Gscribe

Transcription for therapists

Fast, accurate transcripts that never leave your Mac.

Add a session recording and get a verbatim transcript with therapist and client labelled, names you choose redacted, and an editor built for checking it quickly. Everything happens on your computer.

Download free trialSee pricing

For Macs with an M1 chip or newer, on macOS 14 or later.

7-day free trial, then $99 one-time payment · yours to keep · 14-day money-back guarantee

  • Runs entirely on your Mac
  • No account or sign-in
  • Works offline
  • Nothing is ever uploaded

Names you choose hide behind black bars on screen and in every export, and are bleeped out of exported audio. One click shows them while you check.

Built for session recordings

Not a generic dictation tool: every part is shaped around reviewing and writing up a therapy session.

Verbatim, not tidied up

Keeps the ums, false starts, pauses, sighs and laughter, because they are often the clinically interesting parts.

Therapist and client, labelled

Two voices are separated automatically and numbered T1, C1, T2, C2, and a 45-second voice set-up teaches it your voice. Swap T and C in one click, or select words and press T or C to move them.

Check it like a spreadsheet

Hold Space to hear a line, press T or C to fix the speaker, Return to edit. Words that may be wrong are underlined for you.

Redact names in a click

Hide people and places behind black bars on screen, and in exports. Bleep them out of exported audio too.

Export to Word or Markdown

Notes beside each line, times and speaker labels included, and redacted words replaced with █████ if you want.

Fast on an ordinary Mac

A 10-minute recording is ready in under a minute, and a long session is no harder on your Mac than a short one.

Private by design, not by promise.

Your sessions stay on your Mac. Gscribe isn't allowed online, so it can't upload them, even by mistake.

One price. No per-minute fees.

Transcription runs on your Mac, so it costs you nothing extra to use.

$99

one-time payment · yours to keep

  • Unlimited transcription, no minutes or caps
  • Therapist and client labelling
  • Redaction, notes and Word / Markdown export
  • All updates to this version
  • Use it on up to 2 of your Macs
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
Buy Gscribe · $99

Questions

Transcribing therapy sessions

What's the most private way to transcribe therapy sessions?

Transcribe them on your own computer, so the recording never goes to anyone else. Gscribe does exactly that on a Mac: your sessions are transcribed on the Mac itself and nothing is uploaded.

How do I transcribe a therapy session recording?

With your client's consent, record the session, then add the recording to Gscribe on your Mac. It writes a verbatim transcript with therapist and client labelled. Check the underlined words, then export it to Word.

How can I transcribe a counselling session without uploading it?

Use an app that transcribes on your own computer rather than an online service. Gscribe runs entirely on your Mac and isn't allowed online, so the recording can't be uploaded.

What should I look for in transcription software for therapists?

Somewhere private to do it, ideally on your own computer; a verbatim transcript that keeps the ums and pauses; therapist and client labelled; a quick way to hide names; and an easy way to check it against the recording. Gscribe was built around all five.

Can AI transcribe therapy sessions accurately?

Mostly, yes, but always check it. Gscribe listens to every recording twice and underlines anywhere the two listens disagree, so you know exactly which words to check.

How long does it take to transcribe a therapy session by hand?

Typing up a session by hand usually takes several hours for each hour of recording, longer for a verbatim transcript. With Gscribe, a 10-minute recording is ready in under a minute and you only check the words it underlines.

How do I make a verbatim transcript of a counselling session?

Keep everything that was said: the ums, false starts, pauses, sighs and laughter, with each line labelled by who said it. Gscribe does this by default, so there's nothing to tidy back in.

How do I anonymise a therapy transcript?

Hide every name and identifying place before you share it. In Gscribe, mark a name once and it's hidden everywhere in the transcript. Exports can replace it with █████, and exported audio can bleep it out.

How do I transcribe a Zoom therapy session privately?

In Zoom, choose to record to your computer rather than to the cloud, then add the recording to Gscribe. It's transcribed on your Mac, so it never leaves it.

