# Speech to Text - Sono — AI Note Taker > On-device AI for transcription, summarization, and chat of audio/video. (iPhone/iPad app by Ju Hee Han.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-to-text-sono/id6757373812 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Ju Hee Han](https://appshunter.io/developer/1866459646) - Category: Productivity, Utilities - Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $4.99) - Rating: 4.50/5 from 28 App Store ratings · 11 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 479 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-01-07 - Data updated: 2026-08-17 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-to-text-sono/id6757373812/reviews.md ## What is Speech to Text? Never take notes again. Sono is an on-device AI transcription and summarization app. Whether you need to transcribe meetings, lectures, videos, and more, Sono takes notes for you so you can save time and focus on the discussion. Upload voice notes, audio files, or videos, and Sono will automatically convert speech to text. Sono also supports smart AI summaries and AI chat so you can ask questions, request rewrites, and generate action items. KEY FEATURES: • Unlimited transcription for audio and video in 99 languages • Transcribe voice notes, real-time audio, and video/audio files • AI summaries and chat • Organize recordings in collections • Search transcripts • Copy and share transcripts (TXT, PDF, MD, DOCX, SRT) • Export recordings • Widgets and shortcuts PRIVACY: • We do not collect any user data. Both transcription and AI features run 100% locally, so your data never has to leave your device FAQ: What is the longest transcription supported? We support regular transcription of voice notes, audio files, and video files up to 8 hours long. We support live transcription up to 2 hours long. You can transcribe as many recordings as you would like. Is the app actually fully local? Yes! The app uses local transcription and LLM models, so all transcription and AI features work on-device. A network connection is only required once to download each transcription or AI model. Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to share it. We provide optional iCloud sync to back up your data and sync data between devices. If you have this disabled, your transcriptions will be deleted if you delete the application. We recommend backing up important transcriptions. Why do I have to keep the app open while it is transcribing? The app has to be open during transcription as iOS limits apps from operating in the background for extended amounts of time. If you are unable to run the app at the moment, you can quit and reopen the app at any time. The interrupted recording will automatically start transcribing again. Terms of service: https://piquant-tile-b12.notion.site/Sono-Terms-of-Service-2dc141824eed803cae5ec5531f827eb2?source=copy_link Privacy policy: https://piquant-tile-b12.notion.site/Sono-Privacy-Policy-2dc141824eed80e3ba8bdecf4f55d04a?source=copy_link ## Key features - Unlimited transcription in 99 languages - AI summaries and chat - On-device processing for privacy - Organize recordings in collections - Search and share transcripts - Export audio and transcripts ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Sono Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month | | Sono Pro Annual | $9.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Sono Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 11) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-to-text-sono/id6757373812/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Incredible *2026-07-20* Amazing features, clean UI, super functional, exactly what I needed!! Also a very fair lifetime price! ### 5/5 — Excellent App & Amazing Developer *2026-07-09* I’ve tested many transcription apps, and Sono has become my favorite. The transcription quality is excellent, and I really appreciate that everything runs locally with a strong focus on privacy. What impressed me the most is the developer. I reported several bugs and feature suggestions, and every email received a friendly reply. Many of the issues I reported were fixed in the next updates, which shows how much the developer cares about the app and its users. Sono keeps getting better with every update, and I’m excited to see where it goes next. Highly recommended! Best wishes from Germany, Scott 🇩🇪 ### 5/5 — Excellent app for offline transcription 👍 *2026-06-27* Excellent app for offline, on-device transcription. Many formats to export to, including srt, plus Ai features for summarisation and further analysis. **Developer response:** Thank you so much! Really appreciate the support ❤️ ### 1/5 — Rubbbish-Consider before you buy *2026-06-23* This is purely rubbish as AI models can’t be downloaded even with a VPN **Developer response:** Hello, I just published a new update to fix this issue (version 2.9.0). The Parakeet transcription model is now bundled with the app, so it is available immediately after installation. Please feel free to contact support@getsono.app if you run into any other issues. Thank you, Jenna ### 3/5 — works well overall but may not be reliable *2026-05-01* I was recording for about twelve to thirteen minutes. All of a sudden the recording stopped. I don’t know why. So I decided to record in smaller chunks. If this keeps happening, I’ll ask for a refund. More to come soon. **Developer