Transcription App for Mac
Transcription App is a desktop application for macOS that turns audio and video recordings into accurate, editable transcripts without sending a single file to the cloud. It runs OpenAI’s Whisper models and NVIDIA’s Parakeet model directly on your Mac, works out who is speaking, and gives you a complete workspace to correct, subtitle and export your transcripts.
Apple silicon and Intel Macs are both fully supported, on macOS 12 Monterey or later. On M-series machines the app uses the graphics processor by default, which is where the speed comes from. Your recordings stay in a folder you choose, and the app only goes online to check your licence and download a model the first time you use it.
Transcription App is free forever with Whisper Base. Transcription App is freemium: download it, transcribe complete recordings of any length in as many projects as you like, and pay nothing. A subscription unlocks the more advanced models when you need extra accuracy or speed.
Download on MacOS
Download on Windows
Download on Linux
Fast on Apple silicon
On M-series Macs the app uses the graphics processor by default, with no setting to find and nothing to configure. Queue a morning’s recordings and it works through them one after another while you get on with something else.
Intel Macs are supported too
Intel Macs are not an afterthought: they run the same app and the same models on the main processor, from macOS 12 Monterey onwards. Whisper Small and Whisper Base are there for Macs where memory is tight, and if a combination will not load, the app falls back automatically and keeps your queue moving.
Nothing leaves your Mac
Transcription, speaker detection and speaker recognition all run on your device. Recordings and transcripts are stored in a local folder, nothing is uploaded for transcription, and your content is never used for training or analytics.
What it produces on a MacBook
The player below is a live, read-only replica of the Transcription App editor. It shows the same recording transcribed by four of our models on a MacBook M1 Pro with 16 GB of RAM, on default settings, and we have not corrected a single word.
This is what Transcription App does
The transcription took 8 seconds on a Macbook M1 Pro with 16Gb of RAM on default settings. Speaker recognition was done at 1% threshold minimum similarity, 0% confidence margin. The result is unedited.
- Switch models with the tabs to compare the transcripts, and the times, line by line.
- Click any segment to play the audio from that exact moment.
- Right-click a segment, or Ctrl/Cmd-click it, to see its timestamps and speaker.
- Turn on Text view to read the transcript as flowing paragraphs grouped by speaker.
- Filter by speaker to see only the passages you care about.
Those timings come from one particular machine on one particular recording, so treat them as an indication rather than a promise. The free mode, free forever with Whisper Base, transcribes complete files of any length, which is the honest way to find out what your own Mac does with your own audio.
Choosing a model for your Mac
Five models are included, and every one of them runs on your machine. The right choice depends on how much memory your Mac has and whether you want the transcript fast or as accurate as possible.
| Model | What it gives you | Best on |
|---|---|---|
| Whisper Large Turbo | Accuracy close to Whisper Large v3, with much faster processing | The recommended default, and where to start on Apple silicon |
| Parakeet TDT 0.6B v3 | NVIDIA’s fast speech model, well suited to long recordings | Long files; set the language rather than leaving detection to the app |
| Whisper Medium | Generally more accurate than Small and Base, at some cost in speed | Macs with memory to spare |
| Whisper Small | A balanced option | Macs with less memory |
| Whisper Base | The fastest Whisper model | Quick drafts and older machines |
On Apple silicon the app uses the graphics processor by default. Advanced users can choose the compute device, the number of processor cores and the model precision, and everyone else can leave those settings on automatic. Each model is downloaded the first time you select it and then stays on your disk.
What you need to run it
| macOS version | macOS 12 Monterey or later |
| Processor | Apple silicon (M-series) and Intel, both fully supported |
| Memory | 8 GB of RAM or more for Parakeet. Whisper models can need more, depending on the model and the settings you choose |
| Disk space | 500mb + 80mb to 2Gb depending on AI models |
| Download | Signed DMG |
| Internet | Only to check your licence and download a model the first time you use it |
Video files are transcribed from their audio track, and very large recordings are converted automatically by a media engine bundled with the app, so there is nothing else to install. Hours-long interviews, full episodes and multi-camera rushes are all fair game.
