Does patient audio ever leave my device?

Not in local mode. Pick a local model during setup and transcription runs on your machine; the open-source code shows there is no upload step. Cloud transcription remains optional.

Is it HIPAA compliant?

Compliance depends on your workflow, not the tool alone. OpenWhispr's SOC 2 Type 2 audit is complete, with the final report available under NDA once issued; it has a HIPAA attestation and an ISO 27001-aligned information-security programme. For PHI, local-only and bring-your-own-key modes route content around OpenWhispr Cloud. Cloud voice audio is processed in real time and not persisted after transcription. Enterprise includes custom data processing agreements and compliance reviews.

Can it handle medical terminology?

Yes. It runs Whisper-class models trained on a wide range of accents and 100+ languages. The custom dictionary feeds the words that trip everything else up to both the transcriber and the AI cleanup: metoprolol succinate ER, cholecystectomy, the abbreviations your specialty writes and nobody else reads.

How is this different from an ambient AI scribe?

An ambient scribe listens to the whole encounter, sends it to a vendor's cloud, and bills per provider every month. Medical dictation software is the other shape: you say what belongs in the note, a local model drafts it from your own prompt, and it stays on your machine at $0. For a telehealth consult it captures your speakers directly, so nothing joins the call and nothing is uploaded.

Does it draft the note, or just transcribe?

Both. Run a local model (Llama, Qwen, Gemma) or connect your own AI key, then save your own SOAP, referral and discharge prompts as one-click actions and run whichever one the visit needs. A local model keeps the PHI on your machine; your own key means the model and data path are ones you already trust.

Yes. Unlimited local dictation, 100+ languages, all three desktop platforms: $0 forever, for every clinician. Pro ($8/month) adds more cloud transcription and mobile dictation if you want them.

Medical dictation software for doctors & clinicians

Dictate the visit once. Get the note drafted.

OpenWhispr drafts the SOAP note, the referral letter or the discharge summary from what you dictate, on your own computer. Free for every clinician, and it keeps working on a locked-down hospital network.

Open source · 80,000+ downloads

Dictate into:

EpicOracle HealthathenahealtheClinicalWorksNextGenMeditech

Cloud or local. Choose for the visit.

Cloud for speed. Local for sensitive or offline work.

Cloud transcription provides top accuracy and speed without a local model download. Local models process entirely on-device and need no internet.

The whole encounter, uploaded.

An ambient scribe can send the whole encounter to the cloud, including things the patient asked you not to put in the chart. OpenWhispr processes what you dictate on your device.

Pajama-time charting.

A full clinic, then an hour of notes at the kitchen table. OpenWhispr drafts the note from your dictation while the visit is fresh, so you review and sign instead of type.

One more vendor for compliance to vet.

Each cloud scribe adds a BAA, a risk assessment and another data flow to map. In local mode, no transcription vendor sits in the data path.

"Trust us" is not a compliance posture.

OpenWhispr's code is public on GitHub. Give your security team the repository, then choose the cloud or local path that fits your review.

What you get

Faster charting. Same confidentiality.

Medical dictation software often trades privacy for speed or bills per provider every month. OpenWhispr keeps the speed without sending patient audio away or charging per clinician for local mode.

Clinician speaking beside a laptop in a medical practice

Your mic, or the telehealth call, transcribed on-device

Dictate the visit into your mic, or record a telehealth consult straight from your speakers on macOS 14.2 or later, Windows and most Linux desktops. It's transcribed locally and never uploaded. You decide what's kept and when it's deleted.

Clinician reviewing a printed document at a hospital workstation

SOAP notes and letters, drafted for you

Save your own SOAP, referral and discharge prompts as one-click actions, then run whichever one the visit needs. You review every word before it's signed, then paste it into the chart.

Doctor speaking while working on a laptop in an examination room

Dictate into the chart field you're already in

Press a hotkey and dictate wherever the cursor already is: the HPI box, a reply to a portal message, a refill note in your inbox. Clean, punctuated text, processed locally.

Patient audio sent to us

None

in local mode, transcription never leaves your device

Cost per clinician

unlimited local dictation, the whole practice, forever

Local dictation is

Free

unlimited on every plan

How it works

The note drafted before the next patient is roomed.

Most medical dictation is a per-provider cloud subscription or an outsourced transcription service. OpenWhispr lives on your machine, with no account or credit card required.

Doctor reaching for a closed laptop in an examination room

Download for free.

Mac, Windows or Linux. Pick a local model during setup.

Dictate the visit.

Speak your findings, plan and follow-up, and it's transcribed on your device.

Review, sign, delete.

Edit the draft note, paste it into the chart, and delete the audio. You control all of it.

