Whisper models (and Parakeet via FluidAudio), so voice data stays on the device by default; optionally, you can connect cloud transcription and AI services such as Groq, Deepgram, Cerebras, and Gemini using your own API keys. Users trigger recording with global keyboard shortcuts or push-to-talk, and VoiceInk types the result wherever the cursor sits. Its Power Mode automatically switches transcription and AI-enhancement settings based on the active app or website, while a Personal Dictionary handles custom terminology and text replacements. Enhancement prompts can reformat dictation for email, chat, or social posts, and a later release added the ability to share audio files into the app for transcription. The project is published on GitHub under GPL v3, runs on Apple Silicon Macs (macOS 14.4+), and also offers an iOS version. It suits writers, developers, and professionals who want fast, private hands-free text entry.
Best suited for
aTrain is a free, open-source desktop application for offline speech transcription, developed by researchers at the Business Analytics and Data Science Center of the University of Graz in Austria. It provides a graphical interface around OpenAI's Whisper model (via the faster-whisper implementation) so users with no programming experience can transcribe recorded meetings, interviews, lectures, and other audio. Because all processing happens locally on the user's own computer, no audio or text is uploaded to any server, which makes it well suited to privacy-sensitive and GDPR-conscious environments such as universities, public institutions, and research teams. aTrain supports a wide range of languages and adds speaker detection through pyannote.audio so contributions from different participants can be separated. Transcripts can be exported in formats compatible with qualitative-analysis software such as MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivo. It runs on Windows (including a Microsoft Store distribution) with GPU acceleration on NVIDIA hardware, and is distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license. It is best for researchers, academics, and organizations that need accurate, local, no-cloud transcription of recorded conversations. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
VoiceInk is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); aTrain is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | VoiceInk | aTrain |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local on-device speech-to-text via whisper.cpp and Parakeet (FluidAudio) Whisper models | Offline, fully local transcription with no data leaving the device |
| Standout feature | Optional cloud transcription/enhancement through user-supplied API keys (Groq, Deepgram, Cerebras, Gemini) | Built on OpenAI Whisper via the faster-whisper engine |
| Team usage | Global keyboard shortcuts and push-to-talk dictation that inserts text into any app | Speaker detection/diarization using pyannote.audio |
| Integrations | Power Mode: automatic per-app/per-website switching of transcription and AI settings | Exports compatible with MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivo |
| Languages & capture | Personal Dictionary for custom words, phrases, and text replacements | Graphical interface requiring no programming skills |
| Best-fit workflow | AI enhancement modes (email, chat, posts) and audio-file transcription support | NVIDIA GPU acceleration support |
VoiceInk
Choose VoiceInk if you need hands-free drafting of emails, messages, and documents in any macos app — strengths include transcribes entirely offline by default, keeping voice data on-device for privacy.
aTrain
Choose aTrain if you need researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis — strengths include free and open source under agpl-3.0.
VoiceInk
aTrain
It depends on your workflow. VoiceInk is strong for hands-free drafting of emails, messages, and documents in any macos app, while aTrain is strong for researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
VoiceInk is a free tier with paid upgrades and aTrain is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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