How much memory you need
Memory matters more here than raw processor speed, because a model has to be loaded into it before a single word is transcribed. As a rule of thumb, 8 GB of RAM is enough for Parakeet, the least memory-hungry of the models here and the quickest on long recordings. The Whisper models can ask for more, and how much depends on the settings you choose: a larger model, a higher precision and word-level timestamps all add to the bill.
On a Mac that is on the tighter side, the practical route is to start with Whisper Large Turbo and drop to Whisper Small or Whisper Base if it struggles. Nothing breaks if you overreach. When a combination cannot load, the app falls back to one that works and keeps your queue moving instead of stopping with an error, and you can also lower the model precision or reduce the number of processor cores, each of which trades a little speed or accuracy for a smaller memory footprint.
From recording to finished transcript in five steps
Transcription App is organised around projects, so a single interview series, research study or production keeps its recordings, transcripts and notes in one place. Getting from raw audio to a clean transcript takes a few clicks.
- Create a project for a client, a study or a production.
- Add your audio or video files. Set the language, and switch on word-level timestamps and speaker segmentation if you need them.
- Queue as many files as you like. The app transcribes them one after another while you keep working on something else.
- Pick a model. Whisper Large Turbo is the recommended default, and lighter models are there for more modest machines.
- Review, correct and export. Your edits are saved automatically as you type.
What the first run looks like
The first time you choose a model, the app downloads it. That is the one part of the process that needs a connection, and the one part you only do once. After that the model lives on your disk and the same transcription runs with the network off entirely: on a train, on a plane, or on a Mac you deliberately keep off the wifi.
You do not have to pay to find out, or ever. Transcription App is freemium: the free mode is free forever and transcribes complete recordings of any length with Whisper Base, in as many projects as you like. A real interview tells you more than any accuracy figure on a marketing page, including ours.
A workspace, not just a transcriber
Know who said what
Pyannote speaker models, also running on your Mac, split each recording into speaker turns. Label a few segments per voice, run Speaker Recognition, then rename “Speaker 1” once and every matching segment follows, in a colour that stays the same across the project.
Search a whole project
Search every transcript in a project at once by keyword, narrow the results by speaker, and jump to the exact segment. Need tags for coding or advanced search with AND and OR? They are part of our sister research suite, Qualitativist.
Notes, subtitles and exports
Keep project notes open beside the transcript, style subtitles directly over your video, and export as a Word document, plain text, SRT or VTT subtitles, or structured JSON. Existing transcripts and subtitles can be imported in SRT, VTT, TXT, DOC, HTML or JSON.
An app, not a platform
Transcription App is a standalone application rather than a service you log into. That choice is deliberate, and it is the main reason people move to it from a cloud transcription tool.
- No user accounts tied to your data
- No browser dashboards or cloud interfaces
- No uploads to third-party servers for processing
- No reuse of your content for training or analytics
Your projects are saved as ordinary files in a folder you choose, so they sit alongside the rest of your work and are backed up the same way. Your licence is linked to the devices you verify, and you can unlink a device from the settings whenever you change machines.
Built around four kinds of work
The same Mac app serves very different jobs, and each one has its own page with the details that matter for it.
- Qualitative researchers: private transcription of interviews and focus groups, with participant data never leaving the machine. For coding, advanced search and citations, see Qualitativist.
- Journalists: fast turnarounds on interviews and press conferences, with no copy of a source’s voice on someone else’s server.
- Film and TV professionals: a subtitle editor that previews and styles cues directly on the picture, exporting to SRT and WebVTT.
- Legal professionals: depositions and hearings transcribed in-house, with privileged audio kept off third-party servers.
Why run it on the Mac rather than in a browser
Cloud transcription made sense when laptops could not run these models. On a current Mac that is no longer true, which means the trade you were making, speed in exchange for handing over your recordings, has stopped buying you anything.
| A cloud transcription service | Transcription App on your Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the recording goes | Uploaded to the provider’s servers | Stays on your Mac, in a folder you choose |
| Who can reach it | The provider’s staff and subcontractors | You, and anyone you hand a project archive to |
| Afterwards | Kept under a retention policy you have to take on trust | Gone when you delete the file |
| Cost | Usually charged per audio minute | Flat subscription, unlimited use |
| Long recordings | Often capped or charged extra | No cap on the length of a file |
| Working offline | Not possible | Everything except the first download of each model |
| Corrections | Re-upload, or ask for a revision | Edited in place, with the audio one click away |
The one thing a cloud service still has is somebody else’s hardware. If your Mac is old enough that even Whisper Base is a struggle, that is worth knowing before you subscribe to anything, which is exactly what the free mode is for.
