Hello Transcribe
Hello Transcribe is an app available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac devices running on Mac OS X 13.0 or later. The ...
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What is Hello Transcribe?
Hello Transcribe is a private and secure speech-to-text transcriber that uses OpenAI Whisper and Whisper.cpp to convert audio and video into text directly on your Apple device. All processing happens on-device for 100% privacy, and the app works completely offline. Saved transcriptions are encrypted and stored securely in iCloud. The app supports iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision devices.
Key features include transcribing voice notes (including WhatsApp), podcasts, audio files in many formats, and MP4 video files. You can also transcribe the microphone feed in real-time for live dictation or to record meetings. The app supports many languages and can translate audio from multiple languages to English. Pro users get access to presets for managing different configurations, the ability to save audio for re-transcription later, and export options for VTT or SRT subtitle files.
Hello Transcribe is ideal for journalists, researchers, content creators, podcasters, students, and anyone who needs accurate transcription while maintaining complete privacy. It's especially useful for people who journal or frewrite via voice, transcribe interviews, add subtitles to videos, or need to convert meeting recordings to text without sending data to cloud servers.
Hello Transcribe pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Hello Transcribe is free to download with in-app purchases. The free version includes access to the tiny model (and Base and Small models were added to free in version 4.0.7). Pro subscription costs $1.99/month and Pro Purchase is a one-time payment of $6.99 for lifetime access. Pro features include access to small, medium, and large models (including Large v3 Turbo), presets for managing configurations, VTT/SRT export, and audio save/re-transcribe/export functionality. Family Sharing is available for in-app purchases.
Hello Transcribe pros
- 100% on-device processing for complete privacy
- Works completely offline without internet connection
- Saved results encrypted in iCloud
- Uses accurate OpenAI Whisper and Whisper.cpp technology
- Transcribes voice notes from WhatsApp and other apps
- Supports podcasts and many audio file formats
- Transcribes MP4 video files
- Real-time microphone feed transcription for live dictation
- Supports many languages with translation to English
- Pro purchase is one-time payment, usable forever
- Presets feature to manage different model configurations
- Export to VTT and SRT files for video subtitles
- Save audio to re-transcribe later
- Near real-time transcription even on older devices like iPhone X
- Family Sharing supported for in-app purchases
Hello Transcribe cons
- Requires iOS 18.6 or later (very recent iOS version)
- Free version limited to tiny model only (initially)
- Larger models cost extra through Pro purchase or subscription
- Real-time chunking into 30-second segments can degrade quality
- Unexpected line breaks in longer transcriptions
- Words overlapping two chunks may transcribe poorly
- Cannot run transcriptions in background on iOS (Apple restriction)
- Text saving could be better - easy to lose dictated text
- Clear button dangerously close to pause button
- Dictation controls can be confusing for new users
Frequently asked questions about Hello Transcribe
What is Hello Transcribe?
Hello Transcribe is a private and secure speech-to-text transcriber developed by Ben Nortier that uses OpenAI Whisper and Whisper.cpp to convert audio and video into text. All processing happens on-device for 100% privacy, and it works offline.
Is my data private with Hello Transcribe?
Yes, all transcription processing is done completely on-device on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. No audio or text is sent to external servers. Saved results are encrypted in iCloud, and the developer does not collect any data from this app.
What devices are compatible with Hello Transcribe?
Hello Transcribe requires iOS 18.6 or later for iPhone, iPadOS 18.6 or later for iPad, macOS 15.6 or later for Mac, and visionOS 2.6 or later for Apple Vision. It works on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple Vision devices.
What audio and video formats does Hello Transcribe support?
The app supports many audio file formats including voice notes from WhatsApp, podcasts, and general audio files. For video, it supports MP4 format. The exact list of supported audio formats is extensive but not fully specified.
What is the difference between the free and Pro versions?
The free version includes the tiny model (and Base and Small models added in version 4.0.7). Pro version ($6.99 one-time or $1.99/month subscription) unlocks small, medium, and large models including Large v3 Turbo, plus features like presets, VTT/SRT export, and audio save/re-transcribe/export.
Can I use Hello Transcribe offline?
Yes, Hello Transcribe works completely offline since all processing happens on-device. You don't need an internet connection to transcribe audio or video files once the app and models are installed.
Does Hello Transcribe support multiple languages?
Yes, Hello Transcribe supports many languages and can translate audio from multiple languages to English. This is powered by OpenAI Whisper which supports over 99 languages.
Can I export transcriptions as subtitles?
Yes, Pro users can export transcriptions as VTT or SRT files, which can be used to add subtitles to videos or podcasts. This feature is not available in the free version.
Can Hello Transcribe run transcriptions in the background on iOS?
No, it's not possible to run transcriptions in the background on iOS due to Apple's restrictions. Background transcription workflows only work on Mac. The developer has confirmed this limitation in user responses.
How do I get free access to all Pro features?
The developer Ben Nortier offers free TestFlight access with all features. You can email him at [email protected] to be added to TestFlight, which gives you everything for free as a way to support the app development.