Does the audio ever leave my device?

With local transcription, audio is transcribed on your device. Turn off the optional Cloud fallback when every attempt must stay local. Cloud sends audio only to transcribe it, then immediately discards it.

Is this consistent with my duty of confidentiality?

Confidentiality is your professional duty and no tool discharges it for you. Local processing is the deliberate choice when a highly sensitive matter calls for device-only work. Cloud transcription discards audio immediately after transcription. This is not legal advice, and the rules of your bar or law society still apply.

Does dictation software for lawyers get case names and citations right?

Add party names, case names, Latin, statutes, and citations to the custom dictionary. OpenWhispr passes that list to transcription and cleanup to guide the text.

Will IT let me install it on the firm laptop?

It is a desktop app, not an add-in for Word or your document system. On a Mac, grant accessibility permission for auto-paste. Without it, copy the text from your clipboard instead.

Will it work in a courthouse or on a flight with no signal?

Yes, once the models are on your machine. Local models run entirely offline after the first download. Dictate in the courthouse hallway, after a deposition, or on the flight home, then file the note when you are back in range.

Does it draft the letter, or just transcribe?

Both. Dictation turns speech into text, then an AI model can shape a client letter or case memo. Transcription and AI cleanup are separate settings, so choose a local AI model when the draft must stay on-device.

Do I need a separate legal dictation tool?

OpenWhispr runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Try the Free plan with a local model, then move to Cloud transcription when it fits your workflow.

Free includes unlimited local dictation and local AI models, plus 2,000 Cloud words a week. Pro adds unlimited Cloud transcription, 20 hours of meeting recordings, sync, mobile, and API/MCP access. Business adds unlimited meeting recordings, Agent mode, and chat over data.

Dictation software for lawyers & attorneys

Speak the letter. It lands in Word. No typist ever hears the file.

Dictate a letter, a file note or a memo and the clean text drops in wherever your cursor already is: Word, Clio, an email. Choose Cloud for fast transcription or local for highly sensitive and offline work.

Open source · 80,000+ downloads

Dictate into any app, including:

ClioiManageNetDocumentsMyCaseSmokeballMicrosoft Word

What you're choosing between

Saying the letter takes two minutes. Getting it typed is the rest of the afternoon.

Every route from your voice to the file should suit the matter, not keep you typing.

A stranger typing up privileged notes.

With a local model and no Cloud fallback, the dictation is transcribed on the machine you spoke into. No outsourced transcription service handles it.

Sensitive matters need a local option.

Choose local models when the matter is highly sensitive or you will work without signal. Your device processes the recording.

An hour of typing is an hour you can't bill.

Typing up your own dictation is the slowest way to get a letter out, and you do it after the thinking is already done. Dictate it while the matter is fresh and you review and send instead of type.

A tool that only fits one desk.

OpenWhispr runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Start with the Free plan, then upgrade when the workflow calls for it.

From your voice to the file

From your voice to a first draft.

Get the letter out while the matter is fresh. Choose the transcription path that fits the work.

Woman speaking while using a laptop at a desk

Cloud transcription without a local model download

Speak a letter, a memo or a file note into your mic. Cloud gives you fast transcription without a local model download, then immediately discards the transcription audio.

Man reviewing a printed document beside his laptop

Letters and memos, drafted for you

Tell it what you want and use local AI models for device-only drafting. You read every word before it leaves your desk.

Man speaking and pointing toward a laptop at a table

Dictate into Word without an add-in

One hotkey, and the clean punctuated text pastes itself where you're already typing: Word, an email, Clio, your document system. There's nothing for IT to install into any of them.

Privileged audio sent to us

None

with a local transcription model the recording never leaves your computer

Cost per lawyer

unlimited local dictation in the Free plan

Processing options

Cloud transcription or local models

Download to first letter

Three steps from download to draft.

Choose Cloud transcription or download a local model.

Man standing beside a laptop in a glass-walled office

Download it free.

Mac, Windows or Linux. Setup offers OpenWhispr Cloud or local models. Pick local for privileged work and it downloads them once.

Dictate the letter.

Speak it the way you'd say it to your assistant, and it comes back as text.

Read it, paste it, delete the audio.

Edit the draft, drop it into Word or your document system, and delete the recording. Every one of those is yours to control.

Why firms keep it

Ten reasons your IT or security team can check for themselves.

Choosing dictation software for lawyers is a confidentiality decision before it's anything else. Most of these are facts about the code, so IT or security can check them instead of taking them from us.

