Comparison

Whisper Notes vs Puhu

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

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

About

Puhu

Features
Read full description

Turn messy speech into clean, ready-to-send text — instantly. Puhu is a voice-to-text app that listens to how you actually talk — rambling, pausing, backtracking — and turns it into clean, properly formatted text you can send right away. NO MORE EDITING No more re-typing your voice memos. No more editing rambling dictation. Just speak, and get back exactly the kind of text you need. HOW IT WORKS Tap record and speak naturally Puhu transcribes your speech Choose a format: Email, Message, Note, Bullet Points, or Summary Copy, share, or use it right away 100% ON-DEVICE — YOUR PRIVACY, GUARANTEED Your voice and transcripts are processed entirely on your device using Apple's on-device AI. Nothing is ever sent to a server. No accounts, no cloud storage, no tracking. WORKS EVERYWHERE YOU TYPE Puhu includes a custom keyboard extension, so you can use it directly inside Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, or any app with a text field — no need to copy and paste. MULTILINGUAL Fully supports Finnish, Turkish, and English — both for voice recognition and the app interface itself. FEATURES • One-tap voice recording with live transcript • 5 smart formatting styles: Email, Message, Note, Bullets, Summary • Custom keyboard extension for use in any app • Home screen widget for quick access • Siri Shortcut support • Apple Watch companion app • Export your history as Text or PDF • Edit transcripts before sharing • 100% on-device — no internet required REQUIREMENTS AI formatting requires iPhone 15 Pro or newer (Apple Intelligence compatible device). Voice recording and transcription work on all supported iOS devices. Download Puhu and start speaking your mind — clearly. Terms of Use (EULA): https://peraresearch.com/terms-puhu

Screenshots

Whisper Notes4 screens
Puhu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Puhu at Free against Whisper Notes's $7.99. Puhu also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days). Whisper Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Puhu is free to download; Whisper Notes costs $7.99 up front. Puhu sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whisper Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Whisper Notes ships an update every 10 days, Puhu every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Whisper Notes versus Puhu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhisper NotesPuhu
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (700 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings700 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size659 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmashMelon LLCERDI TASPUNAR

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

Puhu

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Whisper Notes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Puhu

Subscriptions2
  • Puhu Pro$3.991 Month
  • Puhu Pro Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Whisper Notes free?
Whisper Notes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Puhu free?
Puhu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Whisper Notes or Puhu have ads?
Neither Whisper Notes nor Puhu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or Puhu?
Whisper Notes ships an update every 10 days, and Puhu every 2 days. Most recently, Whisper Notes was updated on November 7, 2026 and Puhu on November 6, 2026.

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