Add a source
Paste a YouTube link or choose a local audio or video file.
LOCAL-FIRST RESEARCH TRANSCRIPTION
Turn recordings into
research you can cite.
Chimpwriter turns YouTube videos and local audio or video files into clean transcripts, readable articles, subtitles, and properly formatted citations—on your own machine.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lecture-07
Dolphin — small.en ⌄
auto ⌄
Thermodynamics
✓ Multi-speaker✓ Clean up with LLM✓ Readable article✓ APA citation
Building research packet… 72%
RESEARCH / THERMODYNAMICS / LECTURE 07Your packet is ready
transcript.jsonarticle.txtcitation.txtsubtitles.srt
ONE INPUT. A USEFUL PACKET.
Stop scrubbing through video.
Start working with the source.
Drop in a lecture, interview, meeting, podcast, or YouTube URL. Chimpwriter keeps word-level timing and source metadata, then produces files you can search, quote, cite, edit, and archive.
WHAT YOU GET
Not just a wall of text.
Every run creates a structured transcript as the source of truth. Generate new formats later without downloading or transcribing the media again.
01Transcript JSON
02Clean text
03Readable article
04SRT + VTT
05APA / MLA / Chicago
06BibTeX
THE PIPELINE
Transcribe locally
Choose speed and language. Models are cached for fast repeat work.
Use the packet
Open clean text, article, captions, citations, or the complete JSON record.
MADE FOR REAL SOURCES
Names, jargon, and multiple speakers included.
Your terminology
Add specialist terms and corrections once. Chimpwriter uses them during transcription and cleanup.
Who said what
Optional speaker diarization labels turns in interviews, panels, meetings, and lectures.
Cleanup without rewriting
Connect an OpenAI-compatible model to fix obvious transcription errors while preserving wording and meaning.
Offline where it matters
Transcription runs locally. Once optional models are downloaded, core processing does not require a hosted transcription service.
CHOOSE YOUR WORKFLOW
Start free.
Unlock the full packet.
Bring your own model or API key—Pro never bills you for compute. Each licence includes up to three activations.
Subscriptions earn ownership.
After 365 paid days, the version you have becomes permanently yours. Cancel after that and Pro keeps working; only future updates stop.
Transcription
All export formats
Terminology library
No account required
Speaker identification LLM transcript cleanup Readable research packets Batch queues
Buy Chimpwriter Pro ↗14-day money-back guarantee.LICENSING, PLAINLY
Yours means yours.
Do I need a subscription? +
No. The free tier is fully functional for transcription. Pro adds speaker diarization, LLM cleanup, research packets, and batch processing.
What happens if I cancel? +
Pro runs until the end of your paid period. If you have accumulated 365 paid days, your current version stays Pro permanently.
Annual or one-time? +
The $99 one-time purchase makes the current major version permanently yours immediately. The annual plan earns the same permanent ownership after its first paid year, with updates and support along the way.
Does my audio leave my machine? +
No. You supply your own transcription runtime and optional LLM endpoint. Only licence activation communicates with the Chimpwriter licensing service.
Chimpwriter is downloadable software from Rook Works. Digital access and licence instructions are delivered electronically after purchase. Lemon Squeezy acts as merchant of record for paid orders.
14-day refund policy +
Email support@rook.works within 14 days of any monthly, annual, or one-time purchase for a full refund, no questions asked. Pro access ends after a refund. A permanent licence already earned after 365 paid days—or a one-time purchase past its refund window—is not revoked.
Cancel anytime +
Cancel a subscription from the customer portal in your purchase email or by contacting support. Future charges stop and Pro continues to the end of the paid period. Paid days still count toward permanent ownership. There are no partial-period cancellation refunds.
Permanent means offline +
A permanent licence is a signed file verified on your machine. If the licensing service disappears, it keeps working. It covers the current major version permanently; a future major version is an optional paid upgrade.
Support +
Email support@rook.works for billing, activation, or technical help. A real person usually replies within a couple of days.