The recording stays on your machine

Choose a local transcription model for device-only processing. An optional Cloud fallback can send audio if you turn it on.

Free for the whole firm

Unlimited local dictation at $0 for every desk, including your assistant and paralegals.

Nothing goes to a typing pool

With local transcription and no Cloud fallback, no outsourced transcription service handles the recording.

Works with the wifi off

A courthouse hallway, a deposition, a client's office, a flight. Local models need no signal, so nothing stalls mid-sentence.

Dictate into Word or any case system

One system-wide hotkey drops clean text where your cursor already is: Word, Clio, iManage, an email. On a Mac it uses the accessibility permission you grant at setup.

Letters and memos, not just transcripts

Ask for a case memo and a local AI model can draft it on your machine. Local AI models are included on every plan.

You control storage and deletion

Recordings are files on your machine. Audio is deleted after 30 days out of the box, and Settings moves that or switches it off.

Nothing to take on faith

Your IT or security team can read every line of the app on GitHub before a partner installs it.

Party names and citations, spelled your way

Put party names, case names, statutes, and citations in the custom dictionary to guide transcription and cleanup.

100+ languages

Dictate in 100+ languages.

Before you install it

Eight questions law firms ask before they install anything.

Straight answers on confidentiality, cost, accuracy, and what IT will say. More questions? Ask in Discord.

What people tell us

Built by people who wouldn't hand their audio to a stranger either.

From our Discord, GitHub and inboxes. None of them is a lawyer, so read them for the tool, not the practice.

Audio stored on our servers with local transcription

With a local transcription model the audio never leaves your device, so there's nothing on our side to lose, breach or hand over.

Started using OpenWhispr with my local models and hardware. I have to say, this is better than typing.

0xSero@0xSero

I switched to voice input for my Claude Code chats. Even when I stumble and rephrase mid-sentence, the transcription comes out clean and polished.

j3iiifn@j3iiifn

I needed a local model for when I'm travelling or have no WiFi, and this perfectly solves it. The UI and performance are great.

Gabe@gabe__perez

Pricing

Free to start.
Upgrade when you want more.

Compare OpenWhispr plans for lawyers
	FreePopular $0No card details needed Loading...	Pro $6.67/user/mo$80/user billed annually Start with Pro	Business $13.33/user/mo$160/user billed annually Start with Business
Best for	Lawyers who want local dictation and 2,000 Cloud words a week	Lawyers who want unlimited Cloud transcription plus mobile, sync, and API/MCP access	Firms documenting at volume with Agent mode and chat over data
Main reason to choose	Unlimited local dictation plus 2,000 Cloud words a week	Unlimited Cloud transcription plus mobile, sync, and API/MCP access	Unlimited meeting recordings plus Agent mode and chat over data
Offline speech-to-text	Included	Included	Included
Cloud speech-to-text	2,000 words/week via OpenWhispr Cloud, or unlimited using your own API keys	Unlimited OpenWhispr Cloud speech-to-text	Unlimited OpenWhispr Cloud speech-to-text
Meeting recordings	5 hours/month	20 hours/month	Unlimited
Privacy & data handling	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.	Offline audio stays on your device. Cloud audio is sent only to transcribe it, then never stored.
Setup experience	Hands-on: install app, choose local models, optionally add API keys	Easy: install app, upgrade, use unlimited cloud speech-to-text	Moderate: configure users, Agent mode, and data workflows
Advanced features	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text Device sync use across devices Mobile companion app dictate on mobile API / MCP access connect tools/workflows	Custom dictionary improves names/terms 100+ languages multilingual speech-to-text Device sync use across devices Mobile companion app dictate on mobile API / MCP access connect tools/workflows Agent mode automate actions Chat over your data ask about files/transcripts
Team management	None	None	Basic team / workflow use
Support	Community support	Email support	Priority support

Need SSO, compliance features, admin controls, or dedicated support for a larger team?

Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs, retention controls, and dedicated support.

Talk to us

Why we built it

A client tells you things they'd tell nobody else.

OpenWhispr started with a simple objection: confidential dictation should have a local option.

We build in public. The app is open source, so your firm can inspect how it works before anyone installs it.

Community support is available in Discord. Paid plans add email or priority support.

$0 a seat · open source · no add-in

Speak the next letter while the matter is fresh.

Download OpenWhispr, choose Cloud transcription or local processing, and dictate the next letter.

Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Paid plans add Cloud transcription, mobile, and workflow tools.