THE SHORT VERSION

What to take away

  • AudioPen transcribes speech and rewrites it into clear text in a style you choose; the rewrite is optional and runs in the cloud.
  • Whisper Memos records on iPhone and Apple Watch and emails each memo to you by default, with recordings up to 90 minutes.
  • Spitball keeps a raw English transcript and the original audio for each thought, stored on your iPhone by default.
  • AudioPen lists recordings up to 3 minutes free and 15 on Prime; Spitball allows up to 5 minutes per thought.
  • Spitball is free right now in a TestFlight beta for iPhone with iOS 17 or later. Competitor facts were checked October 20, 2026.

WATCH THE IDEA

AI rewrite, email delivery or raw transcript? Three approaches

A short illustrated comparison of three voice-note approaches: AudioPen rewrites your words, Whisper Memos emails each memo, and Spitball, our app, keeps the transcript and original audio on your iPhone by default.

Read the video transcript

This video has no narration. A paper text strip is rewritten by a big pencil while an identical strip rests under a glass dome, a waveform folds into an envelope and flies to a mailbox, three paper paths fork from a microphone, and a text strip travels to a cloud while another stays in a paper house. Captions: Rewrite your words with AI, or keep them as you said them? Whisper Memos sends each memo to your email by default. AudioPen rewrites, Whisper Memos emails, Spitball keeps the transcript and audio. Cloud processing or on-device by default: check where your words go. Spitball is our app. Pick the approach that fits how you think.

AudioPen, Whisper Memos and Spitball take three different approaches to voice notes. According to their own sites, AudioPen rewrites what you say into polished text, and Whisper Memos transcribes in the cloud and emails each memo to you. Spitball keeps a raw English transcript and the original audio, stored on your iPhone by default.

Spitball is our app, so we've kept this comparison to facts each company publishes about itself. Every AudioPen and Whisper Memos fact below comes from audiopen.ai or whispermemos.com and was checked on October 20, 2026. Prices and features change, so check each site before you subscribe.

What's the short answer?

The question isn't which app is best. It's which approach fits how you think:

  • Want finished writing from a ramble? AudioPen is built for that. It says it "transcribes what you said and then rewrites it into clear, structured text in a style you choose" (audiopen.ai).
  • Want every memo delivered somewhere automatically? Whisper Memos is built for that. Its tagline is "Record a voice memo, receive it as email" (whispermemos.com).
  • Want your words kept as you said them, with the audio, on your iPhone? Spitball is built for that. Each thought, up to 5 minutes, is saved with an English transcript and the original recording, stored on your iPhone by default.

All three are reasonable choices. AI rewriting saves editing time but changes your words. Email delivery puts memos where you already work but sends them through a server. A raw transcript with audio is faithful and local, but it's up to you to tidy it. The rest of this guide sets out the facts for each, then gives a "choose this if" for every app.

Paper text strip being rewritten by a large orange pencil next to an identical strip kept under a glass dome, with Pip between them comparing the two

How did we compare AudioPen, Whisper Memos and Spitball?

We compared the three apps on the same seven criteria, in the same order: what each is built for, what happens to your words, where audio is processed and stored, languages, recording length, platforms, and price. We used only each company's own website: audiopen.ai and its pricing page, whispermemos.com, and Spitball's support and privacy pages. All were checked on October 20, 2026.

We left out a few things on purpose. Both competitors show testimonials and reviews on their sites, and Whisper Memos publishes accuracy percentages for the transcription models it offers. We didn't repeat those, because we can't verify them and Spitball has no public ratings to compare against. We didn't run a hands-on device test for this article, and there's no ranking. We'll re-check these facts every quarter.

What is AudioPen?

