Offline dictation that keeps your voice private
Vurb transcribes speech on your own computer with a local Whisper model. Your audio never leaves the machine, and dictation keeps working with no internet connection.
Why on-device speech to text matters
Most voice to text services record your voice and send it to a server to be transcribed. That's convenient, but it means recordings of everything you dictate — emails, notes, client details — leave your computer. It also means dictation stops working when the connection drops.
Vurb does the transcription locally. It runs OpenAI's open-source Whisper model through whisper.cpp on your own CPU or Apple Silicon chip. On an M-series Mac, the Best model transcribes 12 seconds of speech in about 0.3 seconds, so local doesn't have to mean slow.
What works offline
| Feature | Needs the internet? |
|---|---|
| Dictation and transcription | No. Runs on your computer. |
| Typing into any app, hands-free mode, Esc to cancel | No. |
| History, search and stats | No. Stored locally. |
| Custom vocabulary | No. |
| Free plan word count | No. Counted on your computer. |
| First speech model download | Yes, once per model (148–574 MB, from Hugging Face). |
| Optional AI cleanup | Yes. Sends text (never audio) to Anthropic with your own key. |
| Pro and Growth license check | Yes. The app validates your license with Lemon Squeezy and re-checks about once a week. |
Private by design
Each recording is transcribed and discarded. The microphone is only on while you're holding the key (or in hands-free mode). Transcripts and history live in Vurb's data folder on your computer, and you can clear them at any time. We don't run analytics on this website, and the app doesn't send us your dictations or stats.
If you work with sensitive information, leave AI cleanup off and everything stays on the machine. The full data flow is on the privacy and security page, and the legal version is in the privacy policy.
Choosing a model for offline use
Download the model you want while you're online. Best (574 MB) is the most accurate and runs quickly on Apple Silicon. Balanced (190 MB) is the default on other computers. Fast (148 MB) and Fastest (148 MB, English only) are lighter options for older machines. All but Fastest support 90+ languages with automatic detection.
Questions about offline dictation
Does Vurb need the internet to transcribe?
No. Speech to text runs on your computer. You need a connection only to download the app and the speech model, to use optional AI cleanup, and for paid plans' license check.
Where is my audio stored?
It isn't kept. Each recording is transcribed on your computer and then discarded.
Is AI cleanup offline too?
No. AI cleanup sends the transcribed text to Anthropic's Claude API with your own key, so it needs a connection. It's optional and off by default; dictation works fine without it.
Can I use it on a plane?
Yes, once the speech model is downloaded. Dictation, history, search and stats all work offline.
Related
Try offline dictation
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