Hns
100% local speech-to-text CLI that pipes your voice straight to the clipboard.
A rare free, fully local speech-to-text CLI that respects your privacy and your terminal habits. Pick it if you like hacking voice into your dev workflow; skip it if you need a GUI, streaming, or speaker diarization. For the price (zero), it's an easy install to try. Its terminal-native design and Unix-style composability set it apart from cloud STT APIs like Google Speech-to-Text or Azure Speech, but you'll need to bring your own LLM for text polishing. If you want a ready-made GUI, look at MacWhisper or VoiceInk; if you want open-source, self-hosted control, hns is a solid free choice.
Verified 5d ago · liveness 67/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/hns
- Developers who want voice-driven coding with AI agents in the terminal
- Privacy-conscious users needing fully offline speech-to-text
- Terminal enthusiasts building voice-to-text workflows with pipes
- Writers and note-takers who prefer speaking over typing
- Users who need a graphical interface or mobile app
- Those requiring real-time streaming transcription
- Users needing speaker diarization for meetings or multi-speaker audio
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Skip hns if you need a graphical interface, real-time streaming transcription, or speaker diarization for meetings—this is a terminal-only, batch-mode tool.
The first run downloads a Whisper model (hundreds of MB), so you need internet once and disk space for the model.
hns is completely free and open source (MIT), so it costs $0 for unlimited local transcription. It undercuts every cloud STT API (Google, Azure, AWS) that charges per minute, and even free tiers of apps like Otter or Rev will eventually charge or limit. For terminal-savvy individuals, it's unbeatable value; for teams wanting centralized features, you'll need to look at paid SaaS.
In short
Hns — 100% local speech-to-text CLI that pipes your voice straight to the clipboard. Best for Developers who want voice-driven coding with AI agents in the terminal, Privacy-conscious users needing fully offline speech-to-text, Terminal enthusiasts building voice-to-text workflows with pipes. Free to use.
What people actually say about Hns — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
71 mentions across 5 sources (Hacker News, App Store, Bluesky, GitHub, Lemmy) · researched Jul 5, 2026.
- +100% local and offline after initial model download.
- +Auto-copies transcription to clipboard for instant use.
- +Composable with other CLI tools via stdout/stderr.
- +Multi-language support via Whisper's recognition.
- +No subscription or cloud dependency.
- −Very few users have actually tested and reviewed it.
- −Initial model download can be large and slow.
- −No graphical interface — CLI only may intimidate non-developers.
- −Accuracy varies with microphone quality and background noise.
- −Documentation lacks troubleshooting common issues.
- • No hidden costs — entirely free and open source.
- • Resource cost: larger Whisper models require more RAM/disk.
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Hns? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: September 2026
How we score →Key Features
- 100% local speech recognition via Whisper
- Transcribes microphone to clipboard automatically
- Outputs to stdout for piping into command-line tools
- Multi-language transcription support
- Works offline after initial model download
- Runs on consumer-grade hardware
- Install via uv tool, pipx, or pip
- Supports Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Configure models and languages via environment variables
- Voice programming with Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Cursor CLI
- Voice journaling with date-stamped file append (Obsidian example)
- Voice typing with grammar correction via local LLM (e.g., gemma3:1b)
- Voice translation via LLM prompt (e.g., to polite Japanese)
- No subscription or cloud dependency
- Open source (MIT licensed)
About Hns
hns is a speech-to-text CLI built for developers and terminal power users who want to turn speech into text without sending audio to the cloud. It captures your microphone, transcribes locally with Whisper, and copies the result to your clipboard—or pipes it to stdout so you can feed it into any other command-line tool. After an initial model download, everything runs on consumer-grade hardware: no subscription, no recurring fees, no third-party data sharing. Privacy isn't a feature add-on; it's the default because your words never leave your machine. The tool follows the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well. Simple commands unlock real workflows: voice-program AI agents with `claude "$(hns)"`, append dated journal entries to an Obsidian vault with `hns >> ~/obsidian-vault/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).md`, or pipe raw transcription through a local LLM like Ollama's gemma3:1b to clean up grammar and filler words. For cross-language communication, hns can feed a prompt to a model like gpt-4.1-nano to translate spoken English into polite Japanese. Because it outputs to stdout and stderr, every CLI tool becomes a potential voice target. Setup takes about 30 seconds—a single command, `uv tool install hns`, with alternatives via pipx or pip for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Environment variables let you swap models and languages on the fly, adapting to different accents, dictation styles, or translation needs without recompiling. The project is open source under MIT, and its documentation covers installation, configuration, CLI reference, and real-world use cases. Compared to cloud STT APIs, hns trades away extras like speaker diarization and real-time streaming for privacy, cost, and simplicity. It won't replace a full cloud speech stack, but for developers who live in the terminal and want voice input that respects their data, hns is a direct, free, and refreshingly honest alternative.
