Whisperstream: Whisperstream is a privacy-focused Windows dictation app that turns speech into text entirely on-device, with no cloud upload. oTranscribe: A free, open-source web app that eases manual transcription of recorded interviews by integrating media playback controls beside a text editor. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Whisperstream when dictating emails, messages, and documents faster than typing matters most, and oTranscribe when academic and qualitative researchers transcribing fieldwork or oral-history recordings matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
Whisperstream is a privacy-focused Windows dictation app that turns speech into text entirely on-device, with no cloud upload.
A free, open-source web app that eases manual transcription of recorded interviews by integrating media playback controls beside a text editor.
Whisperstream is a downloadable Windows desktop application from Lanreal Technologies Inc. that converts speech to text using push-to-talk dictation. Transcription runs entirely locally on the user's PC via the NVIDIA Parakeet model, so audio is never uploaded to the cloud and no account is tied to the user's voice. It works across any application without add-ins or setup, inserting dictated text directly into tools such as Outlook, Gmail, Slack, VS Code, browsers, and Claude Code. Beyond live dictation, it can import and transcribe existing audio recordings, and it keeps a searchable transcript history with audio replay, encrypted on the device. Additional features include AI cleanup that tidies spoken input, a custom vocabulary for names, jargon, and acronyms, per-app custom AI prompts, support for 25 languages, global keyboard shortcuts, and full offline operation. It requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with at least 8GB RAM. It targets professionals and privacy-conscious knowledge workers who want fast, local voice input rather than typing.
Best suited for
oTranscribe is a free, open-source (MIT license) web app, created by Elliot Bentley and maintained by the MuckRock Foundation, that takes the pain out of transcribing recorded interviews. It runs in the browser on desktop computers and places an integrated audio or video player alongside a text editor, so you can pause, rewind, and fast-forward your recording using keyboard shortcuts without taking your hands off the keys or switching between apps. It is built for journalists, researchers, oral historians, and students who type up interviews and recordings themselves. Rather than using automatic speech recognition, oTranscribe assists manual transcription: you listen and type, inserting interactive timestamps (Ctrl+J) that you can click to jump back to that moment in the media. Your transcript autosaves to the browser's local storage, and audio files never leave your computer, keeping work private. Finished transcripts can be exported to Markdown, plain text, or oTranscribe's own .otr format, or sent to Google Drive. Rich-text formatting and adjustable playback speed are supported.
Best suited for
Whisperstream is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); oTranscribe is open source (open source). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Whisperstream | oTranscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local, on-device speech-to-text using the NVIDIA Parakeet model (no cloud upload) | Integrated audio/video player next to the transcript editor |
| Standout feature | Push-to-talk dictation that inserts text into any application | Keyboard shortcuts to pause, rewind, fast-forward, and adjust playback speed without leaving the keyboard |
| Team usage | Audio file import for transcribing existing recordings | Clickable interactive timestamps that jump to the matching point in the media |
| Integrations | Searchable, encrypted transcript history with audio replay | Automatic saving to browser local storage with transcript history backups |
| Languages & capture | AI cleanup plus per-app custom AI prompts and custom vocabulary | Export to Markdown, plain text, .otr format, or send to Google Drive |
| Best-fit workflow | 25-language support with full offline operation | Local, private processing - audio and transcript never leave the user's computer |
Whisperstream
Choose Whisperstream if you need dictating emails, messages, and documents faster than typing — strengths include fully local processing keeps audio private and works offline.
oTranscribe
Choose oTranscribe if you need journalists typing up recorded interviews for articles — strengths include completely free and open source under the mit license.
Whisperstream
oTranscribe
It depends on your workflow. Whisperstream is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents faster than typing, while oTranscribe is strong for journalists typing up recorded interviews for articles. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Whisperstream is a free tier with paid upgrades and oTranscribe is open source. 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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