Brain Dump

What is Brain Dump?

Brain Dump is a voice journaling app for iPhone and iPad that transcribes your speech to text instantly using on-device transcription. Notes are saved as standard Markdown files in your iCloud Drive—no cloud upload, no account required, and no vendor lock-in.

How does Brain Dump compare to Otter.ai?

Brain Dump focuses on privacy with on-device transcription; Otter.ai uploads audio to the cloud. Brain Dump saves to Markdown in iCloud; Otter locks notes in their platform. Brain Dump works offline; Otter requires internet. Brain Dump is for personal voice capture; Otter is optimized for meeting transcription with multiple speakers.

Does Brain Dump work with Obsidian?

Yes! Brain Dump is the perfect voice capture companion for Obsidian. Simply point Brain Dump at your Obsidian vault in iCloud Drive. When you record a voice note, it appears as a Markdown file directly in your vault—no import needed. Speak your thoughts and find them in Obsidian moments later.

Can Brain Dump transcribe voice memos offline?

Yes. Brain Dump uses Apple's on-device speech recognition, which means transcription happens entirely on your iPhone or iPad. You can record and transcribe voice memos even in Airplane Mode with no internet connection. Your audio never leaves your device.

Is Brain Dump free?

Brain Dump has a generous free tier that includes full voice capture, on-device transcription, iCloud storage, and Markdown export. No subscription is required for core features. Optional paid upgrades include extended recording length and AI polish features.

What format does Brain Dump save notes in?

Brain Dump saves all notes as standard Markdown (.md) files with UTF-8 encoding. These files work with Obsidian, Notion, Bear, iA Writer, Logseq, VS Code, or any text editor. You can sync them with Git, Dropbox, or any file system. No proprietary format—no lock-in.

How is Brain Dump different from Apple Voice Memos?

Apple Voice Memos only records audio—you get an audio file. Brain Dump transcribes your speech to searchable text instantly. Brain Dump auto-titles and formats your notes as Markdown, integrates with Obsidian and PKM systems, and lets you review your thoughts as text rather than listening back to recordings.

Is Brain Dump good for ADHD?

Brain Dump is designed for quick brain dumps—getting thoughts out of your head before they disappear. Many users with ADHD find it helpful because you can capture ideas in seconds without the friction of typing. Just tap, speak, and your words become organized text. Perfect for minds that think faster than they type.