No convincing needed

10 reasons clinicians choose OpenWhispr

Choosing medical dictation software is a patient-confidentiality decision before it's anything else. Here are the facts, and your compliance officer can verify every one in the repo or at trust.openwhispr.com.

Audio never leaves your device

Dictation, and note drafts with a local model, are processed on your machine. The open-source code shows there's no upload step.

Open source, auditable by anyone

Your IT or compliance team can read every line on GitHub. No faith required.

Retention is yours, not a vendor's

Audio and transcripts are files on your machine, not rows in someone else's retention schedule. Delete the audio the moment the note is signed.

Optional Corti clinical transcription

For specialist terminology, Corti Transcribe is available as a clinical-grade medical transcription provider. Choose a local model for note drafting that stays on-device.

No bot joins the telehealth call

Nothing appears in the participant list, so you never have to explain a third party to the patient before you can begin.

Works fully offline

Ward round, rural clinic, a locked-down hospital network. No signal required, so it never stalls mid-dictation.

Dictate into any EHR

A system-wide hotkey drops clean text wherever your cursor is: Epic, athenahealth, a referral letter, an email.

Free for the whole practice

Unlimited local dictation at $0, every clinician in the group, forever. No per-provider licence to renew, and you can test it on your own clinic list before anyone signs anything.

SOC 2 Type 2 audit complete. HIPAA attestation. ISO 27001-aligned.

Your security review can start at trust.openwhispr.com. Enterprise includes custom data processing agreements and compliance reviews.

100+ languages

Dictate the history in the language the visit actually happened in, transcribed locally.

Before you download

The questions clinicians ask first.

Straight answers on privacy, compliance and accuracy. If yours isn't here, ask us in Discord.

What users say

Built by people who don't want to be recorded either.

From our Discord, GitHub and inboxes, the same instinct that matters in the exam room.

Patient recordings on a server

In local mode, audio stays on your device and is never stored on a server.

Started using OpenWhispr with my local models and hardware. I have to say, this is better than typing.

0xSero@0xSero

I switched to voice input for my Claude Code chats. Even when I stumble and rephrase mid-sentence, the transcription comes out clean and polished.

j3iiifn@j3iiifn

I needed a local model for when I'm travelling or have no WiFi, and this perfectly solves it. The UI and performance are great.

Gabe@gabe__perez

Pricing

Free forever.
Upgrade when you want more.

Compare OpenWhispr plans for doctors & clinicians
	FreePopular $0No card details needed Loading...	Pro $6.67/user/mo$80/user billed annually Start with Pro	Business $13.33/user/mo$160/user billed annually Start with Business
Best for	Clinicians who want free, private, offline dictation and are fine with a quick local setup	Clinicians who need unlimited cloud transcription, cross-device sync and mobile access	Practices and teams that need unlimited meeting recordings, speaker labels and Agent mode
Main reason to choose	Free offline dictation, with patient audio staying on your device	Unlimited cloud transcription without managing local models or keys	Unlimited meeting recordings, speaker labels and workflow features for a team
Offline speech-to-text	Included	Included	Included
Cloud speech-to-text	2,000 words/week via OpenWhispr Cloud, or unlimited using your own API keys	Unlimited OpenWhispr Cloud speech-to-text	Unlimited OpenWhispr Cloud speech-to-text
Meeting recordings	5 hours/month	20 hours/month	Unlimited
Privacy & data handling	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.
Setup experience	Hands-on: install app, choose local models, optionally add API keys	Easy: install app, upgrade, use unlimited cloud speech-to-text	Moderate: configure users, Agent mode, and data workflows
Advanced features	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text Device sync use across devices Mobile companion app dictate on mobile API / MCP access connect tools/workflows	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text Device sync use across devices Mobile companion app dictate on mobile API / MCP access connect tools/workflows Agent mode automate actions Chat over your data ask about files/transcripts
Team management	None	None	Basic team / workflow use
Support	Community support	Email support	Priority support

Need SSO, compliance features, admin controls, or dedicated support for a larger team?

We also offer a custom Enterprise plan with managed onboarding and tailored features.

Talk to us

Built in the open

Some conversations stay in the exam room. We built for those.

OpenWhispr started with a simple objection: what a patient tells you in the exam room shouldn't have to pass through a stranger's server to become a note.

Our code is public on GitHub. In local mode, transcription runs on the device with no internet required.

And if anything breaks, you talk to the people who built it, in Discord.

Free · open source · local-first

Sign the last note before you leave the building.

Download OpenWhispr. Dictate the visit, draft the note, then paste it into the chart while it is still fresh. Choose local models when processing needs to stay on your computer.

Free unlimited local dictation on Mac, Windows & Linux.