Private transcription software for journalists
PlainScribe Desktop transcribes interviews and recordings locally on your computer. Use it when source protection, unpublished reporting, or offline access matters more than cloud convenience.
Included with any credit purchase. Credit packs start at $10.
PlainScribe Desktop
Local-first transcription app
- No cloud upload for desktop transcription
- Works after download without a browser session
- Built for confidential interviews and research recordings
- 47 supported languages
- Included with any $10 credit purchase
Built for the interviews you cannot casually upload
Cloud transcription is useful for everyday work. Private local transcription is for the reporting moments where custody, access, and source context matter.
Sensitive source interviews
Keep unpublished conversations, whistleblower interviews, and field recordings on your own machine while you draft and verify quotes.
Offline field reporting
Transcribe recordings after travel, court days, or event coverage without depending on newsroom Wi-Fi or a browser session.
Searchable reporting archive
Turn long interviews into searchable text, then find names, facts, quotes, and contradictions across your working notes.
Choose the transcription path that fits the risk
Use the desktop app for private transcription. Use the web app when you want the fastest browser workflow with summaries, subtitles, and translation.
| Question | PlainScribe Desktop | PlainScribe Web |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Confidential interviews, field recordings, sensitive research | Fast browser workflow, subtitles, translation, summaries |
| File handling | Audio stays on your device | Files are uploaded for cloud processing |
| Internet required | No, after download | Yes |
| Pricing | Included with any credit purchase, starting at $10 | $4/hour pay as you go |
| Use when | Source protection and offline access matter most | Speed, exports, and AI workflow features matter most |
Transcribe locally
Drag in a recording and produce a working transcript without sending the source file through the web uploader.
Find the quote
Search names, dates, places, and claims across long recordings while keeping the original audio nearby.
Use cloud when it helps
For non-sensitive work, the web app adds summaries, SRT/VTT subtitles, translation, and managed exports.
Private transcription questions
- What is private transcription software?
- Private transcription software converts audio or video to text while reducing exposure of sensitive files. PlainScribe Desktop runs transcription locally on your device, so source recordings do not need to be uploaded to the cloud.
- Is PlainScribe Desktop useful for journalists?
- Yes. Journalists can use PlainScribe Desktop for confidential source interviews, field recordings, investigative notes, and unpublished material that should stay on their own machine.
- Do I need an internet connection to transcribe with the desktop app?
- No. The desktop app is designed for local transcription workflows. After download, transcription runs on your computer instead of sending files to PlainScribe cloud processing.
- When should I use cloud transcription instead?
- Use the web app when speed, subtitles, translation, summaries, and browser access matter most. The web uploader supports files up to 200MB; the desktop app is the better fit for sensitive or offline work.
Start with the private transcription path
Buy any credit pack to unlock the desktop app, then use web credits only when cloud transcription, subtitles, summaries, or translation fit the job.