Is there an official Whisper AI app?

We found no official Whisper app from OpenAI. OpenAI publishes the model as open-source code on GitHub, and it offers a hosted transcription API for developers ¹. The apps you can download and use with Whisper come from other companies and independent developers. Each one wraps the same model in its own screen, so the quality of the app depends on its design as much as on the model underneath.

OpenAI publishes Whisper as code, not as a finished app

OpenAI's repository describes Whisper as a general-purpose speech recognition model trained on a large dataset of diverse audio ². That description is about a model and its code. It is written for developers and people who run a command, not for someone who wants a dictation button.

This is why a search for a Whisper app turns up many results and few from OpenAI. The model is public, so anyone can build on it. Our guide to what Whisper is explains the model and the three ways to use it.

OpenAI's dictation in ChatGPT is a feature of that product

OpenAI also offers voice dictation inside ChatGPT. OpenAI says to use ChatGPT Dictation when you want to record a prompt, review and edit its transcription, and then send it as text ³. Its help page separates that from ChatGPT Voice, which OpenAI describes as a live, back-and-forth conversation ⁴.

OpenAI says that when you press the microphone icon in ChatGPT, the recorded audio is sent to its models to be transcribed ⁵. If you want to keep audio on your computer, that cloud route is the wrong choice.

Apps that run Whisper come from independent developers

Several apps run Whisper for you, and they differ in platform, price and where the audio goes. A few examples show the range:

• Buzz is a desktop app that describes itself as transcribing and translating audio offline on a personal computer ⁶, and its README lists Whisper.cpp as one of its backends ⁷.
• Superwhisper says it works offline, so you can transcribe without a Wi-Fi connection ⁸.
• Handy lists Whisper models in four sizes, Small, Medium, Turbo and Large, and says it uses a GPU when one is available ⁹.

These are third-party products. Their developers set the prices, privacy terms and features, so none of them is an OpenAI product.

Watch for apps that only borrow the name

The App Store has a listing called Whisper AI Keyboard, which the store describes as a voice-to-text keyboard extension ¹⁰. A name that contains "Whisper" does not tell you who made the app or which model it runs. Before you install, check the developer named on the store page, read the privacy policy, and confirm which speech model the app uses.

Several products use the name of the model in their own name, so search results can mislead. Our answers on Whisper on Mac, Whisper for Windows and the Whisper AI keyboard for iPhone and Android cover the platform options in more detail.

It depends on your platform and on where you want the audio processed

• On a Mac or Windows PC, a desktop app that runs Whisper locally can keep audio on your machine. Check the offline setting and the model sizes it offers.
• On a phone, Whisper-based tools come as keyboards or dictation apps, and you should check whether one sends audio to a server.
• If you only need to transcribe files, you can use a desktop tool or a browser tool, without installing a dictation app.

What to do: choose by platform, then check the developer

1. Decide whether you need live dictation into other apps or transcription of finished recordings. The two need different tools.
2. Search for the app by its developer name, not only by "Whisper," and check the developer's own site.
3. Read the privacy statement for where the audio goes. Test the app on a few minutes of your own speech before you rely on it.
4. If you want dictation without a separate Whisper app, Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows. Check our download page for the current platforms, and read how we compare to other dictation apps before you choose.

The question of whether Whisper is the same product as a dictation app is answered in its own page. For cost, see whether Whisper is free.