Comparison

Soniox vs LocalWhisper

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Soniox

This app uses advanced AI to transcribe and translate speech in over 60 languages in real-time. It provides instant summaries, identifies speakers, and offers context-aware accuracy for enhanced understanding. Securely share or export your transcribed conversations and notes.

Highlights
  • Real-time transcription with speaker ID
  • Speech translation in 60+ languages
  • AI-generated summaries and key insights
  • Custom AI prompts for analysis
  • Context-aware accuracy enhancement
  • Privacy-first design with on-device processing
  • Easy sharing and export options
Read full description

Soniox – Transcribe, translate in 60+ languages at high accuracy in real-time! The most accurate AI companion to transcribe your meetings or translate conversations live. Instantly create concise and useful summaries and make your notes perfect! Whether you're in a global meeting, attending a multilingual lecture, or exploring abroad, Soniox helps you understand and be understood in over 60 languages. It’s more than a translator – it’s a universal speech assistant that transcribes, translates, and summarizes key moments, even if speakers switch languages mid-sentence. Key Features: - Real-Time Transcription with Speaker ID: Instantly convert speech into text with world-class accuracy and automatic speaker labeling – even in multi-speaker environments and mixed languages. - Speech Translation (One-Way & Two-Way): Understand and communicate across languages. Soniox translates speech in real time, either one-way or two-way for natural conversations. - AI Summaries & Key Insights: Get instant summaries, to-do lists, quotes, and highlights from your conversations or meetings. Perfect for classes, interviews, and reviews. - Custom AI Prompts: Ask Soniox to extract action items, translate summaries, or analyze conversations using flexible AI-powered commands. - Context-Aware Accuracy: Add context hints like names or terms to boost transcription and translation quality – even with accents or technical language. - Privacy-First Design: Your audio recordings stay on your device. Even translation happens securely, ensuring full confidentiality. - Easy Sharing & Export: Share transcripts, summaries, and translations via secure links or export them for your records with one tap. Powered by cutting-edge universal speech AI developed internally by Soniox, we deliver fast, private, and accurate results in any supported language – all in one intuitive app. Download Soniox today to transcribe, translate, and understand conversations anywhere. Terms of service: https://soniox.com/company/policies/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://soniox.com/company/policies/privacy-policy/

About

LocalWhisper

This app offers on-device speech-to-text transcription powered by AI. It prioritizes user privacy by processing all audio locally, with options for free offline use or a one-time purchase for enhanced features and accuracy. Advanced users can also connect to their own Whisper servers.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

Screenshots

Soniox4 screens
LocalWhisper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Soniox at 4.7 against LocalWhisper's 3.8. Soniox also leads on ratings volume (240 vs 4) and review sentiment (68% vs 50%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Soniox sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and LocalWhisper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Soniox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soniox has 240 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Soniox's written reviews are positive against 50% of LocalWhisper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soniox ships an update every 10 days, LocalWhisper every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Soniox versus LocalWhisper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonioxLocalWhisper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (240 ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings240 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSoniox IncKevin Mok

Customer experience

Soniox

All ratings169 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative26.3%

LocalWhisper

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Soniox

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$19.991 Month
  • Pro$119.991 Year
1 purchases

LocalWhisper

One-time1
  • LocalWhisper Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Soniox free?
Soniox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LocalWhisper free?
LocalWhisper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Soniox or LocalWhisper?
Soniox is rated higher. Soniox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 240 ratings, while LocalWhisper averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Soniox or LocalWhisper have ads?
Neither Soniox nor LocalWhisper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soniox or LocalWhisper?
Soniox ships an update every 10 days, and LocalWhisper every 4 weeks. Most recently, Soniox was updated on November 7, 2026 and LocalWhisper on November 9, 2026.

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