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metalogical

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Why do voice transcription apps charge monthly when Whisper runs locally?

lucidvoice.app
47 points·by metalogical·il y a 8 mois·79 comments

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metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Should have a trial set up - working on that for the next update. For now, buy it and if you don't like it after a week, email [email protected] and I'll refund immediately. Just testing what people actually want right now :)
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Hey Steve! SuperWhisper free is solid - main reason to switch is avoiding subscriptions entirely. For $20 one-time you get AI formatting (removes filler words, cleans up corrections) that SuperWhisper charges $120/year for. I'm building features users ask (e.g. file transcription) for and all future updates are included. Runs light on base M1s. Not trying to maximize profit here - just testing if people actually want local-first tools vs subscriptions. If it's not worth it after a week, email [email protected] for a refund :)
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Exactly this. When I looked at Wisprflow at $12/month, I realized over 2 years I'd pay ~$290 for software that runs entirely on my Mac with near-zero server costs on their end.

The "forgot to cancel" revenue model works, but (like you implied) it's predatory when the software doesn't need ongoing infrastructure.
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
I get that subscriptions help small businesses survive. But when the software runs 100% locally and doesn't need servers, one-time seems fairer. That's what I'm testing.
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Honestly not trying to make serious money from this - more validating if people want local-first tools. If it takes off, might add a support tier, but ultimate goal isn't profit. Just wanted something that works without monthly charges.
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Right now it's dictation-first vs MacWhisper's file transcription focus. Planning to add meeting recording and batch processing eventually.

Heard some feedback about reliability issues with MacWhisper as well - trying to build something more stable from the ground up.
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Yeah, hearing this a lot. I'll definitely into Linux support
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Mac-only for now but might port to Linux if there's enough demand. What desktop environment are you using?
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Yes - makes corrections, removes filler words, formats naturally. That's what the Llama post-processing does
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Just pushed an update for mobile - should work now. Happy to give you a free license key if you want to try it on your Mac. Would love feedback
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
You can block it with Mac's firewall and verify zero network calls. Privacy policy at https://lucidvoice.app/privacy

Might open source if there's demand - testing that now
metalogical
·il y a 8 mois·discuss
Whisper runs fine locally. So why are Willow ($144/year), Wisprflow ($120/year), and SuperWhisper ($120/year) all subscriptions?

I got frustrated paying monthly for something that could run on my Mac, so I built Lucid Voice:

- 100% offline (Nvidia Parakeet + Llama)

- $20 one-time (mainly to cover Apple's notarization costs)

- Runs on surprisingly low-end hardware (M1 base models work fine)

- No cloud, no data collection

Open to feedback on anything - pricing, the tech stack, or if this should just be free: https://lucidvoice.app