Can I transcribe a session I recorded on my iPhone?

Yes. Move the recording to your Mac, for example with AirDrop or Voice Memos syncing, then add it to Gscribe.

Do I need my client's consent to record a session?

Yes. Ask first, explain how the recording will be used and kept, and follow your professional body's guidance. Gscribe helps with the second part: the recording stays on your Mac.

Where should I keep therapy session recordings?

Somewhere only you can get to. Gscribe keeps recordings and transcripts in a folder on your Mac. Turning on FileVault in your Mac's settings encrypts everything on it, so a lost or stolen Mac doesn't expose them.

Privacy

Does any audio or text leave my Mac?

No. Gscribe isn't allowed online, so it can't upload your recordings or transcripts, even by mistake.

Is it safe to use an online transcription service for client sessions?

Online services send your client's voice to their own computers to transcribe it, so you're trusting them with it and need an agreement that covers how they handle it. Gscribe avoids the question: the recording stays on your Mac.

Is Gscribe HIPAA or GDPR compliant?

That depends on how your practice keeps records, so it's your call. But nothing is sent to us or anyone else, so there's no outside company handling your clients' data.

Does it work offline?

Yes. It needs the internet once, to set up the first time you open it. After that it works offline.

Will my recordings end up in iCloud?

Only if your Mac already copies its Documents folder to iCloud Drive. Gscribe saves to Documents, warns you if that folder goes to iCloud, and lets you choose a different folder.

Using Gscribe

Can it tell the therapist and the client apart?

Yes. It separates the two voices and labels each line T1, C1, T2, C2. Read a short passage aloud once (about 45 seconds) and it recognises your voice from the first session.

Does it keep the ums, pauses and sighs?

Yes. Gscribe writes a verbatim transcript, keeping false starts, ums, sighs and laughter, because they're often the clinically interesting parts.

Can I use it for counselling coursework, supervision or accreditation?

Yes. It gives you a verbatim transcript with numbered speakers and times, ready to check against the recording, and you can hide client names before you share it.

How do I remove client names from a transcript?

Mark a name once and Gscribe hides it behind a black bar everywhere it appears. Exports can replace it with █████, and exported audio can bleep it out.

Does it work for couples or group sessions?

It's made for one-to-one sessions. With more people, everything is still transcribed, but lines are labelled only as therapist or client.

How accurate is it?

It listens to every recording twice. Anywhere the two listens disagree is underlined so you can check it, and anything it couldn't make out is marked, never quietly left out.

How long does it take to transcribe a session?

A 10-minute recording is ready in under a minute, and long sessions take no more of your Mac than short ones.

Can I export the transcript to Word?

Yes, to Word or Markdown, with your notes beside each line, speaker labels and, if you want, times.

Does it write session notes or summaries for me?

No. It gives you an accurate transcript and a place for your own notes beside each line. An optional Supervisor (beta), on Macs with 16 GB of memory or more, can offer reflections on a session, also without anything leaving your Mac.

What recordings can I use?

Most audio and video recordings, such as those from Voice Memos, Zoom or your phone. Add several at once and it works through them in turn.

Which languages does it transcribe?

English.

Buying

Does it work on Windows, iPhone or iPad?

No, Gscribe is for Macs. You can record on your phone and move the recording to your Mac.

What do I need to run it?

A Mac with an Apple M1 chip or newer, running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. To check, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.

How much does Gscribe cost?

$99, one-time payment · yours to keep, after a 7-day free trial. You can use it on up to 2 of your Macs.

Do I get updates?

You get all updates to this version. Future major versions may be a paid upgrade.

What if it isn't for me?

Start with the 7-day free trial. If you buy and change your mind, there is a 14-day money-back guarantee: email support and you get a full refund, no questions asked.

Spend less time typing up sessions.

Private, carefully checked and yours to keep. Start with a 7-day free trial. 14-day money-back guarantee.

Download free trialSee pricing

For Macs with an M1 chip or newer, on macOS 14 or later.