MacWhisper vs Superwhisper

MacWhisper

• Transcribing interviews, lectures and podcasts without uploading files
• Mac users who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
• Producing .srt or .vtt subtitles from audio and video

Superwhisper

• People who want dictation that runs on-device and offline
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
• Users who want to choose their own voice and language models

MacWhisper

• Mac only on the desktop, and it needs macOS 14 or later. The iPhone and iPad app is a separate App Store product called Whisper Transcription.
• The Pro price is set in euros, and checkout runs through Gumroad.
• License keys work only in the direct-download version; the App Store edition is sold by subscription and has fewer AI provider options.
• Speaker recognition (with local models, M-series Macs only), batch transcription, integrations and most export formats require Pro.

Superwhisper

• AI-powered modes, cloud voice models, file transcription and speaker separation all need Pro.
• The Free plan is limited to 2 modes, and those run without AI processing.
• Cloud voice models send audio to hosted servers; only the local models keep audio on the device.
• A Linux version is listed as coming soon and is not yet available.

MacWhisper

Local file transcription

Transcribes audio and video files such as mp3, wav, m4a, mov and mp4 with models that run on the Mac, so recordings are processed offline and do not leave the computer.

System-wide dictation

Dictate into any text field on the Mac. Free includes dictation; Pro adds a higher-quality mode, automatic grammar improvement and dictation with AI prompts.

Meeting and app audio recording

Records Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype and Discord calls in the background, or the audio of any Mac app, and transcribes the result.

Speaker recognition and batch jobs

Pro labels different speakers automatically, transcribes many files in one batch and can transcribe YouTube and other media URLs.

Subtitle and document export

Free exports .txt plus .srt and .vtt subtitles. Pro adds .md, .pdf, .html and .docx and can translate subtitles automatically.

AI summaries and chat

Summarize or chat with a transcript by connecting your own provider, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, xAI or local models through Ollama.

Superwhisper

Dictation in any app

Speak and have the text typed into whatever app is in front of you, such as Slack, Gmail, Notion or a code editor. More than 100 languages and dialects are supported.

Local models that work offline

Whisper models run entirely on your device and are free to use without limits, so dictation works with no connection and audio is not uploaded.

Cloud voice models on Pro

Pro adds hosted voice models such as S1-Voice, Nova and Scribe, along with real-time transcription. With these models audio is sent to hosted servers.

Modes

A mode sets how speech is processed, from plain transcription to AI modes that rewrite it for a context such as email. Free allows 2 modes without AI; Pro is unlimited.

Meetings and file transcription

Records meetings and produces notes, and Pro adds system audio recording, speaker separation and transcription of audio or video files.

Custom vocabulary

Add names and terms the models tend to get wrong, plus text replacements. Both are included on the Free plan.

MacWhisper

• MacWhisper Free€0

  Microphone recording, file transcription in 100 languages, system-wide dictation and export to .txt, .srt and .vtt.

• MacWhisper Pro€65

  one-time payment, 1 license for personal use

  Lifetime updates. Adds speaker recognition, batch transcription, more export formats, higher-quality dictation and integrations.

• 5 licenses (Pro)€269

  one-time payment (€54 per license)

  Five Pro licenses bought together. Larger packs of 10, 20 and 50 licenses are also sold.

Superwhisper

• Free$0

  Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, custom vocabulary, text replacements and up to 2 modes.

• Pro$8.49

  per month, or $84.99 per year

  Cloud voice models, AI-powered modes, unlimited modes, file transcription, system audio recording and speaker separation.

• Pro Lifetime$249.99

  one-time payment

  The same Pro features as the subscription, paid once. One license covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Seat-based licensing with SSO and centralized deployment for teams.

MacWhisper

• Lifetime license

  Pro is a one-time €65 license

  MacWhisper Pro is a pay-once license at €65 that includes lifetime updates, with no subscription on the direct-download version. The Gumroad listing promises a refund if you ask within 7 days.

• Education

  25% off for students on request

  The Gumroad listing says students, journalists and nonprofits can email support, describe their work and get 25% off.

• Nonprofit

  25% off for nonprofits on request

  Nonprofits are covered by the same offer as students and journalists: email support with details of your work to get 25% off.

• Other savings

  Volume packs from €54 per license

  Pro license packs lower the unit price: 5 licenses for €269 (€54 each), 10 for €490 (€49 each), 20 for €899 (€45 each) and 50 for €2,199 (€44 each).

Superwhisper

• Annual discount

  About 17% less with the yearly plan

  Pro costs $84.99 a year against $8.49 a month, which Superwhisper describes as a saving of about 17%.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro license for $249.99

  A one-time payment of $249.99 buys Pro for life, with the same features as the subscription. All individual plans have a 30-day refund window.

• Education

  40% off for students and educators

  Verified students, faculty and academic institutions get 40% off list price. The discount is requested by email from an institutional address before purchasing.

• Nonprofit

  40% off for nonprofits

  Verified non-profit and charitable organizations get 40% off list price, requested by email before purchasing.