Speech to Text Apps That Work Without Internet (2026)

Most speech-to-text apps have a dirty secret: they don't actually work. Not reliably, anyway. They depend on internet connections that fail at the worst moments — on planes, in subways, in remote locations, or when your carrier's network is congested.

But offline speech-to-text exists. Your iPhone has built-in capabilities that can transcribe voice without ever touching a server. Some apps take advantage of this. Others don't.

This guide compares the best offline speech-to-text options for 2026, focusing on what actually works when you're disconnected.

How Offline Speech-to-Text Works

Apple's Speech Framework

Since iOS 10, Apple has included on-device speech recognition. This means your iPhone can transcribe audio using neural networks that run locally on the device.

The technology uses:

• Neural Engine on Apple Silicon
• Downloaded language models (50-100MB per language)
• No network connection required after initial setup

How to Test True Offline Capability

Don't trust marketing claims. Test apps yourself:

1. Enable Airplane Mode
2. Turn off WiFi in Settings (not just Control Center)
3. Attempt to transcribe
4. If it works, it's truly offline

Apps that fail this test are cloud-dependent, regardless of what they claim.

The Best Offline Speech-to-Text Apps

1. Aside

Offline Capability: Complete

Aside uses Apple's Speech framework for all transcription, providing full offline functionality.

What Works Offline:

• Voice recording
• Real-time transcription
• Search across transcripts
• AI summaries and tags (iOS 26+ with Foundation Models)
• All core features

Transcription Quality: Excellent for English and major languages. Matches cloud services for standard speech.

Additional Features:

• One-tap recording (under 200ms start)
• AI-powered organization
• "Ask Your Thoughts" natural language queries
• Apple Watch support
• Home and Lock screen widgets

Privacy: 100% on-device. No data uploaded.

Pricing: Free tier (10/day); Premium $7.99/month or $59.99/year

Best For: Users who want transcription plus AI organization without internet dependency.

2. Just Press Record

Offline Capability: Complete

A focused app that does one thing well: record and transcribe on-device.

What Works Offline:

• Recording
• Transcription
• Viewing past recordings
• Basic search

Transcription Quality: Good (Apple Speech framework)

Additional Features:

• Apple Watch recording
• iCloud sync for recordings
• Siri Shortcuts
• Simple interface

Limitations:

• No AI features (summaries, tags)
• Basic organization
• No natural language search

Privacy: On-device processing. iCloud sync uses your account.

Pricing: $7.99 one-time purchase

Best For: Users who want simple transcription without smart features.

3. Apple Dictation (Built-in)

Offline Capability: Partial

Apple's built-in dictation has an on-device mode, but with limitations.

What Works Offline:

• Basic dictation in text fields
• Standard vocabulary

Transcription Quality: Good for common words, may struggle with specialized vocabulary offline.

Limitations:

• Not a dedicated app (works within other apps)
• No recording/playback
• No organization
• Some features require internet

How to Enable: Settings → General → Keyboard → Enable Dictation → Enable "On-Device Dictation"

Pricing: Free (built into iOS)

Best For: Quick dictation into other apps when offline capability is needed.

4. Noted

Offline Capability: Partial

Noted offers on-device transcription but with some cloud-dependent features.

What Works Offline:

• Recording
• Basic transcription

What Requires Internet:

• Some advanced features
• Sync

Additional Features:

• Combined voice and text notes
• Timestamped annotations
• Audio bookmarks

Pricing: Free tier; Premium $9.99/month

Best For: Users combining voice and text notes who occasionally need offline.

5. Voice Memos (Apple)

Offline Capability: Recording Only

Apple's built-in recording app works offline but doesn't transcribe at all.

What Works Offline:

• Recording
• Playback
• Basic editing

What Doesn't Exist:

• Transcription (none available)
• Search by content
• Any text functionality

Pricing: Free (built into iOS)

Best For: Basic recording when no transcription is needed.

Apps That Don't Work Offline

These popular apps require internet, failing the airplane mode test:

If you need reliability in disconnected environments, these apps won't work.

Offline Comparison Table

Why Offline Matters

Reliability

Cloud services have failure modes:

• Network outages
• Server maintenance
• API rate limits
• Company shutdowns

On-device processing works regardless of external factors. Your capture app should work when you need it, not when servers cooperate.

Common Offline Scenarios

Air travel: Airplane mode required, no WiFi purchased.

Underground transit: Subways, tunnels, parking garages.

