Whispering
Whispering is an open-source transcription software that allows users to own their data while choosing between local or cloud models for converting speech to text.
https://epicenter.so/whispering?ref=producthunt
Product Information
Updated:Aug 16, 2025
What is Whispering
Whispering is a free and open-source transcription application that puts data ownership and transparency first. It provides users with the ability to transcribe audio using either local models or cloud providers like Groq and OpenAI, without any black box intermediaries. As part of the Epicenter platform, it aims to replace closed, siloed transcription services with an open and interoperable alternative that gives users full control over their data and transcription process.
Key Features of Whispering
Whispering is an open-source transcription software that allows users to convert speech to text with complete data ownership and transparency. It offers flexibility in choosing between local and cloud-based models (like Groq and OpenAI), features a simple shortcut-based interface, and provides significant cost savings compared to traditional transcription services. The application emphasizes privacy, local-first storage, and direct integration with provider APIs without any middleman servers.
Model Flexibility: Choose between cloud-based providers (Groq, OpenAI) or local models (Speaches) for transcription, giving users complete control over their preferred solution
Shortcut-Based Interface: Simple press-shortcut-and-speak functionality that works system-wide, allowing quick transcription from anywhere on your device
Local-First Storage: All transcriptions are stored locally in plain text and SQLite format, ensuring data ownership and privacy
Cost-Effective Pricing: Direct provider API integration enables up to 90% cost savings compared to traditional transcription services, with options starting from free for local models
Use Cases of Whispering
Professional Note-Taking: Quick transcription of meetings, interviews, and lectures for better documentation and reference
Content Creation: Efficient conversion of spoken content into written form for blogs, articles, and social media posts
Academic Research: Transcription of research interviews and field recordings with complete data privacy and ownership
Personal Productivity: Quick capture of ideas and thoughts through voice, automatically converted to searchable text
Pros
Complete transparency and data ownership
Significant cost savings compared to traditional services
Flexibility in choosing between local and cloud models
Cons
Requires initial setup and API keys for cloud services
Limited to supported platforms and models
How to Use Whispering
Download and Install: Download Whispering for your platform (macOS, web version available) from GitHub releases or try the web version directly
Setup API Keys (Optional): Choose between cloud providers (Groq, OpenAI) or local models (Speaches). If using cloud, add your own API keys to pay providers directly
Configure Shortcut: Set up the keyboard shortcut that will trigger the transcription functionality
Position Microphone: Place microphone about 1cm away from mouth for optimal performance. Can use podium mics for best results
Activate and Speak: Press the configured shortcut, then speak what you want transcribed. Can whisper quietly for privacy in public spaces
Get Transcribed Text: The spoken audio will be automatically transcribed to text and appear in your system
Format and Edit: Use the built-in tools to format text, fix grammar, and create custom workflows as needed
Whispering FAQs
When whispering, the vocal cords are tensed up and do not vibrate. Instead, air passes between the arytenoid cartilages to create audible turbulence during speech, while the mouth movements (supralaryngeal articulation) remain the same as in normal speech.
Whispering Video
Popular Articles
How to Use Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Nano Banana to Boost Your Business in 2025
Sep 2, 2025
How to Use Gemini 2.5 Flash Nano Banana to Create Your Art Album: A Complete Guide (2025)
Aug 29, 2025
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) Official Release – Google’s Best AI Image Editor Is Here
Aug 27, 2025
DeepSeek v3.1: AIPURE’s Comprehensive Review with Benchmarks & Comparison vs GPT-5 vs Claude 4.1 in 2025
Aug 26, 2025
Latest AI Tools Similar to Whispering
Ticknotes
Ticknotes is an AI-powered meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and generates personalized meeting summaries, action items, and key insights from audio, video, and text content.
Feta
Feta is an AI-powered meeting tool that helps product and engineering teams run efficient meetings by capturing discussions, automating tasks, and providing actionable insights through smart summaries and integrations.
TranscriptionPlus
TranscriptionPlus is an AI-powered transcription service that offers accurate speech-to-text conversion with advanced features like speaker identification, summary generation, and multi-language support at affordable pricing tiers.
AudioScribe.io
AudioScribe.io is a revolutionary AI-powered transcription service that converts audio and video content into accurate text while offering advanced features like automated meeting recording, full-text search, and multi-language support.
Popular AI Tools Like Whispering
Whisper AI
Whisper is an open-source automatic speech recognition system from OpenAI that approaches human-level accuracy and robustness for transcribing and translating speech in multiple languages.
inFin
inFin is a lightweight, user-friendly AI-powered voice notes app that offers unlimited recording, real-time transcription, and translation between Chinese and English, with offline capabilities and local storage for enhanced privacy.
Orbie.
Orbie. is an intelligent audio companion app that transforms voice recordings into clear, shareable text with AI-powered transcription, summarization, and translation capabilities.
TurboScribe
TurboScribe is an AI-powered transcription service that converts audio and video files to accurate text in seconds, supporting 98+ languages with 99.8% accuracy and unlimited transcriptions.