Private
by default.
Record, listen, search, edit, and export without ever creating an account. Sanctum never uses your recordings, transcripts, or notes for tracking, advertising, analytics, or AI training.
A voice journal for the now moments of life
Speak your mind.
Keep it yours.
Capture thoughts the way they arrive: out loud. Sanctum turns them into clear notes you can return to anytime, saved on your device in files you can take anywhere.
Download
Built for the Action Button
Your thought.
One press away.
Bind Sanctum to your iPhone’s Action Button and go straight into a recording. The microphone opens before the Ritual blooms across the screen, so the moment is already safe.
One press begins.
Another saves.
- 01For the messy moments of lifeA half-formed idea in a parking lot, a worry at two in the morning, the thing you would have forgotten by the time you found a notepad. One press catches it where it happened.
- 02Ideas at the speed of thoughtThe microphone opens before the Ritual has finished blooming across the screen, so your first words are already recorded instead of waiting on an app to load.
- 03Talk, and let Sanctum do the writingRamble, double back, change your mind halfway through. What lands on your device is a note you can read, with the recording and its transcript still sitting underneath it.
Available on iPhone models with an Action Button.
Action ButtonWorks with what you already use
Sanctum is where the note starts, not where it has to stay.
Each finished note is a plain-text Markdown file. Paste the words into Notion or Google Docs, open the file in Obsidian, or send it to a friend or coworker. No special export or proprietary format required.
morning-walk-idea.synthesis.md
Plain text yours to keep, yours to share
One note, many places
- NotionPaste the words
- Google DocsPaste and keep writing
- ObsidianOpen the Markdown fileNot sponsored by, endorsed by, or a representative of Dynalist Inc., maker of Obsidian.
Or send the file to a friend, a coworker, or yourself.
Privacy and ownership
Your thoughts stay where you left them.
Sanctum keeps your recordings and notes on your device, in files you can open, move, and keep. They stay readable even without Sanctum.
Private
Your words.
Your files.
Your recordings, transcripts, and notes live in ordinary folders you can see, move, back up, and open outside Sanctum.
Only when you ask
Some transcription and analysis features use an online service. They run only when you choose them, and Sanctum tells you before note content leaves your device. The anonymous trial does not require an account; continuing with paid analysis does.
How it works
From passing thought to lasting note.
Press record and keep moving. Sanctum keeps your original words and turns them into a clear note you can return to whenever you need it.
00:09
Capture it
Press record and say it while it’s fresh.
Keep the source
Your recording and transcript stay together.
Saved on your device
Return to it
Come back to a clear note you can revisit, edit, or take anywhere.
More than a summary
Keep the whole thought.
The recording, the words you spoke, and the note they become stay together, so you never lose the context behind an idea.
The recording
Listen again.
The words you spoke
Read the transcript.
The note they become
Return to the finished note.
Inside each note
The source is always there.
Open a note and you can play the audio back, read what you actually said, or work with the finished writing. Every layer stays connected.
Common questions
A few things worth knowing.
These are the questions people ask before they trust an app with their voice.
Do I need an account?
Not for recording, listening, organizing, searching, editing, sharing, or exporting. An account is for paid or cloud services such as more online analysis, Private Backup, purchases, and feedback.
Where do my recordings and notes live?
On your device, in ordinary folders you can access through the Files app. You can move, copy, or back them up whenever you like.
What formats does Sanctum use?
Recordings are saved as .m4a audio, transcripts as JSON, and notes as Markdown. All three are open, documented formats you can access outside the app.
What happens if the audio is removed?
Your transcript and note stay intact. Sanctum removes audio only when you ask, and only after making sure the transcript is safely saved.
When does content leave my device?
Online transcription and analysis send the selected audio or text after Sanctum shows the processing notice. Opt-in Private Backup sends files only after encrypting them on your device.
Now on the App Store for iPhone
Give your thoughts somewhere safe to land.
Sanctum turns your voice into clear, private notes that live on your device and stay yours.
Download