Get Superwhisper if your main job is dictating into other apps: emails, chat, documents and code prompts, with optional AI formatting and apps for Windows and phones. Get MacWhisper if your main job is turning recordings into transcripts: interviews, lectures, meetings, podcasts and subtitles. Both can run Whisper-family speech models on your Mac, both have a free version, and both sell a one-time licence, so the choice comes down to dictation-first or transcription-first.
Publisher note: SuprFlow publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Competitor details come from each company's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change; confirm before you buy.
We have not run a controlled benchmark of either product. Both companies' own documentation is the source for everything below, and a short test follows.
Who should pick which?
- You talk instead of typing, many times a day: Superwhisper.
- You have audio or video files to transcribe: MacWhisper. Superwhisper also transcribes files, on Pro.
- You need subtitles, speaker labels and exports to .docx or .pdf: MacWhisper Pro.
- You want the same dictation on Windows, iPhone or Android: Superwhisper.
- You want the lowest one-time price: MacWhisper Pro at €64, against $249.99 for Superwhisper Lifetime.
- You want free, unlimited local dictation: try both free versions; each includes it.
- You are buying for a regulated team: Superwhisper documents SSO, SCIM, a SOC 2 report and a BAA. MacWhisper documents volume licences and MDM support.
How do Superwhisper and MacWhisper compare?
As of 1 October 2026. Superwhisper details are from its plans page, introduction, model list and sensitive-data guide. MacWhisper details are from macwhisper.com, its edition comparison, privacy article and dictation article.
| Superwhisper | MacWhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Built mainly for | Dictation into any app, shaped by "modes" | Transcribing files, recordings and meetings |
| Where speech is processed | Your choice per mode: local voice models on the device, or cloud voice models through Superwhisper's proxy | On your Mac by default; optional cloud transcription providers such as Groq, ElevenLabs or Deepgram |
| Local speech models | Whisper models on Free; Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe added on Pro | Downloaded models "such as Whisper or Parakeet" |
| Platforms | macOS 14 or later, Windows 10 or 11, iOS, Android | macOS direct download. A separate App Store edition, Whisper Transcription, covers Mac, iPhone and iPad |
| Free version | Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to two modes without AI processing, custom vocabulary | "Free forever": microphone recording, common audio and video formats, .txt and subtitle export, system-wide dictation |
| Paid version | Pro: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 Lifetime | Pro: "Pay Once", €64 per licence, "Includes lifetime updates" |
| Dictation into other apps | Yes, the core feature. Push-to-talk and custom shortcuts | Yes, in the direct-download edition only. Not in the App Store edition |
| File transcription | Yes, on Pro | Yes. Batch transcription, YouTube links and more export formats on Pro |
| Meeting recording | Meeting recorder with summaries; system audio recording and speaker separation are listed under Pro | Records Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype, Discord and more without a bot; automatic meeting detection in the direct edition |
| AI formatting of text | Built-in AI modes on Pro, using included cloud or local language models, or your own API keys | AI prompts with your own provider API key, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio; needs Pro |
| Privacy controls | Choose local models for both stages so nothing leaves the device; history is stored locally | Local by default; cloud transcription, DeepL translation and AI prompts send data only if you use them |
| For IT and compliance | Enterprise plan with SSO, SCIM and model restrictions; SOC 2 report under NDA; DPA and BAA to sign | Volume licence packs, MDM support and a command-line tool |
| Refund | 30 days from first purchase on superwhisper.com | Listed in the FAQ on macwhisper.com; read it before buying |
What are the traps on each side?
MacWhisper has two editions. Its edition comparison says the direct download from Gumroad is the one with dictation into any text field, meeting detection, every AI provider and a one-time lifetime licence. The Mac App Store edition is named Whisper Transcription, has fewer AI provider options and uses weekly, monthly or yearly subscriptions. A licence key works only with the direct download. If you want dictation, buy from macwhisper.com.
Superwhisper's free plan has no AI formatting. Its plans page says Free includes up to two modes "without AI processing". New users get 3,000 words of Pro features first, so the app can feel different once those run out. Free dictation with local Whisper models stays unlimited.
"Local" depends on your settings in both. Superwhisper's guide says a cloud voice model sends audio through its proxy and a cloud language model receives the text. MacWhisper's privacy article says a cloud transcription provider receives the audio and an AI prompt sends the transcript to the provider you configured. In both apps, local models keep the content on the Mac.
