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LokalBot vs OpenWhispr

OpenWhispr is a popular open-source app for dictation and meeting notes, under the MIT license. Like LokalBot, it records your microphone and system audio without a bot and can transcribe and summarize on your device. Its setup recommends OpenWhispr Cloud, though, and device sync, its MCP server, and team features come with paid plans. LokalBot runs on your computer by default, keeps every feature free in one GPLv3 app, and remembers more of your workday than meetings.

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Side by side

Feature by feature.

Feature LokalBot OpenWhispr
Meeting capture Bot-free microphone + system audio; detects meetings and asks before recording Bot-free microphone + system audio; suggests recording on microphone activity or a calendar event, and asks first
Default processing On your computer; a remote server gets context only after you approve it Setup recommends OpenWhispr Cloud; on-device transcription is an option you choose
Transcription On your computer — Qwen3-ASR by default, with Parakeet and Whisper as alternatives, plus Granite Speech on Mac On your device with Orukeet (a Parakeet fine-tune), Whisper, and others, or cloud providers
Summaries llama.cpp built in — works with no keys and no setup Built-in llama.cpp models, a local server such as Ollama, your own keys, or OpenWhispr Cloud
Speaker separation On your computer, on by default; names carry into later meetings On your device, up to 8 speakers; names carry into later meetings
Ask across meetings Cited answers that link back to the transcript and audio A chat agent that searches, reads, and edits your notes
Connect AI tools Read-only CLI and MCP server, off until you enable Agent Access A hosted MCP server on paid plans that sees notes synced to its cloud; a local CLI for free
Transcribe existing files Import audio and video recordings as meetings Files, batch uploads, and YouTube links
System-wide dictation Hold ⌥ Space (Alt+Space on Windows and Linux) in any app Hotkeys for dictation, a voice assistant, translation, and meetings
Day timeline App and window activity by default; screen text and encrypted screenshots are opt-in and deleted after 14 days No
Writing autocomplete Cotyping, in almost any app (on Linux, X11 only) No
Where your notes live A local library on your computer; there is no LokalBot cloud Locally; cloud backup, sync, and sharing on paid plans
License GPLv3 — every feature in one open repository MIT; its cloud and MCP server are hosted services
Price Free Free, with limits on cloud use · Pro $8/mo · Business $16 per user/mo · Enterprise custom
Platforms macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon; Windows 10/11 x64 and Linux x86_64 in alpha macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10+ x64, and Linux x86-64; iPhone and iPad

Verdict

Which one fits you?

Pick OpenWhispr if…

A dictation-first app with optional cloud extras.

  • Dictation is your main job: a voice assistant, translation, per-app tone, and snippets
  • You want it on an iPhone, an iPad, or an Intel Mac too
  • You'd like optional cloud sync, note sharing, and team spaces

Pick LokalBot if…

Local by default, and more than meetings.

  • You want everything on your computer unless you approve a server
  • You want AI tools to read your library through a free, local, read-only MCP server
  • You want a day timeline, screen recall, and autocomplete in the same app
  • Copyleft matters: GPLv3 keeps every fork's improvements open

Questions

The short answers.

Is OpenWhispr local?

It can be. Choose on-device transcription and a built-in local model, and your audio stays on your computer. Its setup recommends OpenWhispr Cloud, though, and transcription is chosen separately for dictation, meetings, and file uploads, so check each one. LokalBot runs on your computer by default and asks before any context goes to a remote server.

How do AI agents reach each one?

OpenWhispr's MCP server is hosted: it needs a paid plan with cloud backup turned on and sees only notes synced to its cloud. Its local CLI is free. LokalBot's read-only CLI and MCP server run on your computer, read your local library, and are free; you turn them on in Settings.

Which one runs on Linux?

Both. OpenWhispr ships AppImage, .deb, .rpm, and .tar.gz builds for x86-64 Linux. LokalBot's Linux app is in alpha, with .deb, .rpm, and Arch packages and updates through apt and dnf; see local AI meeting notes on Linux.

Download

Local by default, nothing gated.

Free and open source. Models download on first use; built-in inference then works offline.

Download for macOS

Apple Silicon · macOS 15+ · brew install --cask stevyhacker/tap/lokalbot

macOS · Windows · Linux (alpha) · requirements · all releases and notes

OpenWhispr is a trademark of its owner; LokalBot is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Details are based on its public site, documentation, pricing, and repository as of October 2026 and may change — if something here is wrong or out of date, open an issue and we'll fix it.