What Is EKHOS AI? On-Device Transcription Explained

EKHOS AI is a transcription application that runs entirely on your own computer instead of in the cloud. It converts audio and video files into text with unlimited usage, and it is built for people who handle sensitive recordings — legal, medical, law enforcement, journalism, research, and podcasting are the audiences named on the site. If your main concern is keeping recordings off third-party servers, that is the problem it is designed to solve. If you only need occasional transcription and don't care where the data goes, the local-only design may be more than you need.

The core idea: transcription without a cloud

Most transcription services upload your file to a remote server, process it there, and send text back. EKHOS AI takes the opposite approach. The site describes it as "Private AI Transcription. On Your Device," with the stated promises of "No cloud. No telemetry. No limits."

In practice that means:

• The AI model and its libraries live on your local hard drive.
• Audio never leaves your machine during processing.
• The app can work offline.
• There is no usage cap tied to a server-side quota.

One reviewer on the site, Tjerk, describes exactly this setup: the software "runs standalone and stores all libraries on the local hard drive," which he says keeps information from ending up on a third-party server. He also notes that MP3 transcription uses the video card's memory, which speeds things up noticeably — a useful detail if you plan to process long files.

What it can do

The combination of speaker identification and a proofreading player matters for interview and meeting workflows: you can listen back and correct the transcript in the same tool rather than switching apps.

Who it is aimed at

The site names legal, medical, law enforcement, journalists, researchers, and podcasters. The common thread is recordings that are either confidential or too sensitive to hand to a cloud vendor — client consultations, patient notes, interviews with sources, field recordings.

A second reviewer, Ron, frames the choice plainly: he had "privacy concerns with transcribing audio files" and wanted something that worked locally. That is the decision EKHOS AI is asking you to make — local processing versus the convenience of a browser-based service.

How you get started

The site lays out three steps:

1. Create an account — sign up for Premium or for the Free tier.
2. Confirm your email — click the verification link sent to your inbox.
3. Install the EKHOS application — install from the Microsoft Store.

Two things to check before you commit: the hardware requirements and the installation instructions, both linked from the setup section. Because the AI runs locally, your machine's specs — particularly the GPU — determine how fast transcription goes. Tjerk's comment about the video card doing the heavy lifting is a hint that a machine without a capable GPU will be slower.

Pricing and platform notes

The site shows a price of $9/month with a "Save 25%" label, and there are separate links for Pricing and for "Sign up to Premium," implying a free tier and a paid tier. The page does not spell out what the free tier includes, so treat the free option as something to verify on the pricing page rather than assume.

Platform-wise, installation is described through the Microsoft Store, which points to Windows. The page does not state macOS or Linux availability.

How to decide

EKHOS AI is worth a closer look if:

• Your recordings are confidential and you want them processed on your own hardware.
• You transcribe often enough that per-minute cloud pricing or usage caps are a problem.
• You need speaker labels and a way to proofread against the audio.
• You work in one of the professional fields the site targets.

Look elsewhere if you need a browser-based tool with no installation, you're on a non-Windows machine, or your computer lacks the hardware the app requires. The fastest way to settle it is to check the hardware requirements against your machine, then try the free sign-up before paying for Premium.