Remote locations: Hiking, camping, rural areas with poor signal.

International travel: Before getting local SIM or enabling roaming.

Network congestion: Conferences, stadiums, anywhere with many devices competing.

Building interiors: Offices with poor signal penetration.

If you capture ideas in any of these situations, cloud-only apps will fail you.

Privacy

Offline processing is inherently more private:

• No audio uploads
• No server storage
• No third-party access
• No data breaches possible

What never leaves your device can't be compromised elsewhere.

Speed

Network latency adds delay to cloud transcription:

• Upload time (depends on connection speed)
• Server queue time (depends on load)
• Processing time
• Download time

On-device transcription completes in 1-3 seconds regardless of network conditions.

Battery and Data

Cloud transcription consumes:

• Battery for radio transmission
• Cellular data (if not on WiFi)
• Processing power for compression

On-device processing uses only local CPU/Neural Engine, which is often more efficient for short recordings.

Setting Up for Offline Success

1. Download Language Models

On-device transcription requires language models. Ensure yours are downloaded:

1. Settings → General → Keyboard
2. Add languages you might need
3. Enable dictation for each
4. Wait for downloads (on WiFi)

Once downloaded, those languages work offline.

2. Test Before Relying

Before travel or important offline situations:

1. Enable Airplane Mode + turn off WiFi
2. Record a test voice note
3. Verify transcription works
4. Re-enable connectivity

Better to discover problems at home.

3. Keep Storage Available

On-device processing and recording require local storage. If your phone is nearly full:

• Transcription may fail
• Recordings may not save
• AI features may not run

Keep several GB free for reliable offline operation.

4. Update Regularly

Apple improves on-device speech recognition with iOS updates. Keeping your device updated ensures best offline accuracy.

Offline Quality: How Good Is It?

What Works Well

On-device transcription handles:

• Clear speech in quiet environments
• Standard accents
• Common vocabulary
• Single speakers
• Recordings under 5 minutes

For voice notes — capturing ideas, reminders, thoughts — offline quality is excellent.

What's More Challenging

On-device may struggle with:

• Heavy accents
• Technical jargon
• Very noisy environments
• Multiple overlapping speakers
• Languages with smaller model support

For these cases, cloud services may be more accurate — but only when you have a connection.

The Practical Reality

For most voice note use cases:

• Solo speaking
• Reasonable recording conditions
• Common vocabulary

Offline transcription is indistinguishable from cloud quality. The convenience of working anywhere far outweighs theoretical accuracy differences.

The Future: Even Better Offline

Apple continues investing in on-device capabilities:

iOS 26 and Foundation Models: AI features (summaries, tags, queries) now run entirely on-device.

Improved neural engines: Each iPhone generation brings better on-device processing.

Larger on-device models: Quality continues approaching cloud parity.

The gap between cloud and on-device is closing. For voice notes, it's already negligible.

Making Your Choice

Choose Aside if:

• You want full-featured offline operation
• AI organization matters to you
• Privacy is important
• You capture thoughts in varied locations
• You want to query past thoughts

Choose Just Press Record if:

• You want simple, focused transcription
• One-time purchase appeals to you
• You don't need AI features
• Simplicity matters most

Choose Apple Dictation if:

• You just need to dictate into other apps
• You don't need dedicated recording
• Free is essential

Stay with Cloud Apps if:

• You're always connected
• Multi-speaker transcription is critical
• You need cloud-specific features
• Offline scenarios don't apply to you

The Bottom Line

True offline speech-to-text exists on iPhone. Your device has the capability built in — it's a question of which apps use it.

For capturing ideas, thoughts, and voice notes, offline transcription offers:

• Reliability in any environment
• Better privacy (nothing uploaded)
• Faster results (no network latency)
• Lower battery and data usage

The question isn't whether offline transcription is "good enough." For voice notes, it's whether you want to depend on internet access for something your phone can do locally.

Choose apps that work anywhere. Your ideas don't wait for WiFi.

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Transcribe Anywhere with Aside

Aside works completely offline — record and transcribe without internet, wherever you are.

True offline capability:

• Full transcription (Apple Speech framework)
• AI summaries and tags (iOS 26+ Foundation Models)
• Search across all your thoughts
• No internet required

Plus the features you need:

• One-tap recording (under 200ms)
• Apple Watch quick capture
• Lock screen widget
• Natural language queries
• 100% private (nothing uploaded ever)

Never miss an idea because of network issues.

Download Aside — Think out loud. In private.