The on-device alternative to Otter.ai for lectures and recordings.
Silo Transcribe is an on-device transcription app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, an alternative to cloud services like Otter.ai for lectures, interviews and the recordings you keep. It transcribes on your own device by default, and on the Mac it turns a lecture into practice questions answered from the lecture itself.
Silo Transcribe vs Otter.ai.
on-device · vs cloud| Dimension | Silo Transcribe | Cloud transcription (e.g. Otter.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On your Mac, iPhone or iPad | Their servers |
| Your recordings | Stay on your device by default | Uploaded & stored |
| Account | None required | Required |
| Pricing | One-time $14.99 | Monthly subscription |
| Transcription limits | No per-minute limit | Monthly minute caps |
| Summaries | Generated on your device by default | Generated in the cloud |
| Works without internet | Yes, after a one-time model download | No |
Cloud column reflects the typical architecture of Otter.ai and similar hosted tools. Names are trademarks of their owners; not affiliated.
Otter.ai alternative, answered.
Silo Transcribe · on-deviceYes, if you mostly transcribe lectures, interviews and recordings you keep, and you want them to stay on your own device. Silo Transcribe transcribes on your Mac, iPhone or iPad by default, and on the Mac it turns a lecture into practice questions. For meeting notes, Silo Meet is the Silo app built for that job.
Yes. On the Mac, import a WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF or Ogg file; each import gets an audio check first, so a clipped, quiet or noisy recording is flagged before you rely on its transcript. On iPhone and iPad, import an audio file or record with the microphone.
No. Silo Transcribe is a one-time $14.99 purchase covering Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no per-minute limit on transcription. Otter.ai and most cloud tools charge a recurring subscription and cap your minutes.
Yes. After a one-time model download it transcribes and summarizes without a connection, and on the Mac it builds practice questions offline too. The only exception is an optional Mac mode where you connect your own cloud account yourself.
Keep your work on your Mac.
Silo Transcribe: $14.99 one-time · no subscription. No subscription, no account, and nothing uploaded unless you add your own key: an on-device-first alternative to Otter.ai.