Aiko
$24.00 one-time (Mac App Store; 14-day free trial via TestFlight)
Price checked at source August 28, 2026.
On-device Whisper transcription for Mac from Sindre Sorhus, a well-known indie developer behind dozens of Mac and open-source tools — no cloud upload, and support for 100 languages.
Our take
The privacy pitch is structural, not marketing copy: transcription runs OpenAI’s Whisper model locally, so audio never leaves your device. A $24 one-time purchase (14-day free trial via TestFlight) rather than a subscription — the honest tradeoff is that it transcribes recordings you already have (dropped-in files, Voice Memos), not a live meeting in real time.
- Price
- $24.00 one-time (Mac App Store; 14-day free trial via TestFlight)
- License
- Proprietary
- Requires
- macOS 26 or newer for the current version; older builds for macOS 13–15 remain available as free direct downloads from the developer’s site but won’t receive updates
- Get it via
- Mac App Store
- Developer
- Sindre Sorhus
Do you use Aiko?
Who made this
Also makes 2 others — One Thing , System Color Picker
A well-known open-source Mac and Node.js maintainer, extremely well-documented across his own site, GitHub, and social profiles.
Site (opens in new tab) GitHub (opens in new tab) X (opens in new tab) Mastodon (opens in new tab)
What it does
On-device transcription
Runs OpenAI’s Whisper model locally — audio never leaves your device.
100 languages
Transcribes audio in 100 languages, with quality that varies by language, per the developer.
Shortcuts integration
Supports Apple Shortcuts for workflows like right-click-to-transcribe in Finder or recording from the iPhone Action Button.
The deal
- $24.00 one-time purchase (Universal Purchase — one price covers Mac, iOS, and visionOS)
- 14-day free trial via TestFlight, full app with no limitations
Worth knowing: Aiko transcribes recordings you already have (drag in a file, or record within the app) rather than joining a live meeting — for real-time capture of a video call, pair it with a recorder or use one of this section’s bot- or desktop-capture apps instead.
Aiko — questions people ask
Does Aiko record live meetings?
No — it transcribes audio files you provide (drag-and-drop, Voice Memos, or its own recorder), not a live call in real time.
Is my audio sent to a server?
No — transcription runs entirely on-device using a local Whisper model, per the developer.
Who makes Aiko?
Sindre Sorhus, an independent developer known for a wide catalog of Mac, iOS, and open-source software.
Is Aiko free?
Aiko costs $24.00 one-time (Mac App Store; 14-day free trial via TestFlight).
Does Aiko work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Aiko lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Aiko?
Aiko is available via Mac App Store.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 28, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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