Voice Memos that are actually useful for AI
Your iPhone recordings → speaker-labeled transcripts ready for ChatGPT and Claude. No subscriptions. One-time purchase.
The Problem
Voice Memos gives you transcription now.
But it's missing the one thing you need.
- No speaker labels. Your meeting transcription is a wall of text. Who said what? Good luck figuring that out.
- Useless for AI analysis. Paste it into ChatGPT or Claude? They can't assign action items because they don't know who's speaking.
- Alternatives are expensive. Otter.ai cuts your free minutes every year. HappyScribe costs $120+/month. Just to know who said what.
The Solution
TranscribeLM adds what's missing
🎯 Speaker Labels, Automatically
Drop in your Voice Memo. Get a transcript where "Sarah" and "Mike" are clearly labeled throughout. No manual work.
🤖 AI-Ready Format
One click copies your transcript formatted perfectly for ChatGPT or Claude. Action items, summaries, analysis – finally accurate.
💰 One-Time Purchase
Affordable one-time payment. No monthly subscriptions bleeding your wallet. No shrinking usage limits.
Why Switch
Stop paying monthly for speaker labels
Who It's For
For people who record conversations
- User researchers who interview customers and need transcripts for analysis
- Product managers recording stakeholder meetings and feedback sessions
- Consultants documenting client calls and strategy discussions
- Coaches reviewing sessions to track client progress
- Anyone who records important conversations on their phone and wants to use AI to process them
Questions & Answers
FAQ
How do you transcribe my audio?
TranscribeLM gives you two options today, with a third coming soon:
Local transcription (WhisperX) — included free: Your audio is transcribed entirely on your Mac using bundled AI models. Nothing leaves your device. No internet required. This is the default.
Cloud transcription (AssemblyAI) — optional: For higher accuracy, connect your own AssemblyAI API key. Your audio is uploaded securely, transcribed, and deleted immediately. Costs roughly $1.50 for 10 hours.
Coming soon: We're evaluating Microsoft's new open-source VibeVoice-ASR model, which handles up to 60 minutes in a single pass with built-in speaker diarization.
Both options give you speaker-labeled transcriptions in markdown format, ready for Claude or ChatGPT.
Supported formats: M4A, MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, WEBM
How much does it cost?
$49 one-time purchase. No subscription.
This includes unlimited local transcription with WhisperX, speaker diarization, vocabulary learning, markdown export optimized for AI tools, and lifetime updates.
Optional: Connect your own AssemblyAI API key for higher accuracy (~$0.15/hour). You get $50 free credit when you sign up with AssemblyAI.
| Service | Cost for 10 hrs/month |
|---|---|
| TranscribeLM (local) | $49 once, then free forever |
| TranscribeLM + AssemblyAI | $49 once + ~$1.50/month |
| Otter.ai Pro | $8-17/month |
| HappyScribe | $120/month |
What's the difference between this and Voice Memos transcription?
One thing: speaker labels.
Voice Memos gives you a wall of text with no indication of who said what. That's fine for solo recordings, but useless for conversations. Try pasting a Voice Memos transcript into Claude and asking "What did Sarah say about the timeline?" — it can't answer because it doesn't know who Sarah is.
| Voice Memos | TranscribeLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker labels | No | Yes |
| Learns your vocabulary | No | Yes |
| Export format | Plain text | Markdown (LLM-ready) |
| Remembers speaker names | No | Across all transcripts |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free | $49 one-time |
Bottom line: Voice Memos is fine for quick personal notes. TranscribeLM is for conversations you want to actually use with AI.
What's the difference between TranscribeLM and Otter.ai, Fathom, or Granola?
It comes down to how it works, what it costs, and where your data goes.
| TranscribeLM | Otter.ai | Fathom/Read.ai | Granola | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | You bring recordings | Bot joins calls | Bot joins calls | Bot joins calls |
| Price | $49 one-time | $8-30/mo | Free-$19/mo | Free-$16/mo |
| Local/private option | Yes (WhisperX) | No | No | No |
| Learns vocabulary | Yes | No | No | No |
| LLM-optimized output | Markdown | Plain text | Plain text | Partial |
| Phone recordings | Yes | Workaround | No | No |
Use TranscribeLM if: You record on your phone, don't want bots in calls, prefer one-time purchase over subscriptions, or care about local processing.
Use the others if: You want live transcription during video calls or need team collaboration features.
Is it legal to record meetings?
Recording laws vary by location. In many US states, only one party needs to consent (that can be you). However, we always recommend informing all participants and getting consent before recording — it's good practice and builds trust.
TranscribeLM processes recordings you've already made; we don't record anything ourselves.
What happens to my audio when I use AssemblyAI?
Audio files: Deleted immediately after transcription completes. AssemblyAI does not retain your original audio files.
Transcripts: Stored on AssemblyAI's servers until you delete them. TranscribeLM can automatically delete transcripts after download (enable in Settings).
Model training: By default, AssemblyAI may use data to improve their models. To opt out, contact AssemblyAI directly at support@assemblyai.com.
For maximum privacy, use WhisperX (local) — your audio never leaves your device.
How is my data protected?
Local-first by default: TranscribeLM uses WhisperX for local processing — your audio never leaves your Mac. No cloud uploads. No third-party access. No internet required.
Cloud option when you need it: AssemblyAI processes audio with 95%+ accuracy. Your audio is deleted immediately after transcription, and you can auto-delete transcripts too.
Get notified when it launches
Join the waitlist. Be the first to turn your Voice Memos into something actually useful for AI.