Aiko is made by Sindre Sorhus, an indie developer known for small, polished Mac utilities, and it shows. Open the app, drop in a file, and Aiko transcribes it with OpenAI’s Whisper on the device. There are almost no settings to learn. TranscribeX also transcribes files locally, but it is a bigger app. This page is about when that extra is worth having.
The short version
- Aiko is the simple choice. $24 once covers Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro. It runs Whisper Large v2 on the Mac and exports text, subtitles, JSON and CSV.
- TranscribeX does more with a file. Speaker names, more models (including Parakeet, Large V3 Turbo and Qwen3 ASR), batch queues, translation into other languages, PDF and Markdown export, and AI summaries.
- TranscribeX also records. Meetings, live captions and dictation. Aiko’s site says it doesn’t do live transcription yet.
- Price: Aiko $24 once. TranscribeX has a free version and Pro at $39 once, Mac only.
TranscribeX vs Aiko at a glance
| Feature | TranscribeX | Aiko |
|---|---|---|
| On-device transcription of files | ✓ | ✓ |
| Models on the Mac | Whisper Tiny to Large V3 Turbo, Parakeet, Qwen3 ASR, Nemotron, Apple on-device, fine-tuned Whisper per language | Whisper Large v2 |
| Languages | 100+ | 100 |
| Speaker labels | ✓Pro, no speaker limit | ✗Not yet, per its site |
| Translation | Into many languages (Apple Translate, DeepL, AI); bilingual subtitles | Into English |
| Batch transcription | ✓Pro, plus folder watching | Through Shortcuts |
| Export | TXT, SRT, VTT, PDF, CSV, Markdown, JSON | Text, subtitles (SRT), JSON, CSV |
| AI summary and chat | ✓Built-in local model or your provider | Via Shortcuts to ChatGPT |
| Live transcription and meeting recording | ✓ | ✗Not yet, per its site |
| YouTube and video site downloads | ✓Free | ?Not found on its site |
| Dictation | ✓Free | ✗ |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Price | Free, or $39 once for Pro | $24 once; 14-day trial via TestFlight |
Aiko details from sindresorhus.com/aiko and its App Store listing, checked October 2026. The current Aiko version needs macOS 26 or iOS 26; older builds for macOS 13–15 are offered on the developer’s site. Corrections to support@transcribex.io.
When Aiko transcription is all you need
If you transcribe a voice memo or a lecture recording now and then, Aiko is a very good buy. You pay $24 once and it works on every Apple device you own, with no settings to fiddle with. Whisper Large v2 is a strong, accurate model, and Aiko’s exports cover text and subtitles. If that describes you, you don’t need TranscribeX.
When you outgrow it
The questions that usually send people from Aiko to something bigger:
- “Who said this?” Interviews, podcasts and meetings are hard to read as one block of text. TranscribeX labels speakers locally with no upper limit, and Voice Profiles name people you record often. How it works.
- “Can it go faster?” Aiko uses Large v2 on the Mac. TranscribeX lets you pick NVIDIA Parakeet, which is up to 20x faster than Whisper, or Whisper Large V3 Turbo.
- “I have forty files.” TranscribeX has batch queues and can watch a folder and transcribe whatever lands in it.
- “I need subtitles in Spanish.” TranscribeX translates transcripts into other languages and exports bilingual SRT and VTT. Aiko translates into English only.
- “Just give me the summary.” A built-in language model writes summaries and answers questions about the transcript, offline.
- “I want to record the call too.” TranscribeX records meetings from Zoom, Teams, Meet and other apps, and shows a live transcript while you talk.
“The app is intuitive and well done. The developer keeps actively developing the app, and I enjoy the wide support of various transcription models. Plus being able to download videos, create subtitles and translate them within the same app, with just a few clicks — this is a great piece of software!”
What it costs
Both are one-time purchases. Aiko is $15 cheaper and covers your iPhone and iPad as well. TranscribeX has a free version with no time limit, which transcribes files with Whisper Tiny and Apple’s on-device model and exports TXT. That is enough to test it on your own recordings before paying. Pro unlocks the larger models and everything above for $39.
| Plan | Billing | 1 year | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| TranscribeX Pro | One-time, free updates | $39 | $39 |
| Aiko | One-time (Mac, iPhone, iPad) | $24 | $24 |
Cheapest paid individual plan at list price (USD unless marked). Prices checked October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (Aiko). TranscribeX Pro is a one-time purchase with free updates; the free version has no time limit.
Where Aiko is the better choice
- iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. One purchase covers all of them. TranscribeX is Mac only.
- Simplicity. There is very little to learn. TranscribeX has more settings because it does more.
- Price. $24 against $39.
- Shortcuts. Aiko works with Apple Shortcuts, so you can build your own small automations around it.
Choose TranscribeX if…
- You need speaker names
- You transcribe a lot of files, or long ones
- You want faster models or a choice of models
- You make subtitles in more than one language
- You also record meetings or dictate
Choose Aiko if…
- You transcribe a file now and then
- You want the same app on your iPhone or iPad
- You want the simplest app possible
- $24 is your budget
Trying TranscribeX after Aiko
- Download TranscribeX. No account, no trial clock.
- Drop in a file you already transcribed in Aiko.
- With Pro, run it again with Whisper Large V3 Turbo or Parakeet and switch on speaker recognition.
- Not convinced? Pro has a 7-day refund, and the free version keeps working.
Comparing more apps: MacWhisper is the closest bigger file transcriber, and VoiceInk and Superwhisper focus on dictation. For meetings, see meeting transcription.
Aiko vs TranscribeX: FAQ
Is the Aiko app free?
No. Aiko costs $24 once on the App Store, and the purchase covers Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. There is a 14-day free trial through TestFlight (checked October 2026). TranscribeX has a free version with unlimited transcription using smaller models.
Which Whisper model does Aiko use?
According to its developer, Aiko uses Whisper Large v2 on the Mac and the medium or small model on iPhone and iPad. Large v3 Turbo is listed as planned. TranscribeX offers every Whisper size including Large V3 Turbo, plus Parakeet and Qwen3 ASR.
Can Aiko identify speakers?
Not yet. Aiko’s site says speaker detection would first have to be added to the library it uses. TranscribeX labels speakers locally in Pro.
Does Aiko transcribe in real time?
No. Aiko’s site says it doesn’t support live transcription yet, so you record elsewhere and import the file. TranscribeX can transcribe live, record meetings and show captions as people talk.