Is OpenWhispr really free?

Yes. OpenWhispr is open source: the code is public and installing it costs nothing. At most you pay for hosting if you put it on a server, often a few euros a month. Wispr Flow, on the other hand, costs €13 a month.

Do I need to code to install OpenWhispr?

No. The level is beginner and the install takes about 5 minutes with the prompt from the page: Claude does the work, you answer its questions.

How is it different from Wispr Flow?

OpenWhispr does most of what Wispr Flow does, without a subscription, and your data stays with you. The point by point comparison is on the page.

Yes. With an open source tool installed on your side, your files stay on your machine or your server. Nobody can close your account or change the price.

Free alternative

Free alternative to Wispr Flow

Wispr Flow costs €13 a month. OpenWhispr does the same job for free, in open source: you install it on your machine or a small server, and you stop paying.

Public entry price, taken from Wispr Flow’s website (wisprflow.ai). Over a year, that is €156 that stays in your pocket.

What replaces Wispr Flow

The main alternative

OpenWhispr

🟢 Beginner⏱️ ~5 min to installSave €13/mo

OpenWhispr turns your voice into text, everywhere: press a key, speak, and the text appears exactly where your cursor is. Email, WhatsApp, a Claude prompt, a doc: any app. It also transcribes your meetings (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime detected automatically, with who said what) and files everything into searchable notes. The difference with Wispr Flow: it is open source, has no word cap, and offers a fully local mode where your audio never leaves your machine. Your choice: everything on-device with Whisper or Parakeet, or the cloud with your own API key.

Loucash’s verdict on OpenWhispr

8/10

Wispr Flow sits in my expenses tracker: I pay for it every month, so I know exactly what that line costs over a year. OpenWhispr does the same dictation (the key, you speak, text appears at your cursor) and adds what Wispr will never offer: a fully local mode where your audio stays home. The thing to know: locally, quality depends on your machine. On a recent Apple Silicon Mac it is excellent; on an older machine, use the cloud with your own API key, still subscription-free.

Who it is for: You write a lot (messages, emails, prompts) and you pay for a dictation tool, or you still type everything by hand.

See the full page →See the tool ↗

OpenWhispr versus Wispr Flow: the match

Price
OpenWhispr
€0, forever
Wispr Flow
€13/mo to dictate without limits
Dictation volume
OpenWhispr
Unlimited
Wispr Flow
2,000 words per week on the free plan
Your audio
OpenWhispr
Can stay on your machine (local mode)
Wispr Flow
Goes to their servers

Wispr Flow ↗

VS	OpenWhispr	Wispr Flow ↗
Price	€0, forever	€13/mo to dictate without limits
Dictation volume	Unlimited	2,000 words per week on the free plan
Your audio	Can stay on your machine (local mode)	Goes to their servers
Meetings	Transcription included, on-device	You need Granola on top
AI model	Yours: local or your own key	Theirs, imposed

The prompt that installs OpenWhispr

Paste this prompt into Claude: it checks the repository, asks you its questions and installs the tool step by step.

Installe OpenWhispr sur ma machine (l'app open source de dictée vocale, repo GitHub OpenWhispr/openwhispr) : télécharge la dernière release depuis github.com/OpenWhispr/openwhispr/releases pour mon système d'exploitation et installe-la. Ensuite, aide-moi à la configurer : dis-moi, selon ma machine, si je dois choisir la transcription locale (Whisper ou Parakeet) ou le cloud avec ma propre clé API, puis guide-moi pour choisir mon raccourci de dictée. Explique chaque étape simplement, je débute.

Review the GitHub repository and check whether it is safe to install given my machine and my infrastructure. Ask me as many questions as possible, using widgets, to clarify my request and be as precise as you can.

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenWhispr really free?: Yes. OpenWhispr is open source: the code is public and installing it costs nothing. At most you pay for hosting if you put it on a server, often a few euros a month. Wispr Flow, on the other hand, costs €13 a month.
Do I need to code to install OpenWhispr?: No. The level is beginner and the install takes about 5 minutes with the prompt from the page: Claude does the work, you answer its questions.
How is it different from Wispr Flow?: OpenWhispr does most of what Wispr Flow does, without a subscription, and your data stays with you. The point by point comparison is on the page.
Do I own my data?: Yes. With an open source tool installed on your side, your files stay on your machine or your server. Nobody can close your account or change the price.