Whisper Notes vs Soft Pomodoro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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, Action Button, or just say "Hey Siri" - Import audio and video from any app (WhatsApp, Photos, Voice Memos, etc.)—even extract subtitles - Turn meetings, lectures, and interviews into transcripts with speaker labels—see who said what, rename speakers, no length limits - 101 languages, auto-detected (optimized for English)—three models (Parakeet, Whisper, SenseVoice), switch freely - Export as SRT, VTT, or TXT—timestamps and speaker labels included ■ 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? No limit. Record for hours if you want. Longer recordings just take more time to transcribe on your device. 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 the speaker icon on any transcript to see who said what, right on your device. We keep improving accuracy and speed. 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. Why does transcription stop when I switch apps? iOS limits background GPU usage for third-party apps. Just return to the app and tap "Re-transcribe"—it will restart. 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
Soft Pomodoro
This app uses the Pomodoro Technique to help you focus with timed work and break sessions. It offers a calm, aesthetic interface with customizable themes, daily goals, and streak tracking to build healthy habits. Features include live progress rings and Lock Screen Live Activities for seamless focus.
- Pomodoro Technique timer
- Customizable themes
- Daily goal setting
- Streak tracking
- Lock Screen Live Activities
- Monthly heat map
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Soft Pomodoro is a beautiful Pomodoro timer for iPhone that helps you stay focused in a calm, aesthetic way. It is based on one of the most effective study methods called the Pomodoro Technique where you have 25 minute focus sessions and a 5 minute break. You're breaking down large, daunting tasks into 25 minutes approachable bite-size pieces and you can do anything for 25 minutes. Set a daily goal, track your streak, and build healthy habits over time. A clean timer, Lock Screen Live Activity, gentle notifications, and a monthly heat map keep you in flow without clutter. Make it yours with four hand-crafted themes: Strawberry, Peach, Blueberry, and Lavender. Features: live progress ring, Lock Screen Live Activities, 4 soft themes, daily session goals, streak tracking, monthly heat map, customizable focus and break durations, auto-start break and focus modes, sound effects, and gentle notifications.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Soft Pomodoro at 100% against Whisper Notes's 66%. Soft Pomodoro also leads on price ($2.99 vs $7.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Whisper Notes's advantage is ratings volume (618 vs 4) and chart position (#16 vs #185). On 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
Whisper Notes costs $7.99 and Soft Pomodoro $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Soft Pomodoro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Whisper Notes has 618 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Whisper Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Soft Pomodoro's.
| Parameter | Whisper Notes | Soft Pomodoro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (618 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 618 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | #185 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 508 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SmashMelon LLC | Ellen Park |
Customer experience
Whisper Notes
Soft Pomodoro
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
Soft Pomodoro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Whisper Notes
No in-app purchases
Soft Pomodoro
No in-app purchases









