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Dev tools · August 13, 2025

Whispering

Open-source, local-first dictation you can trust

Whispering launched on August 13, 2025 with 195 votes, #171 of 8,530 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.

What it does

Whispering is an open-source, local-first transcription app. Use local and cloud models, chain custom transforms, and most importantly, keep your audio local on-device. Fast, ergonomic, and MIT-licensed. Let’s make closed-source apps obsolete. 🚀

Truly open source transcription you control. Local or cloud, always transparent. No middleman markup.

See exactly where your audio goes. Local or cloud, always transparent. Most transcription apps are closed-source mysteries charging 10-100x markup. Whispering is truly open: see the code, trace your data, pay providers directly. Start local for free, scale to cloud at cost. No middleman markup. We're one of the few truly open source transcription apps with this level of polish. Unlike closed-source alternatives, you get complete transparency: see exactly where your audio goes, audit the code, and maintain full control. No middleman servers collecting your data. Your audio goes directly to providers using your API keys, or stays completely local with Speaches. You own the tool, not rent…from epicenter.so

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  • Whispering – Open-source, local-first dictation you can trust2025 · github.com · ▲591

    Hey HN! Braden here, creator of Whispering, an open-source speech-to-text app. I really like dictation. For years, I relied on transcription tools that were almost good, but they were all closed-source. Even a lot of them that claimed to be “local” or “on-device” were still black boxes that left me wondering where my audio really went. So I built Whispering. It’s open-source, local-first, and most importantly, transparent with your data. Your data is stored locally on your device, and your audio goes directly from your machine to a local provider (Whisper C++, Speaches, etc.) or your chosen…

  • Open-source transcription that costs $0.02/hour instead of $30/month2025 · github.com · ▲7

    I built Whispering because I believe transcription is too fundamental a tool to be locked behind paywalls. It's a cross-platform desktop and web transcription app that turns speech into text with a keyboard shortcut, among other things. The app lets you bring your own API key (OpenAI, Groq, etc.) and make direct calls. If you want complete privacy, it also supports local transcription. Either way, your audio never goes through any middleman servers. It's super lightweight (~22MB), built with Svelte 5 and Tauri, and works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. I've been using it daily for the past few…

  • Phantom VoiceJul 2026 · leftinverse.com · ▲79

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    I was laid off recently and, instead of looking for another job right away, I decided to build something I always wanted: a transcription tool that respects user privacy. Existing transcription tools often require internet connectivity, send your private audio to cloud servers, or lock you into monthly subscriptions. I wanted something different—so I built WhisperBuddy, a privacy-first AI transcription app that runs entirely on your machine. WhisperBuddy uses OpenAI’s Whisper model (see: https://github.com/openai/whisper). While the model may not always deliver the…

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