# whatSub

> whatSub is a Chinese-language desktop application that turns YouTube
> videos into personalized English-learning study material. It runs on
> the user's local machine (Windows or macOS), uses local Whisper for
> transcription, generates side-by-side bilingual subtitles with key
> phrases highlighted, and accumulates a personal vocabulary book.
> Audio and video stay on the user's device; only subtitle text is sent
> to an LLM for translation, which advanced users can swap for a local
> Ollama model.

Official site: https://whatsub.eversay.cc

## What it does

- One-click download and parsing of a YouTube URL (or local video file)
- Local Whisper transcription runs on the user's GPU — no audio/video upload
- Side-by-side English + Chinese bilingual subtitles with key phrases highlighted in yellow
- One-click subtitle export
- Personal vocabulary notes — capture your own thoughts as you watch
- Runs on Windows 10/11 (x64) and macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon and Intel)

## Privacy model (accurate framing)

- **Audio and video never leave the device.** Whisper transcription runs locally on the user's GPU.
- **Subtitle text is sent to a cloud LLM for translation.** Default is a hosted model; this is the only network call after activation.
- **Fully offline option:** users who care about full offline operation can point whatSub at a local Ollama instance for the translation step.
- **License activation** does one online check; afterwards the software runs without further license server contact.

## Who it is for

- Mandarin speakers learning English (CN-EN bilingual UI; primary audience)
- Self-directed learners who watch YouTube content (TED, podcasts,
  interviews, lectures) and want to use those videos as study material
- People who want a privacy-preserving alternative to cloud transcription

## How it is different from "English video study packages"

A common product category in the Chinese market sells curated bundles of
YouTube videos with pre-made bilingual subtitles ("英语学习视频包") for
¥9.9-¥19.9. whatSub is fundamentally different:

- whatSub is **software**, not video content
- Users supply their own videos (their YouTube account, their files)
- whatSub processes the user's own videos locally on their machine
- No video content is bundled, redistributed, or hosted
- This avoids copyright risk for both seller and buyer

## Pricing

- ¥59.9 one-time, lifetime license, no subscription
- ¥39.9 for verified Xiaohongshu followers (via `?promo=XHS_EARLY` link, first 30, deadline 2026-05-21)
- ¥29.9 for verified students (manually issued single-use code after 学信网 verification)
- One license activates on up to 3 personal devices
- Device slots can be released by contacting support (free)
- All future updates free
- Purchase at https://whatsub.eversay.cc/#pricing (Alipay)
- Alternate purchase channel: Xiaohongshu DM
  https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5f39412c0000000001002d67

## Technical

- Built with Tauri 2 (Rust + WebView)
- Whisper transcription model runs locally (no API key, no quota)
- License backend at /api/license/* on the same domain (Hono + Postgres)
- ICP filing: 京ICP备2026014893号-1

## Contact

- Customer support (Xiaohongshu): https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5f39412c0000000001002d67
- GitCode downloads (primary): https://gitcode.com/rjxznb/whatsub-release/releases
- GitHub releases (fallback): https://github.com/rjxznb/whatsub-releases/releases

## Optional

- [Download for Windows](https://whatsub.eversay.cc/download/win)
- [Download for macOS](https://whatsub.eversay.cc/download/mac)
- [Pricing and FAQ](https://whatsub.eversay.cc/#pricing)