BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.

OpenWhispr

Privacy-first voice-to-text dictation with local Whisper/Parakeet and bring-your-own-key cloud AI.

Website Source code

Category:
Voice and Transcription Tools
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit today)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (MIT)
Self-hostable:
Yes
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
Desktop, Self-hosted, Docker
AI providers (bring your own key):
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, Mistral, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
Stored locally on device
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
94/100

OpenWhispr is an open-source, cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux) voice-to-text dictation desktop app. You press a hotkey, speak, and the transcribed text appears at your cursor, with optional AI post-processing/agent reasoning, meeting transcription, and speaker diarization. It can run fully offline using local speech-to-text engines (OpenAI Whisper via whisper.cpp, NVIDIA Parakeet via sherpa-onnx) and local LLMs via llama.cpp, so audio never leaves the device. Alternatively, it does cloud processing on a bring-your-own-key basis: users enter their own provider API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Groq, and Mistral (plus AssemblyAI/Deepgram for transcription). Keys are encrypted at rest in the OS keychain (Keychain/DPAPI/libsecret) via Electron safeStorage. It explicitly supports "any OpenAI-compatible API," including Ollama, LocalAI, and self-hosted Whisper servers, allowing custom base URLs/endpoints. Licensed MIT and free forever with local models or your own keys; a paid Pro/Business/Enterprise tier offers zero-setup managed cloud and extra features. Maintained by Gizmo Labs Inc.

Why this trust score (94/100)

Trust measures how the tool treats your API key and how much of that has been verified. It contains no popularity signal.

  • Key Safety 25/25: The key is held on your own device. Observed using the operating system keychain rather than a file.
  • Request Routing 17/20: Requests go straight from you to the AI provider.
  • Transparency 20/20: Source is public under MIT, so anyone can check how the key is handled. Key handling was located in the published source.
  • Privacy 15/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere. Can be self-hosted, so the data path stays inside infrastructure you control. The project states it sends no telemetry.
  • Maintenance 10/10: Actively developed: commits within the last three months.
  • Verification Confidence 7/10: Key handling was found in the published source by BYOAIK's scanner.

What was checked

Verification tier SOURCE_VERIFIED, derived from the evidence below and not set by hand.

  • [REPORTED · RESEARCH] This listing was compiled by an AI-assisted research pass over the tool's public website, README and documentation. No person independently confirmed it.
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] Supports a local model backend, so it can run with no cloud provider key at all. source
  • [REPORTED · SOURCE_SCAN] The project states it sends no telemetry. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] The user supplies their own OpenAI key: the project references its API key variable. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] The user supplies their own Anthropic key: the project references its API key variable. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] The user supplies their own Google Gemini key: the project references its API key variable. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] The user supplies their own Groq key: the project references its API key variable. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] The user supplies their own Mistral key: the project references its API key variable. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] Uses the operating system keychain / credential store to hold the key. source
  • [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-08-15, about 0 month(s) ago. source

How your API key is handled

Your API key is stored locally on your device. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider. Because it can be self-hosted, your key never has to touch a third-party backend.

Setup

Open settings, paste your provider API key, choose a model, and start. The key stays on your device.