Whisper Notes vs Rain, From Below
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, 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
Rain, From Below
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Lie five metres down in a freshwater lake and watch the rain arrive from underneath. Every drop writes its own ring on the surface and drags a puff of air under with it. The sky fits into a bright disc above you - that is what water does to light - and around it the surface turns to mirror. A sandy bank rises toward shore with eelgrass swaying and lily pads floating overhead. A school of small fish drifts through; larger ones cruise past; now and then a turtle, an eel or a yabby wanders by. The sound is what a hydrophone would hear: the ringing of air bubbles, shifted down to where you can hear it, thickening into a roar when the rain comes on heavy. Distant thunder in a storm, wind across the surface, a boat passing far off. Nothing here is a recording. The scene is generated live, so ten hours run without a loop, and the fish never repeat. WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE • Three modes: Sleep (dim, calm, quiet), Focus, Showcase • Time of day on a 24-hour slider, or let it follow the real clock - dawn, overcast, dusk, night with a moon that matches tonight's phase • Rain, hail or snow; storms with lightning and thunder • Waves from glass-calm to a rolling swell; four kinds of water • How many fish, how much eelgrass, lily pads, creatures, birds, insects • A timer up to ten hours or an end time, with a fade-out or a wake-into-dawn ending • Lock-screen play/pause; keeps playing with the screen off Made for sleeping, studying and sitting still. PRO Pro adds the reef, the river and the pool, seasons, Match the sun, the sound mixer and the night programme. It is a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription (A$2.99 a month or A$19.99 a year in Australia; prices differ by country), or a one-off lifetime unlock (A$39.99). Subscriptions renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and can be managed or cancelled in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://frombelowstudios.netlify.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Rain, From Below at Free against Whisper Notes's $7.99. Rain, From Below also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). Whisper Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#9 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
Rain, From Below is free to download; Whisper Notes costs $7.99 up front. Rain, From Below sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whisper Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Rain, From Below every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Whisper Notes | Rain, From Below |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (669 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 669 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #9 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 654 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SmashMelon LLC | Jack Johnson |
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
Rain, From Below
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Whisper Notes
No in-app purchases
Rain, From Below
- Pro$1.991 Month
- Pro$12.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$24.99
Questions
Is Whisper Notes free?
Is Rain, From Below free?
Do Whisper Notes or Rain, From Below have ads?
Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or Rain, From Below?
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