AnyTool
Your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

How do I transcribe audio to text for free without uploading my recording?

Open AnyTool's Audio Transcription, drop in an audio or video file, and a self-hosted Whisper speech-to-text model runs locally in your browser to turn speech into text. Review and edit the result, then export TXT, timestamped SRT or VTT subtitles. The model downloads once and runs on your own device — no upload, no account, no per-minute cap, no CDN.

  • In-browser Whisper speech-to-text — the audio never leaves your device
  • Export plain text, SRT and VTT (with timestamps)
  • No account, no per-minute cap and no upload
  • Works offline once the model is cached

What is

Audio transcription (speech-to-text)

Audio transcription converts spoken words in an audio or video recording into written text, optionally with timestamps for subtitles. Modern transcription uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) models such as Whisper. A client-side transcriber runs the ASR model in the browser so the recording is processed on the user's own device and never uploaded.

Audio Tools

Related terms

speech to textWhisperASRsubtitlesSRT

How to Transcribe Audio to Text

Convert speech to text in your browser with a local Whisper model.

2 minWeb browser
  1. 1

    Add audio

    Drop in an audio or video file — it stays on your device.

  2. 2

    Transcribe

    The self-hosted Whisper model runs locally and produces the text.

  3. 3

    Export

    Download the transcript as TXT, SRT or VTT — nothing is uploaded.

Result: A text transcript and subtitle files

Frequently Asked Questions

No — the Whisper model runs locally, so audio never leaves your browser.

Unlike Otter, Rev or Trint, which upload your audio to a server and cap free minutes, AnyTool runs a self-hosted speech-to-text model on your own device with nothing uploaded.

Yes — it is free with no per-minute cap or account.

The model downloads once and then transcribes on your CPU/GPU, so there is no monthly minute limit, paywall or sign-up.

Plain text (TXT) and timestamped subtitles (SRT and VTT).

You can export a clean TXT transcript or timed SRT/VTT subtitle files ready for video editors and players.

Detailed Explanation

Methodology

How Audio Transcription Works

AnyTool transcribes speech entirely in the browser using a self-hosted Whisper automatic speech recognition (ASR) model run via transformers.js on WebAssembly/WebGPU. The audio is decoded with the Web Audio API, resampled to the model rate, and processed locally to produce text with word/segment timings. The model weights download once and are cached, after which transcription works offline. Output can be exported as plain TXT or as timestamped SRT and VTT subtitle files. No audio or text is ever uploaded and no CDN inference is used.

  • Runs client-side — audio is never uploaded
  • Self-hosted Whisper ASR via transformers.js (WASM/WebGPU)
  • Model is cached, so it works offline after first load
  • Segment timings drive SRT/VTT subtitle export
  • Export TXT, SRT and VTT
  • No per-minute cap, account or CDN inference
Privacy & Security

Privacy vs Cloud Transcription

Otter, Rev, Trint, Sonix and Happy Scribe upload your recordings to their servers, cap free minutes, and process audio in the cloud. AnyTool runs the speech-to-text model on the user's own device, so recordings never leave the browser, there is no per-minute limit, watermark or sign-up, and the tool keeps working offline once the model is cached. This makes it suitable for sensitive interviews, medical notes and confidential meetings.

Transcription: AnyTool vs typical tools
CapabilityAnyToolTypical tools
Data handlingIn your browserUploaded to cloud
Per-minute capNoneCommon
Offline useYes (after model load)No
Subtitle exportTXT/SRT/VTTVaries
Account requiredNoUsually

AnyTool is a privacy-first client-side transcriber — the speech-to-text model runs locally and nothing is uploaded.