response:** Hello, I was personally able to transcribe recordings over 2 hours long without issues. Unfortunately, because all transcription happens locally, transcription performance may vary depending on your device. I would recommend using a smaller transcription model (you can change this in settings) or using the “Record audio” feature that records and transcribes audio separately to fix this problem. Please feel to email me at support@getsono.app if you are still having issues. Thank you so much! ### 5/5 — works great! *2026-04-26* the transcription quality is pretty good and i like that my data is store privately **Developer response:** Thank you so much ❤️ ### 1/5 — The model has never downloaded successfully *2026-04-20* The model has never downloaded successfully; it always shows an error and cannot be used at all. Since a local model needs to be downloaded to use it, why not embed the 486M model in the app? **Developer response:** Hello, Thank you so much for reporting this bug. I’ve released a new version (2.6.1) that should hopefully resolve the model download issue! The model is not embedded in the app, as I wanted to give users the option to download only the transcription model of their choice. However, I will consider embedding the model in the future as I think it could be helpful. Please feel free to contact support@getsono.app if you run into any issues. Thank you so much! ### 5/5 — Awesome *2026-04-06* Easy AI **Developer response:** Thank you! ### 5/5 — Read This before buying *2026-04-03* I have used a few notetakers over the years and this has been the easiest and most accurate notetaker I have ever used. I have used this in multiple situations and Sono has impressed me. Thank you for reading this and I highly recommend giving it a try for yourself. **Developer response:** I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for the kind review ### 5/5 — Works beautifully!! *2026-02-12* I really wanted an app that transcribe voice notes without a good phone connection(or no connection) and I finally found it! First I did not believe it so I put my phone on airplane mode. No matter the app just worked flawlessly! Cannot complain. **Developer response:** Thank you so much :) I’m super happy it’s working well for you! ## Frequently asked questions about Speech to Text ### What is the longest transcription supported by Sono? Sono supports regular transcription of voice notes, audio files, and video files up to 8 hours long. Live transcription is supported for up to 2 hours. You can transcribe an unlimited number of recordings. ### Is Sono actually fully local and private? Yes, Sono uses local AI models, meaning all transcription and AI features work on-device. Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to share it. A network connection is only needed to download models. ### How long does it take to transcribe audio with Sono? Live transcription occurs in real time. For audio/video files, transcription takes approximately 5-15% of the recording length on an iPhone 14 Pro. For example, a 20-minute recording takes about 2 minutes to transcribe. ### What languages does Sono support for transcription? Sono offers transcription in 99 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and many more. A full list is available in the app's detailed description. ### What are the subscription options for Sono Pro? Sono offers a monthly subscription for $1.99 and an annual subscription for $9.99. Both plans include a 7-day free trial. ### Can I export my transcriptions from Sono? Yes, you can copy and share transcripts in TXT, PDF, DOCX, and SRT formats. You can also export the original recordings. ### What AI models does Sono use? Sono utilizes local models from OpenAI's Whisper and Meta AI's Llama for its transcription and AI features, ensuring all processing happens on your device. ### How often is Sono updated? The latest version of Sono is 2.4.0, and it was last updated on March 25, 2026. This indicates a relatively frequent update schedule. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.0.0 — 2026-07-09 - Faster, more accurate AI summaries and chat with Apple Intelligence - Home and lock screen widgets - Siri shortcut to start recording - Edit transcripts - Share sheet import - Playback speed control - Add images to recordings - Collection icons - Split view for iPad and Mac - Bug fixes ### 2.9.0 — 2026-07-02 - Delete recording audio to save storage - UX improvements - Bug fixes ### 2.8.2 — 2026-06-26 - UX improvements - Bug fixes ### 2.8.1 — 2026-06-18 - UX improvements ### 2.8.0 — 2026-06-16 - Two new transcription models: NVIDIA Parakeet and Whisper Large (Turbo) for fast, high-quality transcription ## More apps by Ju Hee Han - [Unenhanced](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unenhanced/id6759062864) - [Vision Habit: Glow Up Habits](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vision-habit-glow-up-habits/id6761079891) - [Capylock: Screen Time Control](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capylock-screen-time-control/id6768179331) All apps by Ju Hee Han: https://appshunter.io/developer/1866459646 ## Related topics [sono ai](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sono-ai) · [audio transcription free](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/audio-transcription-free) --- *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 2026-08-17.*