Privacy and audio handling
OpenASR processes speech locally. There is no hidden third-party cloud transcription backend, no telemetry, and no usage analytics in the CLI, server, or desktop app.
Platforms and installation
The desktop apps are available for macOS and Windows. The CLI and server run on macOS, Windows, and Linux through prebuilt releases or source builds. A native Linux desktop app is not published.
Models and downloads
The signed model catalog includes families such as Whisper, Qwen3-ASR, Parakeet-TDT, FireRed-AED, SenseVoice, Moonshine, and others. Normal transcription does not silently download a missing model — the user sees and approves each download.
Frequently asked questions
What is OpenASR?
OpenASR is a local-first speech-to-text project with macOS and Windows desktop apps, a public Rust CLI, a local HTTP API, a signed model catalog, and an Apache-2.0 open core. Transcription runs on hardware you control.
Read the full answer → Does OpenASR upload my audio?
By default, no. Transcription runs locally. Network exceptions include explicit model downloads, desktop update-manifest checks, an optional Hugging Face token sent only to huggingface.co, and optional Remote Compute — which sends audio only to a user-controlled device running OpenASR Server that you explicitly pair.
Read the full answer → Does OpenASR need an internet connection?
Not for transcription itself. An internet connection is needed only to download models, check for desktop updates, or use optional Remote Compute. The CLI --offline option forbids network access and fails if a model is missing.
Do I need an account to use OpenASR?
No. No account or sign-in is required to transcribe. There is no telemetry or usage analytics.
What operating systems does OpenASR support?
The desktop apps run on macOS and Windows. The CLI and server also run on Linux through prebuilt releases or source builds. A native Linux desktop app is not published.
How do I choose a model?
Start with your language and task, then consider your hardware and memory, then required features like timestamps, punctuation, translation, or diarization, then license. The catalog marks a recommended quantization per model. Visit the live Models page for current availability.
Read the full answer → Is OpenASR open source?
The core engine — Rust CLI, server, and supporting libraries — is Apache-2.0 open source. The macOS and Windows desktop apps are separate closed-source products built on the open core.
How are model downloads handled?
Models come from a signed and verified catalog. Normal transcription does not silently download a missing model; the user sees and approves every download. An optional user-supplied Hugging Face token is sent only to huggingface.co for eligible downloads.