Ermine.ai is a browser-based application for recording and transcribing audio entirely locally, on the user’s own device. A transcription model loads once before first use and then processes all recording and transcription without sending any data to external servers – genuine on-device AI, not just a privacy claim layered on top of a cloud service.
The interface combines recording and transcription in one tool, with model caching so subsequent uses are faster after the initial download, and both the raw audio and finished transcript are available to download. The project is open source, with its code publicly available on GitHub.
Ermine.ai targets anyone wanting privacy-focused transcription without cloud dependency – journalists, researchers, or anyone handling sensitive recordings. Currently supports English transcription only; the initial model download is about 50MB and may take a few minutes on first use. The tool is free and open source.
Key features
100% local audio recording and transcription – no server upload
Genuine on-device AI transcription model
Model caching for faster repeat use
Downloadable audio files and transcripts
Open source, free to use
Screenshots & demo
Pricing
Ermine.ai offers a free plan, with paid upgrades for higher limits and more features.
Pricing is provided as a guide. Check the official site for the latest plans.
Is Ermine.ai expensive?
Ermine.ai has no advertised paid tier. Among the 87 priced tools we list in Audio, the median entry price is $10 a month.
67% of Audio tools in the directory offer a free tier, and this is one of them.
Compared against every priced listing in Audio, recalculated as the catalogue changes. Method and the full market breakdown are in our AI tool pricing study.
Pros & cons
Pros
Real privacy guarantee – recordings never leave the device
Completely free and open source, no hidden tiers
No account or sign-up required to use
Cons
English transcription only
Initial ~50MB model download can take several minutes on first use
Local processing may be slower than cloud-based transcription on lower-powered devices
Real-time speech-to-text web service from WellSource that adds live captions and translation to meetings and events, with speaker identification, free during its alpha.
AI audio and video transcription tool with speaker labels, summaries and subtitle export, free forever for short files and from $19.99 a month for unlimited use.
