Is OpenWhispr really free?

Yes. Its free tier includes unlimited local AI models and 2,000 words/week of transcription with zero data retention. Paid tiers ($6.67/mo Pro, $16.67/mo Business, custom Enterprise) add unlimited cloud transcription, meeting recording hours, and team features. Blabb Free gives you 2,000 words a day, forever, no card; unlimited dictation is USD $4.99/month, USD $49.99/year, or USD $99 once for a lifetime licence, with a 14-day free trial on subscriptions.

Does OpenWhispr work in Citrix/RDP/VDI sessions?

OpenWhispr's own documentation doesn't describe specific Citrix, RDP, or VDI support. Blabb is purpose-built for these locked-down environments, typing text key-by-key into the focused remote window so it works even where clipboard redirection is blocked.

Is OpenWhispr open source and is Blabb?

OpenWhispr is open source, hosted on GitHub, and lets technically inclined users audit or self-host it. Blabb is closed-source, distributed as a signed installer through the Microsoft Store, aimed at users who want a turnkey app rather than a project to configure.

Does OpenWhispr have Medical or Legal vocabulary editions?

Not as a distinct product feature — OpenWhispr is a general-purpose dictation and meeting-transcription tool. Blabb sells Medical (48,133 terms) and Legal (13,004 terms) vocabulary plans at USD $9.99/month or USD $99.99/year each, on top of standard Blabb rather than included with it. The vocabulary runs on-device.

Blabb vs OpenWhispr
An honest comparison

OpenWhispr is a genuinely privacy-respecting, open-source dictation and meeting-transcription app with a real free tier. Blabb takes a different bet: a paid, purpose-built Windows tool for locked-down enterprise sessions and professional vocabulary. Different tools, different users. As of July 2026 — check current OpenWhispr pricing and plans before deciding.

OpenWhispr

FREE / $6.67+ MO

Blabb

ONE COFFEE / MONTH

Price

Free (open-source) with unlimited local models and 2,000 words/wk of cloud transcription; Pro $6.67/mo

Blabb Free: 2,000 words a day. Unlimited: USD $4.99/mo, USD $49.99/yr, or $99 once — the cheaper paid tier

Open source

✓Yes — hosted on GitHub, self-hostable, auditable

✕Closed source, distributed via Microsoft Store

Local/offline models

✓Whisper / NVIDIA Parakeet, on-device, no account for free tier

✓Fully on-device — recognition and AI cleanup both

Locked-down RDP, Citrix, VDI

Not documented as a specific supported scenario

✓Purpose-built keystroke simulation for these sessions†

Platforms

✓macOS, Windows, Linux

✕Windows only, by design

Medical/Legal vocabulary editions

Not a distinct product feature

Medical (48,133 terms) and Legal (13,004 terms) plans — USD $9.99/mo each, sold separately from standard Blabb

Meeting transcription

✓Recording hours + speaker labels on paid tiers

✕Dictation-focused, not a meeting-recording tool

Writing styles

Single transcription output

✓Six selectable styles, verbatim to professional polish

Self-correction while talking

Not documented as a specific feature

✓Spoken retractions ("scratch that", "make that", "correction") and self-corrections drop the false start automatically

History

Not documented

✓Encrypted local history — your original words beside the final text, copy or delete any entry

† NOT INTO ELEVATED/ADMIN WINDOWS — A WINDOWS LIMIT, NOT BLABB'S. FEATURE CLAIMS FOR OPENWHISPR SOURCED FROM ITS OWN PUBLIC SITE/GITHUB, JULY 2026 — VERIFY CURRENT DETAILS BEFORE DECIDING.

01The honest read

When OpenWhispr is right, and when Blabb is

Choose OpenWhispr if…

You want a free, open-source, cross-platform tool and don't mind occasionally self-managing setup or configuration. It's a legitimate local-first option with a real no-cost tier, and its meeting-transcription features go further than anything Blabb offers.

Choose Blabb if…

You work inside a locked-down enterprise Windows environment — Citrix, RDP, VDI — where an open-source project without documented support for that scenario is a gamble, not a plan. Add optional Medical and Legal vocabulary plans, six writing styles, and a turnkey signed installer with no configuration, and Blabb is built for a narrower, more specific job than OpenWhispr's broader dictation-plus-meetings scope.

The honest tradeoff

OpenWhispr wins on openness and a genuinely free, self-hostable tier. Blabb's paid tier is cheaper, and it's purpose-built for locked-down Windows sessions and professional vocabulary out of the box. Neither claim cancels the other — pick based on which problem you actually have.

Dictation built for the locked-down desk.

Two weeks free, no training sessions, models included in the download.

Get Blabb free See everything Blabb does

FREE TIER 2,000 WORDS/DAY · 14-DAY UNLIMITED TRIAL IN-APP · CANCEL ANY TIME