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. WhisperLiveKit: Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
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 WhisperLiveKit when building privacy-first transcription into custom applications via compatible apis matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
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, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription.
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
WhisperLiveKit is an open-source, self-hosted toolkit for ultra-low-latency real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization. Rather than naively running Whisper on each audio chunk, it uses state-of-the-art simultaneous-speech research for intelligent buffering and incremental processing, which preserves transcription quality while streaming results with minimal latency. The project ships a complete backend built on FastAPI with WebSocket support, an OpenAI-compatible REST API, a Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol, and a simple, customizable HTML and JavaScript web interface that captures microphone audio and streams it to the server. It supports multiple ASR backends including Whisper variants, Voxtral, and Qwen3-ASR, covers 200+ languages with translation, and includes real-time speaker diarization and voice activity detection to reduce processing overhead. It can handle multiple concurrent users on a single backend and is distributed via PyPI with Docker images for both GPU and CPU. Licensed under Apache 2.0 and actively maintained into 2026, the project explicitly lists meeting transcription, accessibility tooling, and podcast or call transcription with speaker identification among its intended use cases, making it a practical building block for private, on-premise meeting transcription pipelines. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
VoiceInk is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); WhisperLiveKit is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | VoiceInk | WhisperLiveKit |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local on-device speech-to-text via whisper.cpp and Parakeet (FluidAudio) Whisper models | Real-time streaming speech-to-text with low latency over WebSocket |
| Standout feature | Optional cloud transcription/enhancement through user-supplied API keys (Groq, Deepgram, Cerebras, Gemini) | Real-time speaker diarization to distinguish multiple speakers |
| Team usage | Global keyboard shortcuts and push-to-talk dictation that inserts text into any app | FastAPI backend with OpenAI-compatible REST API and Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol |
| Integrations | Power Mode: automatic per-app/per-website switching of transcription and AI settings | Multiple ASR backends (Whisper variants, Voxtral, Qwen3-ASR) and 200+ language support with translation |
| Languages & capture | Personal Dictionary for custom words, phrases, and text replacements | Included customizable HTML/JavaScript web interface and Docker images (GPU and CPU) |
| Best-fit workflow | AI enhancement modes (email, chat, posts) and audio-file transcription support | Voice activity detection and multi-user support on a single backend |
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.
WhisperLiveKit
Choose WhisperLiveKit if you need self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels — strengths include fully open source (apache 2.0) and self-hostable for private, on-premise transcription.
VoiceInk
WhisperLiveKit
It depends on your workflow. VoiceInk is strong for hands-free drafting of emails, messages, and documents in any macos app, while WhisperLiveKit is strong for self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
VoiceInk is a free tier with paid upgrades and WhisperLiveKit is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
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