Comparison

Whisper Notes vs (beat) for iOS

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

Head to head
About

Whisper Notes

This app provides accurate, on-device transcription of audio and video files in over 100 languages. It offers a secure, offline experience with no subscriptions or cloud uploads. Easily record or import files and export transcripts with timestamps.

Highlights
  • 100% offline transcription
  • Record voice or import audio/video
  • Supports 100+ languages
  • Export transcripts with timestamps
  • Lock screen widget for quick capture
  • Secure, on-device data storage
Features
Read full description

Maybe the best offline transcription app — 70,000+ journalists, researchers, and professionals seem to think so. Turn meetings, lectures, and voice memos into accurate text with speaker labels — fast, 100% offline, on your device. No subscription. One purchase, yours forever. ■ Core Features - Record voice memos and capture ideas instantly—from the Lock Screen, widgets, Control Center, the Action button, or just say "Hey Siri" - Import audio and video from any app (WhatsApp, Photos, Voice Memos, etc.), several files at once—even extract subtitles - Turn meetings, lectures, and interviews into transcripts with speaker labels—see who said what and name each speaker - Fix a word where you read it: double-tap any paragraph to edit in place - 101 languages, auto-detected (optimized for English), accurate even in noise and mixed languages—three models (Parakeet, Whisper, SenseVoice), switch freely - Export as SRT, VTT, or TXT—timestamps and speaker labels included—or auto-save every new transcript to Files or iCloud Drive ■ Privacy & Speed Because everything runs on your device, there is nothing to upload—and nothing to leak. Turn on airplane mode before you record and leave it on: Whisper Notes works exactly the same. That matters when the recording is an interview, a client meeting, or something you would never put on someone else's server. Transcribing 5 minutes of audio on iPhone 15: ~18 seconds with Parakeet, ~1 minute with Whisper. SenseVoice is much faster than Whisper and strongest for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Each model has its strengths—choose freely based on language and use case. Older devices are slower but work fine. ■ Honest Pricing Because transcription runs on your device, we have no server costs—so there is nothing to charge you monthly for. Most similar apps charge $100+/year; we charge once. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads. Not satisfied? Tap Settings → Request Refund. ■ Common Questions Does it work completely offline? Yes. Your audio never leaves your device. Works on flights, in remote areas, anywhere. Can I transcribe WhatsApp voice messages or videos? Yes. Share or save audio/video from WhatsApp to Whisper Notes and transcribe offline. Perfect for extracting subtitles without uploading to cloud services. Is there a recording time limit? Up to 24 hours per recording, and hours-long recordings transcribe on every supported iPhone. Longer recordings just take more time. Does it support real-time transcription while recording? Not during recording, but yes during transcription—after you finish recording, you'll see the transcript appear in real-time as it's being generated. Do you support speaker labels (diarization)? Yes—fully offline. Tap ⋯ on a note → Detect Speakers, then rename each speaker. Where is my data stored? Only on your device. We have zero access. Note: If you delete the app, your recordings are deleted too (because we don't keep secret backups). Please export important files regularly. Can I summarize a transcript? Yes — copy it into whichever AI tool you prefer. Whisper Notes itself never uploads anything; your audio and text stay on your device. What if I switch apps while transcribing? iOS limits background processing, so transcription pauses and continues automatically when you come back. Which devices are recommended? iPhone 12 and newer. Older devices (iPhone 11, iPhone SE 2nd gen) are not recommended—the app will not function properly on these devices. What languages are supported? English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português, Italiano, Nederlands, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Hindi, Arabic, Русский, Türkçe, Polski, Українська, Tiếng Việt, Thai, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Svenska, Norsk, Dansk, Suomi, Čeština, Greek, Hebrew, Română, Magyar, Persian, Urdu, and 65+ more languages. ■ Contact Questions? Email support@whispernotes.app Learn more: whispernotes.app

About

(beat) for iOS

Write screenplays with a distraction-free interface that handles formatting automatically. Supports Fountain markup for portability and includes features like index cards and automatic scene numbering. Export to PDF and import/export Final Draft files.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free UI
  • Fountain markup support
  • Automatic scene numbering
  • PDF export
  • Final Draft import/export
  • Index cards
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

An elegant Fountain screenwriting app, created by a screenwriter for screenwriters. The perfect companion for full macOS version of Beat. Beat lets you write in a flow: Just start typing and let Beat take care of the formatting. There are as little distractions as possible to let you concentrate on writing. The app uses Fountain markup to store your documents, so everything you write is portable and future-proof. Your files are stored only on your own accounts and devices, and they are kept completely private. • Distraction-free UI • Index cards • Automatic scene numbering • Auto complete for scene headings and character names • PDF export • Final Draft import and export • Revision/edit tracking • Novel mode • Collection of templates for a quick start

Screenshots

Whisper Notes4 screens
(beat) for iOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Whisper Notes at 4.7 against (beat) for iOS's 4.3. Whisper Notes also leads on price ($7.99 vs $11.99) and ratings volume (687 vs 44). (beat) for iOS's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and review sentiment (80% vs 66%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Whisper Notes costs $7.99 and (beat) for iOS $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Whisper Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Whisper Notes has 687 ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of Whisper Notes's written reviews are positive against 80% of (beat) for iOS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, (beat) for iOS every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Whisper Notes versus (beat) for iOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhisper Notes(beat) for iOS
Price$7.99 — better$11.99
Rating4.7 (687 ratings) — better4.3 (44 ratings)
Positive reviews66.2% of reviews80.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings687 — better44
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#8 — better#80
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size656 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmashMelon LLCLauri-Matti Parppei

Customer experience

Whisper Notes

All ratings673 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral10.1%
Negative23.7%

(beat) for iOS

All ratings44 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative13.0%

Bugs and requests

Whisper Notes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Recordings disappearing after transcription
  • Transcription process getting stuck at 1%
  • Crashes on certain iOS/iPadOS versions
  • Inability to import audio files consistently

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for speaker diarization
  • Implement real-time transcription mode
  • Allow customization of hotkey/shortcut
  • Improve integration with Apple Shortcuts
  • Provide option to choose transcription model size

(beat) for iOS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Whisper Notes

No in-app purchases

None

(beat) for iOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Whisper Notes free?
Whisper Notes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is (beat) for iOS free?
(beat) for iOS costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Whisper Notes or (beat) for iOS?
Whisper Notes is rated higher. Whisper Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 687 ratings, while (beat) for iOS averages 4.3 from 44 ratings.
Do Whisper Notes or (beat) for iOS have ads?
Neither Whisper Notes nor (beat) for iOS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or (beat) for iOS?
Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and (beat) for iOS every 3 days. Most recently, Whisper Notes was updated on November 3, 2026 and (beat) for iOS on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Whisper Notes or (beat) for iOS?
Whisper Notes currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and (beat) for iOS at #80. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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