AudioPen turns spoken thoughts into written text. Its homepage says: "Talk the way you think. AudioPen turns it into the email, post or plan you meant to write, in your own words." Here's how it describes itself, checked October 20, 2026:

  • Built for: individual thought. AudioPen says it's "built for individual thought, not for meetings. It will not join a Zoom call or label who said what."
  • What happens to your words: transcribed, then rewritten in a style you choose, with the rewrite level set to Low, Medium or High. AudioPen says the rewrite is optional and you can keep the plain transcript.
  • Processing and storage: AudioPen says "audio from voice notes is deleted from our servers within 48 hours," that data is encrypted at rest, and that notes aren't used to train AI. Its iPhone app offers offline transcription, but "the AI rewrite step does need a connection, because it runs in the cloud."
  • Languages: AudioPen says it "understands nearly any spoken language" and can write in a different language from the one you spoke.
  • Recording length: up to 3 minutes per note on the free plan, up to 15 minutes on Prime.
  • Platforms: web, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, Windows and a Chrome extension.
  • Price: a free plan, and Prime on the web at $33 for 3 months, $99 for a year or $159 for 2 years. AudioPen notes that prices in the iPhone and Android apps can differ (AudioPen pricing).

What is Whisper Memos?

Whisper Memos is an iPhone and Apple Watch recorder that delivers each memo by email. Here's how its site describes it, checked October 20, 2026 (whispermemos.com):

  • Built for: capture now, process later. "By default, all memos are sent to your email so you can decide what to do with them later." It also has a Meeting mode that separates a transcript by speaker.
  • What happens to your words: transcribed and delivered as "a nicely formatted email with automatic paragraphs and your summary." You can create custom summaries with your own prompts, and route memos to apps like Notion, Things or Zapier.
  • Processing and storage: Whisper Memos says recordings "are processed by AI for transcription and then stored securely," and offers a private mode that "automatically deletes the transcript after it's been delivered to you." Offline, the app "saves them locally and uploads for transcription once you're back online."
  • Languages: over 50, with a choice of transcription models including OpenAI Whisper and ElevenLabs Scribe.
  • Recording length: up to 90 minutes per recording, with unlimited memos on all plans.
  • Platforms: iPhone and Apple Watch. Recording can start from a Lock Screen widget, an Apple Watch complication, Shortcuts, Siri or the Action button.
  • Price: its homepage lists an annual plan at $69.99 a year.
Paper waveform folding itself into an envelope that flies from an iPhone toward a small blue paper mailbox, illustrating voice memos delivered by email

What is Spitball?

Spitball is an iPhone app for capturing and organizing thoughts, published by Long Wknd LLC. Here's the same list, from Spitball's own pages:

  • Built for: short thoughts captured quickly, by voice or by typing.
  • What happens to your words: each recorded thought is saved with a transcript and the original audio, so you can read it and hear exactly what you said. Spitball doesn't rewrite or summarize your words. You can add a photo or a place, and search for a word you remember.
  • Processing and storage: stored on your iPhone by default. Spitball's privacy policy says "We do not upload your thought library to a Spitball server." Transcription is on-device, using Apple's speech capabilities, with no cloud transcription fallback. Optional iCloud Sync uses your own Apple Account. Optional usage analytics start off and exclude your thought text, recordings, photos and places; Apple's TestFlight separately collects beta diagnostics.
  • Languages: English only.
  • Recording length: up to 5 minutes per thought.
  • Platforms: iPhone with iOS 17 or later; a Mac app is coming soon. Capture happens in the app or with the Action button, using Spitball's capture shortcut.
  • Price: free right now, in beta through Apple's TestFlight. No Spitball account needed. Beta places are limited.

AI rewrite or raw transcript: what's the trade-off?

The biggest difference between these apps isn't a feature. It's what happens to your words after you speak.

An AI rewrite (AudioPen's approach, and Whisper Memos' summaries) gives you text that reads well right away. That's ideal when the goal is output: an email, a post, a plan. The trade-off is that the text is no longer exactly what you said. AudioPen addresses this by letting you set the rewrite level and keep the plain transcript, and by saying it "does not generate content that is not yours."

A raw transcript with the original audio (Spitball's approach) keeps your words as spoken. That's useful when the goal is memory: you want to know what you actually thought, in your own phrasing, and be able to replay it. The trade-off is that you'll do any tidying yourself, and transcripts can contain errors, so the audio is there to check against.

There's also a data trade-off. Rewriting and email delivery run through the cloud, according to AudioPen's and Whisper Memos' own pages. Spitball keeps processing and storage on your iPhone by default. Neither is wrong; they suit different kinds of notes. To understand the on-device side, read how on-device transcription works on iPhone.

Three paper paths forking from a microphone toward a sparkling pen nib, an envelope and a small paper house holding a waveform and a text strip

Which app works offline?

