Writing & notes

openwhispr

Hold a hotkey, speak, and the text lands where your cursor is

Visit official page 日本語で詳しく見る

Popularity

★ 5.3k

Last update

August 2026

License / pricing

MIT

What it does

Dictate into any application: press the hotkey, talk, and your words appear at the cursor. Transcription can run fully offline with local engines such as Whisper or NVIDIA Parakeet, so audio never leaves the machine, or in the cloud when you want speed. It also handles meeting transcription and notes. Available for macOS, Windows and Linux; the project states it collects no data and sends no telemetry.

Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.

Screenshots & visuals

Before you start

Setup difficultySome setup needed
Command lineNot required
API keyRequired
Sends data onlineYes

Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.

openwhispr FAQ

Is openwhispr free?: openwhispr itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
Do I need to install anything or write code to use openwhispr?: You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.
Does openwhispr work on a phone?: No. It needs a computer.
Can I use openwhispr commercially?: The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.

How it compares

The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.

Tool	Command line	API key	Sends data out	Phone	Commercial use
openwhispr (this page)	Not needed	Required	Yes	No	Yes
prompts.chat	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	With conditions
AppFlowy	Not needed	Not needed	No	No	Yes
AFFiNE	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.

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What it does

Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.

openwhispr FAQ

Is openwhispr free?

openwhispr itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.

Do I need to install anything or write code to use openwhispr?

You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.

Does openwhispr work on a phone?

No. It needs a computer.

Can I use openwhispr commercially?

The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.

How it compares

The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.

Tool	Command line	API key	Sends data out	Phone	Commercial use
openwhispr (this page)	Not needed	Required	Yes	No	Yes
prompts.chat	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	With conditions
AppFlowy	Not needed	Not needed	No	No	Yes
AFFiNE	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.