Behind the Verdict
hns is refreshingly honest: it does exactly one thing—transcribe your voice on your own machine—and does it well. The install is genuinely 30 seconds with `uv tool install hns`, and once the Whisper model is downloaded, it works offline. That's a big deal for privacy-conscious users: no audio ever leaves your device, so sensitive code, personal journal entries, or client conversations stay local. The Unix philosophy is central: stdout for the transcription, stderr for status messages, so you can pipe into anything. The demo workflows are imaginative—voice-driving Claude Code or Cursor CLI with spoken instructions is a real productivity boost for some, and the journaling use case solves the blank-page problem. The multi-language support and configurable models via environment variables add flexibility for different accents or hardware capabilities. Weaknesses: it's a CLI, so if you want a GUI or mobile app, it's not for you. There's no real-time streaming—you hold Enter and talk, then release to get the text. No speaker diarization either, so it's not for meeting transcription of multiple speakers. Transcription quality depends on your mic and environment, as expected with local Whisper models; it's not tuned for noisy settings. It's a solo tool, no team accounts or centralized management. Where it fits: developers who live in the terminal and want voice input for coding, note-taking, or dictation without cloud dependence. Also great for anyone who values total privacy and wants a free, open-source STT. Where it doesn't: creative teams needing polished UI, enterprises wanting centralized transcription, or individuals who want streaming/real-time dictation as they speak. For the price (zero), it's trivial to try, and even if you use it once a week, it's already paid off. The project is open source MIT, so you can audit the code and trust your data is local.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Hns actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Voice-programming an AI coding agent
Outcome: Run `claude "$(hns)"` to dictate a detailed task, and Claude Code receives the whole prompt, enabling hands-free, context-rich instructions.
Daily voice journaling
Outcome: Use `hns >> ~/obsidian-vault/$(date +'%Y-%m-%d').md` to append a dated entry, capturing thoughts without typing and overcoming the blank-page problem.
Translating spoken dictation
Outcome: Pipe raw transcription through `llm --model gpt-4.1-nano --system "Translate into polite natural Japanese"` to deliver a polished translation, ready to send.
Use Cases
- Voice-program AI coding agents like Claude Code by piping spoken instructions.
- Transcribe daily journal entries by speaking instead of typing.
- Dictate polished emails and Slack messages by cleaning transcription with an LLM.
- Translate spoken English into polite Japanese using an LLM pipeline.
- Append raw transcription to a dated markdown file for automated note-taking.
- Integrate with any CLI tool for custom voice-to-text workflows.
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-08-28
Limitations
- hns is a command-line tool designed for developers, requiring installation via uv tool, pipx, or pip.
- After the initial model download, it operates fully offline with no internet connection required.
- Transcription quality is dependent on microphone clarity and background noise, as audio is processed locally on consumer-grade hardware.
- It offers no subscription or cloud dependency, ensuring data stays on the user's machine.
as of 2026-08-21
Verification history
We have re-verified Hns 7 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 7 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Hns tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Free
$0
Ideal for
Individual developers and privacy-conscious users who want unlimited local transcription without paying for cloud STT APIs.
What this tier adds
Starting tier: free, open source, with all features—no feature gates or hidden paywalls.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Hns's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
hns is completely free and open source (MIT), so it costs $0 for unlimited local transcription. It undercuts every cloud STT API (Google, Azure, AWS) that charges per minute, and even free tiers of apps like Otter or Rev will eventually charge or limit. For terminal-savvy individuals, it's unbeatable value; for teams wanting centralized features, you'll need to look at paid SaaS.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Hns — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
For a developer using uv, you can install (`uv tool install hns`) and run your first transcription in under a minute. Expect 5-10 minutes total including model download and a quick test. For non-technical users, if you're already comfortable with a terminal, similar; otherwise, it's not for you.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
- Documentationhns-cli.dev
Docs · Hns
Full product docs from hns-cli.dev
- Quickstarthns-cli.dev
Quick Start · Hns
Get up and running fast from hns-cli.dev
- Documentationhns-cli.dev
Installation · Hns
Full product docs from hns-cli.dev
- Documentationhns-cli.dev
Configuration · Hns
Full product docs from hns-cli.dev
- Documentationhns-cli.dev
Cli Reference · Hns
Full product docs from hns-cli.dev
- Documentationhns-cli.dev
Use Cases · Hns
Full product docs from hns-cli.dev
Tutorials & Learning
Official links
Tools that pair well with Hns
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Hns, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Featured Head-to-Head Comparisons
Hns vs Spider Cloud
Hns and Spider Cloud serve completely different needs. Hns is a free, open-source offline CLI for speech-to-text, ideal for developers who want to control AI agents by voice while keeping data local. Spider Cloud is a high-throughput web scraping API built for AI agents and RAG pipelines, offering structured output and browser control at low cost. Choose Hns if you need local voice transcription; choose Spider Cloud if you need to feed your agents real-time web data.
Hns vs Temporal Ai
Temporal AI is for teams needing durable, fault-tolerant orchestration of AI agents and workflows with cloud or self-hosted options; Hns is a lightweight, free CLI for local speech-to-text, ideal for voice programming with AI coding agents. Choose Temporal if you need reliability and state persistence for complex workflows; choose Hns if you just want a simple voice-to-clipboard tool for developer productivity.
Hns vs Voyage Ai
Choose Voyage AI if you need enterprise-grade, domain-optimized embeddings for RAG on sensitive or specialized documents—especially in finance, legal, or code. Choose hns if you're a developer who wants a dead simple, offline voice-to-text CLI tool to pipe into AI coding agents like Claude Code or for private note-taking. They serve entirely different needs; your decision hinges on whether your problem is search accuracy or voice input.
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Wispr Flow: AI voice dictation that turns speech into polished text in every app
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Production-grade speech-to-text and voice agent APIs for builders
Frequently Asked Questions
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