All three can record without a connection, but they finish the job differently:

  • AudioPen: its iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows apps offer offline transcription, so "the audio never leaves" your device when it's on, but the AI rewrite needs a connection. AudioPen's web app and Chrome extension always transcribe in the cloud.
  • Whisper Memos: records offline and uploads for transcription when you reconnect.
  • Spitball: captures offline and transcribes on your iPhone. The first transcription may need to download Apple's speech model. If on-device transcription isn't available, Spitball keeps the recording and you can retry.

If a transcript doesn't appear in Spitball, our guide to fixing voice memo transcription walks through the checks.

Choose AudioPen if…

Choose AudioPen if you want to ramble and get back finished writing, such as an email draft, a social post or a structured plan, in a style you pick. It suits you if you speak languages other than English, want output in a different language from the one you spoke, or work across Android, Windows, the web and Apple devices. The free plan allows recordings of up to 3 minutes; Prime raises that to 15.

Choose Whisper Memos if…

Choose Whisper Memos if you want every memo delivered to your email or another app without thinking about it, if you record on an Apple Watch, or if you need longer recordings of up to 90 minutes, including meetings with speaker separation. It also suits you if you want custom AI summaries, or capture from the Lock Screen and Siri as well as the Action button.

Choose Spitball if…

Choose Spitball if you'd rather keep your words as you said them, with the original audio, and want them stored on your iPhone by default without an account. It suits short English thoughts of up to 5 minutes, captured in the app or with the Action button, with an optional photo or place for context. It's free right now in a TestFlight beta, so expect changes, and export anything important; Spitball doesn't hold a server copy it can restore.

Still deciding? Our guide to Voice Memos alternatives covers more options by need, Otter vs a voice-notes app covers meeting tools, and Spitball vs Voice Memos vs Notes compares Apple's built-in apps. For every way to record on iPhone, start with voice notes on iPhone.

About the author

This guide was written by Nik Sharma, the developer of Spitball. Spitball is published by Long Wknd LLC. Nik founded and later sold Sharma Brands, hosts the Limited Supply podcast, and writes a Sunday newsletter at nik.co. You can find him on X (@mrsharma), LinkedIn and Instagram (@sharma).

Questions about Spitball? Start with Support, read the privacy policy, or DM Nik at @sharma on Instagram. Sources for this comparison: audiopen.ai and its pricing page, whispermemos.com, and Spitball's support and privacy pages, all checked October 20, 2026.

Ready to try it? Get the Spitball beta. Spitball is currently in beta through Apple's TestFlight. It's free right now, you'll need an iPhone with iOS 17 or later, and beta places are limited.

A FEW MORE ANSWERS

Good questions.

Does Spitball summarize or rewrite my notes?

No. Spitball keeps each thought's transcript and original audio as recorded, so you can read and replay exactly what you said. If you want AI-rewritten text, AudioPen is built for that, and Whisper Memos offers custom summaries, according to their own sites.

Which of these apps work offline?

All three can record offline. AudioPen's apps offer offline transcription, but its AI rewrite needs a connection. Whisper Memos uploads for transcription once you're back online. Spitball transcribes on your iPhone; the first transcription may need Apple's speech model to download.

Which is cheapest?

AudioPen has a free plan and Prime from $33 for 3 months on the web. Whisper Memos' homepage lists an annual plan at $69.99. Spitball is free right now in a TestFlight beta. Prices were checked on each site on October 20, 2026 and can change.

Which supports languages other than English?

AudioPen says it understands nearly any spoken language and can write in a different one. Whisper Memos lists over 50 languages. Spitball transcribes English only right now.

Is Spitball free, and what do I need to use it?

Spitball is free right now. It's an iPhone app in beta through Apple's TestFlight: install the free TestFlight app, open the Spitball invitation from getspitball.com/download on your iPhone, tap Accept, then Install. You need iOS 17 or later. Beta places are limited and builds can expire.

Can I import existing recordings?

Whisper Memos says it imports MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC and OGG files, and AudioPen lists audio file uploads on its Prime plan. Spitball's documentation doesn't describe importing audio, so we don't claim it. Checked October 20, 2026.

Written by Nik Sharma