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MacWhisper vs SpeechBee
SpeechBee is our own app. Both apps run Whisper-class speech models on your own Mac and keep your audio there. The difference is the job: MacWhisper is built around recordings, SpeechBee around the cursor.
By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 13 October 2026
MacWhisper
SpeechBee
On this page
Side by side
| MacWhisper | SpeechBee | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free version; Pro €64 once | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once |
| Built for | Transcribing recordings and meetings | Dictating into any app, and reading text aloud |
| Where speech is processed | On your Mac | On your device |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes, after a one-time model download |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| File and meeting transcription | Yes: drag in files, record calls without a bot, speaker names, subtitles | No |
| Live dictation into other apps | Yes | Yes, its main job |
| Filler removal | Not listed | 44 languages on Mac; English, German, Spanish and French on iPhone |
| Dictionary and snippets | Not listed | Yes, optional private iCloud sync |
| Read text aloud | No | Yes, natural local voices |
What each app is for
MacWhisper starts from a recording. Drag in an interview, a lecture, a podcast or a voice memo, or record a Zoom, Teams or Webex call without a bot joining, and it transcribes with local Whisper models, names speakers and exports subtitles. Live dictation into other apps is there too, as one feature among many.
SpeechBee starts from the cursor. Hold a key in Mail, Slack, Notion or a browser form, talk, let go, and the text lands where you were typing. It removes "um" and "uh", applies spoken formatting in English on the Mac, and spells names the way your dictionary says. It does not transcribe files or meetings.
Privacy
Both keep your audio on your Mac. MacWhisper transcribes files with local models, and SpeechBee processes dictation in memory, never uploads it and never records it. Neither needs an internet connection once its model is downloaded.
Reading, not just writing
Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.
Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.
SpeechBee also reads. Select text in any Mac app and press your reading key, and a natural local voice reads it, up to 200,000 characters at a time. On iPhone and iPad, paste text into the Read tab. MacWhisper does not read text aloud.
Price
MacWhisper has a free version, and Pro costs €64 once with lifetime updates. SpeechBee is $9 a month, $79 a year or $99 once, and one purchase covers Mac, iPhone and iPad. If you only need occasional dictation, MacWhisper's free version may be enough. If you dictate for hours and want Read Aloud, SpeechBee's lifetime option is the closer comparison.
Try SpeechBee free for 7 days.
Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.
Questions
Is MacWhisper good for dictation?
It can dictate into other apps, but it is built for transcribing recordings. If live dictation is your main job, an app designed around the cursor, such as SpeechBee, will feel quicker day to day.
Does SpeechBee transcribe audio files?
No. SpeechBee transcribes what you say as you say it. For recordings, interviews and meetings, MacWhisper is the better tool.
Are both private?
Yes. Both run speech recognition on your Mac and keep working offline once their models are downloaded.
Keep comparing
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026.
- MacWhisper and MacWhisper on Gumroad
- SpeechBee facts from our homepage and privacy policy