Comparison

Whisper Notes vs Sile

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

Sile

Features
Read full description

Sile — Your mind, encrypted. A private, AI-powered second brain where your thoughts stay yours. Every note is encrypted with AES-256-GCM before it touches disk. No cloud. No accounts. No telemetry on your content. Ever. ENCRYPTED NOTES Write freely with a rich Markdown editor — bold, italic, headings, lists, checklists, and code blocks. Everything is encrypted at rest with military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption. Your notes never exist as plaintext on disk. VOICE TRANSCRIPTION Record voice notes and get instant on-device transcription. Perfect for capturing ideas on the go, meeting notes, or brainstorming sessions. All processing happens on your device — nothing is sent to any server. DOCUMENT SCANNER Scan documents with your camera. Automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and on-device OCR extract text from any document. Multi-page scanning support for longer documents. AI INTELLIGENCE — 100% ON-DEVICE Summarize notes, extract actionable tasks, auto-suggest tags, and chat with your notes — all powered by on-device AI. Zero network calls. Your content never leaves your phone. CONTRACT ANALYZER Analyze legal documents and contracts for key terms, obligations, and potential red flags. Get clear, structured breakdowns of complex legal language — all privately on your device. HEALTH JOURNAL Track your mood, symptoms, sleep, energy, and medications. View patterns over time with a beautiful calendar view. AI-powered insights help you discover correlations in your health data. VAULT Store sensitive files, images, and documents in an encrypted vault with dual-layer security — biometric plus PIN protection. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Folders, tags, pin, archive, favorites, and full-text search across all your encrypted notes. BIOMETRIC LOCK Protect your notes with Face ID, Touch ID, or a secure PIN. Your privacy is non-negotiable. BEAUTIFUL DESIGN Warm, intimate design inspired by a leather notebook in a private library. Dark and light themes included. PRIVACY FIRST • AES-256-GCM encryption at rest • No cloud sync — everything stays on device • No accounts required • No telemetry on your content • On-device AI — zero network calls • Open and transparent The name Sile comes from the Latin imperative silēre: "Be silent." Your thoughts deserve silence from surveillance. Sile Premium unlocks unlimited voice transcription, unlimited AI operations, advanced health insights, and the contract analyzer. Available as monthly, annual, or lifetime purchase.

Screenshots

Whisper Notes4 screens
Sile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sile at $2.99 against Whisper Notes's $7.99. Sile also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Whisper Notes's advantage is chart position (#18 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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 Sile $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Sile every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Whisper Notes versus Sile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhisper NotesSile
Price$7.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (672 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings672 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size656 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmashMelon LLCAlejandro Cordon

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

Sile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Whisper Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Sile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Whisper Notes free?
Whisper Notes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sile free?
Sile costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Whisper Notes or Sile have ads?
Neither Whisper Notes nor Sile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or Sile?
Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sile every 3 weeks. Most recently, Whisper Notes was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sile on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons