Record or upload
Record from your microphone, or upload audio in m4a/AAC, MP3, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis or ALAC. Replacing a recording archives the old one — nothing is deleted.
For university students · macOS & Windows
Every lecture, linked to its slides and searchable.
Record a lecture or upload a recording, follow along on the slides, and mark the moments that matter. LectureLink transcribes it and lets you search everything later — and your lectures stay on your computer.
Installing on Windows? If you see “Windows protected your PC”, click More info → Run anyway.
Stored on your computer
Lectures are ordinary files in a LectureLink folder you can open without the app.
Transcribe offline
Free transcription runs on your own computer — no upload, and no connection once a model is downloaded.
No ads or trackers
LectureLink has no analytics, ad tracking or tracking cookies — in the app or on this site.
Read-only AI access
AI connectors can search your lectures but can’t change them.
How it works
From lecture hall to searchable notes in four steps
Add a lecture
Create a named lecture in a course and hit Record — or upload a recording you already have, like an iPhone Voice Memo.
Follow the slides
Open the lecture slides. Each slide change is timestamped, so every slide lines up with what was being said.
Mark what matters
Press ⌘M / Ctrl+M to drop a marker at that moment, and add notes and highlights right on the slide.
Transcribe & search
Transcribe on your computer or in the cloud, then press ⌘K / Ctrl+K to search every lecture.
Features
Built for how lectures actually go
Catch the moment the professor says “this will be on the exam,” and find it again weeks later.
Slides in sync
Follow along on PDF slides with a thumbnail rail. PowerPoint, Keynote and OpenDocument decks are converted to PDF on your computer with the free LibreOffice. In review, click any moment to jump to the slide that was on screen.
Markers, notes & highlights
Drop a marker with one shortcut, write multi-line notes on slides, highlight slide text, and filter the timeline by type.
- 🔴 Important
- ❓ Question
- 💡 Idea
- ❗ Key point
Transcription, your way
Run Whisper speech-recognition models on your own computer for free, or use fast cloud transcription with Pro. Transcript segments stream into the lecture timeline as they’re ready.
Search everything
Ranked search across transcripts, slide text, highlights and notes in every course. Pick a result to jump straight to that slide and moment.
AI connectors
Let Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT Desktop or Perplexity (macOS) search your lectures and study with you. The connector runs on your computer and is read-only.
Files you own
Audio, slides, notes and a plain-text event log live in one folder per lecture. Export any lecture to Markdown or JSON.
Slide OCR (Pro)
Scanned or image-only slides are read automatically, so their text becomes selectable and searchable.
Automatic updates
LectureLink checks for a new version when it starts and installs signed updates for you.
Free & Pro
Transcribe on your computer, or in the cloud
Everything you need to capture and review lectures is free. Pro adds fast cloud transcription and slide OCR.
Free Private & offline
Transcription runs on your own computer with local Whisper models.
- Record or upload lectures, organized by course
- Slides, markers, notes and highlights
- Unlimited local transcription — audio never leaves your computer
- Search across every lecture
- AI connectors and Markdown/JSON export
Pro Fast & cloud
Everything in Free, plus:
- Cloud transcription — much faster than transcribing on most computers
- 600 minutes of cloud transcription each month
- Automatic OCR for scanned and image-only slides
- Local transcription still available any time
Try Pro free for 14 days — no credit card needed.
| Transcription | Local (Free) | Cloud (Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On your computer | On LectureLink’s server, processed by Deepgram |
| Your audio | Never leaves your computer | Sent securely for transcription; not stored by LectureLink |
| Internet | Only to download a model once | Required |
| Speed | Depends on your computer and the model you choose (75 MB to 1.5 GB) | Fast, and doesn’t depend on your computer |
| Limit | None | 600 minutes a month, resetting on the 1st of each month (UTC) |
Try Pro free for 14 days — no credit card needed. Pro pricing hasn't been announced yet. Transcription is currently set up for English.
Privacy first
Your lectures live on your computer, not our servers
LectureLink is local-first: recordings, slides, notes, markers, transcripts and the search index are saved in a LectureLink folder on your computer. There’s no cloud copy of your lectures.
Local transcription: nothing leaves
Recording, annotating, searching and Free transcription all happen on your computer.
Cloud transcription (Pro): audio, only when you ask
Audio is sent in chunks over HTTPS to LectureLink’s server and passed to Deepgram. The transcript comes straight back to your computer. We don’t keep your audio or transcripts.
Your account
Sign-in is handled by Clerk. Your account holds your name, email and plan — not your lectures.
Updates and downloads
The app asks our server whether a newer version exists. Installers come from GitHub, and speech models from Hugging Face.
AI connectors: your choice
If you connect an AI app, it reads your lectures on your computer. What that app sends to its provider is covered by the provider’s policy.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is LectureLink free?
Yes. The Free plan includes recording, uploads, slides, markers, notes, search, AI connectors, export and unlimited transcription on your own computer. Pro adds cloud transcription and automatic slide OCR. Try Pro free for 14 days — no credit card needed. Pro pricing hasn't been announced yet.
How does the free Pro trial work?
When you set up LectureLink, you can start a free Pro trial that lasts 14 days. There’s no credit card and nothing to cancel: it includes 600 minutes of cloud transcription, there’s one trial per account, and when it ends you keep everything in Free, including local transcription.
Where are my lectures stored?
In a folder called LectureLink in your home folder, with a subfolder for each course and lecture. Each lecture keeps its audio, slides, markers, notes, highlights and transcript, plus a plain-text log of slide changes. You can open, copy or back up these files without the app.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
Only if you choose cloud transcription (Pro). Then the lecture audio is sent to LectureLink’s server, which passes it to our transcription provider, Deepgram, and returns the transcript to your computer. Our server doesn’t store the audio or the transcript. With local transcription, audio never leaves your computer.
Do I need an account?
Yes — the app asks you to sign in with Google or email. Your account is for sign-in and your plan; your lectures aren’t stored in it.
How fast is local transcription?
It depends on your computer and the model you pick. Models range from tiny (75 MB, fastest) to medium (1.5 GB, most accurate); the recommended base model runs at about real time on a typical processor. On a Mac, LectureLink uses Apple Silicon graphics acceleration. If your computer is slow, cloud transcription (Pro) is much faster.
What languages are supported?
Transcription and slide OCR are currently set up for English.
Which slide formats work?
PDF works out of the box. PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt), Keynote (.key) and OpenDocument (.odp) decks are converted to PDF on your computer, which needs the free LibreOffice installed.
Which AI apps can search my lectures?
Claude Desktop and Cursor can be connected in one click from Settings → Connectors. ChatGPT Desktop and Perplexity (macOS) get step-by-step setup instructions there. The connector runs on your computer and can only read your lectures. Whatever the AI app then sends to its own servers is covered by that provider’s privacy policy.
Can I record an online lecture?
LectureLink records from your computer’s microphone or other audio input; it doesn’t capture sound from other apps directly. If you already have a recording file, use Upload audio instead.
Do I need permission to record a lecture?
Often, yes. Many schools and instructors have rules about recording, and the law where you are may require consent. You’re responsible for getting any permission you need.
Never lose the important part of a lecture again
Download LectureLink free for macOS or Windows.