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noScribe

Free, open-source desktop app that transcribes interviews locally with Whisper and labels who is speaking.

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Is noScribe free?

Yes, noScribe has a free plan. What you get: Free desktop app, transcription runs on your computer. To get it: download the installer for your system; then on a Mac, open the DMG and drag noScribe and noScribeEdit into Applications; then start noScribe and transcribe a file. Verified on github.com.

Free plan at a glance

Includes
  • Free desktop app, transcription runs on your computer

Free and open source; transcription runs on your own computer, with no cloud.

Duration
Free forever
Commercial use
Allowed on the free plan
Your content
The maker says it isn't used to train AI

How to get it free

Self-host
  1. Download the installer for your system
  2. On a Mac, open the DMG and drag noScribe and noScribeEdit into Applications
  3. Start noScribe and transcribe a file

Good to know

  • Expect about 1-3 hours of processing per hour of audio on a typical computer
  • On a Mac it needs Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later
Get the free plan

noscribe.de, Checked Source

Overview

noScribe is a GPL-licensed desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux that transcribes interviews on your own computer with Whisper and Pyannote, in around 60 languages, with an editor for checking the transcript against the audio.

Key features

  • Local transcription with Whisper, with no cloud
  • Speaker recognition with Pyannote
  • Around 60 languages
  • Editor to review and correct transcripts against the audio
  • Marks pauses, overlapping speech and timestamps for qualitative research
  • Exports HTML for Word, plain text or WebVTT subtitles

Best for

Tasks
Transcribe audio & video
People
Qualitative researchers transcribing interviews, Journalists handling confidential recordings, Teams in medicine, government or NGOs with sensitive audio

Limitations

  • Transcription is slow: about 1-3 hours per hour of interview, longer on older machines
  • The latest versions don't support Intel Macs, and Linux builds lag behind
  • The installer is about 3 GB because it includes the AI models

FAQ

Is noScribe free?
Yes. noScribe has a free plan: Free desktop app, transcription runs on your computer. We last checked github.com's pricing page on 2026-10-24.
What does the noScribe free plan include?
Free desktop app, transcription runs on your computer. Source: https://github.com/kaixxx/noScribe (checked 2026-10-24).
How do I get noScribe for free?
Steps: Download the installer for your system; On a Mac, open the DMG and drag noScribe and noScribeEdit into Applications; Start noScribe and transcribe a file. Start at https://noscribe.de/en/docs/download-installation/ (checked 2026-10-24).
Do I need an account to use noScribe for free?
Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host noScribe (Download the installer for your system). Checked 2026-10-24.
What's the catch with noScribe's free plan?
Expect about 1-3 hours of processing per hour of audio on a typical computer. On a Mac it needs Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. Checked 2026-10-24.
What are free alternatives to noScribe?
TurboScribe, Notta and Typeless all have free plans. We checked their free offers between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25.
Does noScribe send my audio anywhere?
No. It was designed as a purely local desktop app, and it works the same with your network switched off.Source: noscribe.de/en/docs/faq
Can I use noScribe commercially?
Yes. There are no restrictions on how you use the transcripts you create; changing the software itself means following the GPL-3.0 license terms.Source: noscribe.de/en/docs/faq
How long does transcription take?
About 1-3 hours per hour of interview, longer on older machines. An NVIDIA graphics card can speed it up a lot.Source: noscribe.de/en

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Sources

Free offer
Verified on github.com/kaixxx/noScribe
…real noScribe is free and always will…
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How we check free offers

Added by our team. We check that a free option exists and record the date; signing up is between you and noScribe, so read their privacy policy and terms first.

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