What does each cost?
List prices as of 1 October 2026, before tax.
| Option | You pay | What the vendor says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MacWhisper Free | €0 | "Free forever" |
| MacWhisper Pro | €64 once per licence | Pro features with lifetime updates. Volume packs of 5, 10, 20 or 50; 25% off for students, journalists and nonprofits on request |
| Superwhisper Free | $0 | Local Whisper dictation, no AI processing |
| Superwhisper Pro, annual | $84.99 a year | All Pro features, cloud and local models "with no usage limits or extra costs" |
| Superwhisper Pro, Lifetime | $249.99 once | The same features as the other plans; "Lifetime keys never expire". No device limit for Mac and Windows |
macwhisper.com listed its price in euros on 1 October 2026; your checkout may show a different currency. Superwhisper says prices are higher if you buy through the iOS App Store or Google Play. MacWhisper's AI features can add provider API charges, because you bring your own key.
Choose Superwhisper if…
- Dictation is the job and transcription is occasional.
- You want AI cleanup and formatting included, without getting an API key.
- You use Windows or a phone as well as a Mac.
- You want custom modes for email, chat and code.
- Your organisation needs SSO, a SOC 2 report or a BAA.
Choose MacWhisper if…
- Transcription is the job and dictation is occasional.
- You need subtitles, speaker recognition, batch jobs or watched folders.
- You want to pay the smaller one-time price.
- You are happy to use your own API key or a local model for AI features.
- You only use a Mac.
How do you test both in 15 minutes?
Use both free versions and made-up content.
- Record a sample (2 minutes). Record yourself saying: "Interview with Dr. Sunita Rahal on the 4th of March. The grant is 85,000 dollars, not 58,000. Next call with Piotr on Tuesday."
- Transcribe the file in MacWhisper (3 minutes). Drag it in and check the two names, both numbers and the dates.
- Dictate live in Superwhisper (3 minutes). Click into a blank email, press Option-Space, say the same passage, and press it again. Note which voice model is selected.
- Dictate live in MacWhisper (3 minutes). Enable Dictation from the home screen of the direct-download edition and repeat in the same email.
- Try file transcription in Superwhisper (2 minutes) if you still have free Pro words.
- Turn off Wi-Fi and repeat one step in each (2 minutes) to confirm your chosen models are local.
Whichever step matched your real work decides it: step 2 points to MacWhisper, step 3 to Superwhisper.
A third option
If you want only dictation, only on a Mac, with fewer settings than either app, SuprFlow does that one job: hold Fn, speak, release, and the text is pasted at the cursor, with speech recognised on the Mac. It costs $125 once for up to five Macs you own. That is more than MacWhisper Pro, and it has no free version, no file transcription, no meeting recorder and no Windows or phone app. If either free version above already meets your needs, you do not need it. See SuprFlow vs Superwhisper and SuprFlow vs MacWhisper.
Questions people ask
Is MacWhisper or Superwhisper better for dictation?
Superwhisper is designed around dictation, with modes and built-in AI formatting. MacWhisper's direct-download edition has system-wide dictation as one feature of a transcription app. We have not benchmarked them; run the test above.
Do Superwhisper and MacWhisper work offline?
Yes, with local models. Superwhisper's docs say local voice models transcribe without an internet connection. MacWhisper's docs say transcription runs locally by default after a model download.
Which has a lifetime licence?
Both. MacWhisper Pro is a one-time purchase at €64. Superwhisper Lifetime is $249.99. Mac dictation apps you can buy once compares more.
Related guides
- SuprFlow vs Superwhisper
- SuprFlow vs MacWhisper
- Superwhisper vs Wispr Flow
- MacWhisper vs Wispr Flow
- Best dictation app for Mac
- Offline voice to text on Mac
Sources
- Superwhisper Docs — Plans and Pricing
- Superwhisper Docs — Introduction
- Superwhisper Docs — Quickstart
- Superwhisper — AI models
- Superwhisper Docs — Sensitive Data Best Practices
- Superwhisper Docs — Compliance and Trust
- Superwhisper — Refund Policy
- MacWhisper — official site
- MacWhisper Support — MacWhisper and Whisper Transcription Difference
- MacWhisper Support — Keeping Transcriptions Private
- MacWhisper Support — How to use the Dictation feature
- MacWhisper Support — Automatic Meetings Recordings with MacWhisper