Whisper Notes vs Samantha Key
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Whisper Notes
This app converts audio recordings and voice memos into accurate text with speaker identification, all processed offline on your device. It supports multiple languages and offers various export formats for easy sharing and editing.
- Offline audio transcription
- Speaker identification and labeling
- Support for 101 languages
- Multiple export formats (TXT, Markdown, SRT)
- Import from various sources
- One-time purchase, no subscription
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Whisper Notes turns meetings, lectures, interviews and voice memos into accurate text with speaker labels, 100% offline on your iPhone and iPad. One-time purchase, no subscription. Trusted by 70,000+ journalists, researchers and professionals. ■ Record and import - Record from the Lock Screen, widgets, Control Center, the Action button, Apple Watch, or "Hey Siri". - Import from WhatsApp, Voice Memos, Photos or Files, several at once. ■ Transcribe - 101 languages through Whisper, detected automatically, even when speakers mix languages. - Choose your on-device model: Parakeet, Whisper (OpenAI's open-source model) or SenseVoice, plus Apple Speech on supported devices with iOS 26. - Speaker labels (speaker diarization) show who said what. Rename each speaker. ■ Edit and export - Double-tap any paragraph to fix a word. - Export TXT, Markdown or SRT subtitles with timestamps and speaker labels. Works for videos too. - Auto-save every new transcript to Files or iCloud Drive. ■ Private by design Your audio never leaves your device. Turn on airplane mode and Whisper Notes works exactly the same, which matters when the recording is an interview, a client meeting, or anything you wouldn't put on someone else's server. ■ One-time purchase No subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads. Not satisfied? Settings → Request Refund. ■ Quick answers Does Whisper Notes work completely offline? Yes. It transcribes on your iPhone or iPad, so it works in airplane mode. The built-in Parakeet model covers 25 European languages offline from the first launch; for other languages, download Whisper or SenseVoice once in the app. Can it transcribe WhatsApp voice messages? Yes. Share a voice message to Whisper Notes and it is transcribed offline. Does it identify speakers? Yes. Tap ⋯ on a note → Detect Speakers, and each passage is labeled by speaker. Which model is best for Chinese, Japanese or Korean? SenseVoice, built for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Cantonese. Is there a time limit? Each recording can be up to 24 hours long. Which iPhones are supported? Whisper Notes needs iPhone 12 or newer. Your notes live only on your device, so deleting the app deletes them. Export what matters. Questions? support@whispernotes.app · whispernotes.app
Samantha Key
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Samantha Key turns your voice into translated text you can insert from a custom keyboard. Tap the microphone, speak naturally in one language, and return to the keyboard with translated text ready for Messages, Mail, Safari, Notes, and other text fields. The companion app also includes a live speech-to-translated-text mode for quick dictation and translation. Choose your output language, speak, and keep your writing moving without copying between translation tools. Privacy is built into the workflow. Samantha Key does not store audio recordings, speech transcripts, or translation history on our servers. Audio is processed live for translation. Translated text is temporarily shared with the keyboard through the local App Group so you can insert it into the active field. Subscription information: Samantha Key Pro is a 1-month auto-renewable subscription. Eligible new subscribers receive a 3-day free trial, then the subscription renews at MXN $149/month unless cancelled at least 24 hours before renewal. Billing is handled by Apple, and you can manage or cancel anytime in Apple Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://samantha-key-support.vercel.app/#privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Samantha Key at Free against Whisper Notes's $7.99. Samantha Key also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). Whisper Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#7 vs unranked). On ads and iOS requirement 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
Samantha Key is free to download; Whisper Notes costs $7.99 up front. Samantha Key sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per month. Whisper Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Whisper Notes ships an update every 10 days, Samantha Key daily. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Whisper Notes | Samantha Key |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (700 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 700 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #7 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 659 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SmashMelon LLC | Alejandro Hernandez Mitre |
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
Samantha Key
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Whisper Notes
No in-app purchases
Samantha Key
- Samantha Key Pro$6.991 Month
Questions
Is Whisper Notes free?
Is Samantha Key free?
Do Whisper Notes or Samantha Key have ads?
Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or Samantha Key?
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