Pricing
Start for free: Transcription App is freemium. The free mode is free forever, with no time limit and no cap on recording length, and runs on Whisper Base, so you can transcribe real work on your own Mac without paying anything. Monthly and yearly subscriptions unlock the more advanced models.
Monthly
$2.29
Yearly
$22.99
Prices are also available in your local currency!
Please contact sam@transcription-app.com for discounts on multiple licenses or if you’re representing an organization.
Free forever, with Whisper Base:
- Free forever, not a trial: transcribe complete recordings of any length with Whisper Base.
- Unlimited projects, the transcription queue, speaker segmentation and recognition.
- The full transcript and subtitle editors, notes and keyword search.
- Exports to .txt, .srt and .json, transcript imports and full-storage backups.
- Your work stays yours: everything remains accessible if a subscription ends.
A subscription adds:
- The advanced AI models: Whisper Large Turbo, NVIDIA’s Parakeet v3, Whisper Medium and Whisper Small.
- Word (.doc) exports of transcripts and notes.
- WebVTT (.vtt) subtitle exports that keep your per-subtitle styling.
- Subprojects to organise larger work.
- Project archives to back up a project or send it to a colleague.
Need tags for coding, advanced search, a literature library or citations? They are part of our sister research suite, Qualitativist.
Questions about the Mac version
Does it run natively on Apple silicon?
Yes. On Macs with Apple silicon the app uses the graphics processor by default, which is what makes transcription fast on M-series machines. Intel Macs run the same app on the main processor.
Which macOS versions are supported?
macOS 12 Monterey or later, on both Apple silicon and Intel. The same minimum applies to both, and both get the same features; the difference is speed, since Apple silicon uses the graphics processor by default.
How do I install it?
Transcription App for Mac comes as a signed DMG. Download it from this page, open it and install the app as you would any other Mac application. The first time you pick a model, the app downloads it, and from then on it runs offline.
Does my audio ever leave my Mac?
No. Transcription, speaker detection and speaker recognition all run on your device. Your recordings and transcripts are stored in a local folder and are never uploaded anywhere.
Do I need an internet connection?
Only occasionally. The app connects to check your licence and to download a model the first time you use it. Once a model is on your Mac, you can transcribe completely offline.
Will it slow my Mac down while it works?
Transcription is demanding, so a long file will use your processor or graphics processor while it runs. If you need the machine for something else, choose a lighter model such as Whisper Small or Base, or reduce the number of processor cores in the settings.
Can I use one licence on my laptop and my desktop?
Your licence is linked to the devices you verify, and you can unlink a device from the settings whenever you change machines.
Which files can I transcribe?
Most common audio and video formats, including MKV. Video files are transcribed from their audio track, and very large files are converted automatically before transcription begins. You can also import existing transcripts and subtitles in SRT, VTT, TXT, DOC, HTML or JSON format.
Will it run on an older Intel MacBook?
If it is on macOS 12 Monterey or later, yes. Intel Macs run the same app and the same five models, on the main processor rather than the graphics processor, so expect a longer wait than on an M-series machine for the same file. Whisper Small and Whisper Base are the sensible starting points there, and the free mode, free forever, will tell you whether the result is worth the wait.
Can I keep my projects on an external or encrypted drive?
Yes. You choose the storage folder, so projects can sit on an external disk, an encrypted volume or wherever your backups already point. A project is a folder of ordinary files rather than a database, so it copies and backs up like anything else.
What happens when I move to a new Mac?
Export each project as a single archive and import it on the new machine, which brings the recordings, transcripts and notes across together (project archives come with a subscription). Unlink the old Mac in the settings and activate your subscription on the new one.
Your recordings, your Mac, your transcripts
Download Transcription App, transcribe your first recording in minutes, and keep every word under your control.
Download on MacOS
Download on Windows
Download on Linux
Also available for Windows (x64 and ARM) and Linux (x86-64 and ARM). New to the app? Start with our tutorials.