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On-device transcription, compared with the cloud
Most transcription apps are a front end for a server: you record, they upload, their machines write it down. Murmur does the whole job on the phone in your hand. Almost everything worth comparing follows from that one difference.
On-device vs the cloud
Upload versus on-device: what actually changes when the speech model runs on your phone instead of a data center.
See on-device vs the cloudOffline transcription app
What “offline” actually means when the speech model lives on the phone instead of on a server.
See offline transcription appPrivate transcription app
Why “we do not look at your recordings” and “your recordings never leave the device” are not the same claim.
See private transcription appSide by side
On-device app vs cloud transcription service
| Capability | Murmur (on-device) | Typical cloud service |
|---|---|---|
| Where transcription happens | On your own device | On the provider’s servers |
| Your recording is uploaded | No | Yes — that is how it works |
| Account required | No | Usually |
| Works with no signal | Yes, after a one-time model download | No |
| Speaker labels | On-device, remembered across recordings | Server-side, if the plan includes it |
| Transcript translation | On-device, line by line | Server-side, where offered |
| Transcribe a file you already have | Yes, on-device | Yes, by uploading it |
| Export formats | Plain text, Markdown, PDF, Word | Varies by plan |
| Who else can read the transcript | Nobody unless you share it | You and the provider |
| If the service is down or shuts down | Nothing changes — it all runs locally | You lose access |
Start with your next conversation.
Download Murmur, download a speech model once, and every recording after that is transcribed on your own device — meetings, interviews, lectures, ideas on a walk.
Free to download · No account · Works with no signal