# LocalWhisper — Voice to Text, No Subscription

> Private, on-device speech-to-text powered by Whisper AI. (iPhone/iPad app by Kevin Mok.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/localwhisper/id6760680371 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kevin Mok](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885695111)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 41 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-04-10
- Data updated: 2026-09-01
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/localwhisper/id6760680371/reviews.md

## What is LocalWhisper?

Speech-to-text that runs entirely on your iPhone. No subscription. No cloud. No word limits. Pay once, dictate forever.

LocalWhisper is a dictation keyboard powered by Whisper AI. Your voice is transcribed on-device and never uploaded anywhere. Optional AI cleanup polishes grammar and punctuation — also on-device.

Why pay monthly to transcribe your own voice? LocalWhisper's free tier has no word limit and works completely offline. Want even better accuracy? A single one-time purchase — less than the price of a coffee — unlocks our most powerful models. Forever. No trials, no renewals, no surprises.


WHY GO LOCAL?

Every time you dictate into a cloud-based keyboard, your voice is uploaded, processed, and stored on someone else's server. Passwords, private messages, medical notes, journal entries — all of it.

LocalWhisper takes a different approach. The AI runs on your device. Your audio is processed in memory, used for transcription, and immediately discarded. There is nothing to hack, nothing to leak, and nothing to sell. Your words never leave your phone.


HOLD TO RECORD. SLIDE TO CONTROL.

Long-press the mic to record. Release to transcribe. Slide right to lock recording for hands-free dictation. Slide left to discard. It feels natural from the first use.

Made a mistake? Undo the last dictation within 30 seconds. Need to tweak the wording? Edit your transcription before it is inserted. Changed your mind? Cancel mid-transcription. You are always in control.


THREE WAYS TO TRANSCRIBE

Free — A capable Whisper model, bundled and ready to go. Works offline with no purchase needed and no word limit. Genuinely useful for everyday notes, messages, and quick dictation.

Pro — For the price of a coffee, unlock Apple Neural Engine acceleration. Choose from models up to Large v3 for faster, more accurate transcription. One-time purchase. No subscription. Yours forever.

Server — Connect to your own Whisper server running on your Mac, home lab, or anywhere reachable over Tailscale or your local network. Run the largest models on your own hardware with zero compromise on privacy or accuracy.


AI-POWERED ENHANCEMENT

Connect your own LLM (Ollama, Groq, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint) for automatic grammar and punctuation cleanup. Run inference locally on your Mac over Tailscale — no cloud required. Choose a style that fits you: General, Developer, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, or Royal.


BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THEIR TOOLS

- Custom phrase keys — configurable shortcuts for punctuation, symbols, and cursor movement
- User dictionary — set find-and-replace rules so your terminology is always correct
- Live status display — see your provider, model, and latency at a glance
- Refined dark theme with fluid animations — a keyboard you will actually enjoy using


PRIVACY IS THE ARCHITECTURE

LocalWhisper collects no data whatsoever. No accounts. No analytics. No telemetry. The App Privacy label reads "Data Not Collected" because that is the literal truth.


GET STARTED IN UNDER A MINUTE

1. Download LocalWhisper
2. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add LocalWhisper
3. Enable Allow Full Access (required for local app communication only — no data leaves your device)
4. Switch to the LocalWhisper keyboard in any app
5. Hold the mic and speak

Free to download. Free to use. No subscription, no ads, no word limits. Upgrade once if you want the best — it costs less than a morning coffee.

## Key features

- On-device speech-to-text transcription
- Privacy-focused, no cloud uploads
- Offline functionality
- AI-powered grammar and punctuation cleanup
- Customizable phrase keys and user dictionary
- Optional connection to personal Whisper servers
- Hands-free dictation with slide controls

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LocalWhisper Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/localwhisper/id6760680371/reviews.md

### 4/5 — 麦克风混乱

*2026-07-17*

应用挺好，有个小问题是，为什么戴着耳机的时候默认使用手机上的麦克风而不是耳机上的，导致的结果是占用麦克风的时候耳机自动处于断开的状态，直接的结果是，AirPods 和 localwhisper 只能二选一。

### 5/5 — I bought it only to find out it doesn't support Chinese; I thought it was like OpenWhisper.

*2026-06-02*

I bought it only to find out it doesn't support Chinese; I thought it was like OpenWhisper.

