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 €12 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 €12 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 €144 that stays in your pocket.

What replaces Wispr Flow

The main alternative

OpenWhispr

🟢 Beginner⏱️ ~5 min to installSave €12/mo

OpenWhispr is the open source alternative to Wispr Flow and Granola. Press a key, speak, and the text appears right where your cursor is, in any app: email, WhatsApp, a Claude prompt, a doc. It also transcribes your Zoom, Teams or FaceTime meetings, which it detects on its own, with who said what, and files everything into searchable notes. In local mode, with Whisper or Parakeet, which understand French, you get no word cap and your audio never leaves your machine. The first launch trap: of the three modes on offer, the default one is its own cloud, free only up to 2,000 words a week, like Wispr Flow, then paid. To never pay, pick local mode, 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. And one trap to avoid: on first launch, the app defaults to its own cloud, only free up to 2,000 words a week. Switch to local mode, and the limit is gone.

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
€12/mo to dictate without limits
Dictation volume
OpenWhispr
Unlimited locally or with your key; 2,000 words a week on their free cloud
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	€12/mo to dictate without limits
Dictation volume	Unlimited locally or with your key; 2,000 words a week on their free cloud	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 : au premier lancement, ne garde pas le cloud OpenWhispr proposé par défaut, gratuit seulement jusqu'à 2 000 mots par semaine ; dis-moi, selon ma machine, si je dois choisir la transcription locale (Whisper ou Parakeet, qui comprennent le français) ou le cloud avec ma propre clé API, et vérifie avec moi dans les réglages que ce mode est bien actif, 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 €12 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.

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