**Developer response:** Hi there,

Thanks for supporting the app. I’ve added multilingual support in v1.3.0. Please update your app and give it a shot!

## Frequently asked questions about LocalWhisper

### Does LocalWhisper have ads?

No, LocalWhisper does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with an optional one-time purchase for Pro features, ensuring an uninterrupted user experience.

### What is the price of LocalWhisper?

LocalWhisper offers a free tier with no word limits or subscriptions. A one-time purchase, priced less than a coffee, unlocks more powerful AI models and Apple Neural Engine acceleration for enhanced accuracy and speed.

### How often is LocalWhisper updated?

The latest version of LocalWhisper is 1.3.0, last updated on June 1, 2026. Updates typically focus on improving performance, accuracy, and adding new features based on user feedback and AI advancements.

### What devices does LocalWhisper support?

LocalWhisper is available for iPhone and iPad devices. Its on-device processing ensures that your dictations remain private regardless of the supported Apple hardware.

### What is the age rating for LocalWhisper?

LocalWhisper has an age rating of 4+. This indicates that the app is considered suitable for general audiences and does not contain content that would be inappropriate for young children.

### Can I use LocalWhisper offline?

Yes, the free tier of LocalWhisper works completely offline. You can transcribe your voice without an internet connection, making it ideal for use in any situation.

### How does LocalWhisper handle my data?

LocalWhisper is designed with privacy as its core architecture. All voice processing and transcription occur entirely on your device, meaning your data is never uploaded, stored, or shared with any third parties.

### What are the different transcription modes in LocalWhisper?

LocalWhisper offers three transcription modes: Free, which uses a capable Whisper model offline; Pro, which unlocks faster and more accurate models with Apple Neural Engine acceleration via a one-time purchase; and Server, allowing connection to your own Whisper server for maximum control.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4.0 — 2026-08-22

What's new in 1.4.0:

- Dictation keeps working if the keyboard closes or is interrupted, and your text is inserted only in the app where you started
recording.
- AI cleanup no longer delays your text. If cleanup takes too long, LocalWhisper inserts your transcription right away, with your
dictionary replacements applied.
- The keyboard now shows a cleanup phase with a subtle animation. It respects the Reduce Motion setting.
- Returning to your app after activation is faster.
- If recording stops working in the background, the keyboard detects it sooner and lets you reconnect with one tap.

FIXES
- Fixed a crash during AI cleanup of long dictations (about three minutes and over).
- Fixed keyboard detection on iOS 26.4 and later.
- Fixed audio playback on AirPods after dictation.
- Fixed rare cases where text could be inserted into the wrong app.

### 1.3.0 — 2026-06-01

What's New (1.3.0):

• Multilingual dictation — 12 languages (+ language-aware AI cleanup)
• Space-bar cursor control — hold-to-scrub trackpad on the space bar
• Refreshed stock-iOS keyboard bottom row

### 1.2.0 — 2026-05-16

Performance mode

On iPhone 15 Pro and newer, AI cleanup and speech recognition now stay loaded between dictations — no more 30-second model warmups on your second dictation of the day.

A new Performance setting (Settings → Performance) lets you turn this on or off. It's on by default on devices with 8 GB RAM or more, and off on older devices where keeping both models loaded could cause the app to restart under memory pressure.

The Pro model picker now shows fit badges (Best / OK / Tight) so you can pick the right model size for your device before downloading.

Bug fix: the keyboard no longer shows "Couldn't connect" while the AI model is compiling on first launch.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-04-27

v1.1 — On-Device AI Enhancement

Your dictation can now be automatically polished for grammar, punctuation, and style entirely on your iPhone. Download the AI model once, then every dictation gets cleaned up privately. No server needed.

### 1.0 — 2026-04-11

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*