--- title: "Whisper apps for Mac in 2026: local speech to text, compared" description: "The Mac apps that run OpenAI's Whisper speech model on your own computer: MacWhisper, superwhisper, VoiceInk, Spokenly, OpenWhispr and SpeechBee. Which is for dictation, which is for recordings, and what each costs." url: "https://speechbee.app/compare/whisper-apps-mac" --- # Whisper apps for Mac Whisper is OpenAI's open speech recognition model, and it runs well on Apple silicon. A whole family of Mac apps is built on it. Some are for transcribing recordings, some for dictating into any app, and some do both. Here is how to tell them apart. By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Prices checked on 12 October 2026. > ### The short answer > > - **Transcribing recordings, meetings and videos?** [MacWhisper](#macwhisper). > - **Dictation with AI modes and model choice?** [superwhisper](#superwhisper). > - **Free local dictation?** [Spokenly](#spokenly) or [OpenWhispr](#openwhispr). > - **Pay once, cheaply?** [VoiceInk](#voiceink), $25. > - **Simple dictation plus Read Aloud on Mac, iPhone and iPad?** [SpeechBee](#speechbee), which we make. ## What "a Whisper app" means OpenAI released Whisper as an open model, so anyone can build an app around it, and on an Apple silicon Mac it runs on your own computer. That gives Whisper apps two things cloud dictation can't: your audio doesn't leave the Mac, and they work offline once the model has downloaded. Whisper is not the only local model any more. Several apps now also offer NVIDIA's Parakeet models, which cover fewer languages. Many apps let you pick. ## Whisper apps at a glance | App | Best for | Price | Platforms | |---|---|---|---| | MacWhisper | Recordings, meetings, subtitles | Free, Pro €64 once | Mac, iPhone, iPad | | superwhisper | Dictation with AI modes | Free tier, Pro $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr or $249.99 once | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | | VoiceInk | Paying once | $25 for 1 Mac | Apple silicon Mac, iPhone | | Spokenly | Free local dictation | Free, Pro $99.99/yr | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone | | OpenWhispr | Open source | Free, Pro $80/yr | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone | | SpeechBee | Simple dictation plus Read Aloud | $9/mo, $79/yr or $99 once | Mac, iPhone, iPad | ## MacWhisper The best Mac app for transcribing recordings. Drag in audio or video, record calls without a bot joining, label speakers, and export subtitles or documents, all with local models. It includes system-wide dictation too. There is a free version and Pro costs €64 once. It is now on iPhone and iPad as well. > **Pick MacWhisper if** most of your speech to text starts as a recording. ## superwhisper The power user's dictation app. Its free tier includes unlimited local Whisper models and meeting recording. Pro adds modes that pass your speech through an AI model such as GPT or Claude to rewrite it for each app, plus file transcription and translation. superwhisper says its offline models run best on Apple silicon. See [superwhisper pricing](https://speechbee.app/compare/superwhisper-pricing). > **Pick superwhisper if** you want to shape how AI rewrites your speech. ## VoiceInk A focused local dictation app with custom words, text replacements and filler removal, and public source code. $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two, $49 for three, with a 14-day refund. It needs Apple silicon and macOS 14.4 or later, and there is an iPhone app. > **Pick VoiceInk if** you want local dictation for the lowest one-time price. ## Spokenly Runs local Whisper and Parakeet models free, with no word cap and no account, and a local-only mode that blocks network requests. Pro, $99.99 a year, adds managed cloud models, AI cleanup and sync. > **Pick Spokenly if** you want free local dictation that you can lock offline. ## OpenWhispr Open source under the MIT license, on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone. Local dictation is free and unlimited, and the free plan includes some cloud words and meeting recording. Pro is $80 a year. > **Pick OpenWhispr if** open source matters to you. ## SpeechBee SpeechBee is our app. By default it uses NVIDIA's Parakeet model, which covers 25 languages. On Mac you can switch to Whisper Large v3 Turbo for up to 99 languages. Either way, speech is transcribed on your device and your audio is never uploaded. It is built for dictation without setup: hold a key, talk, and your words appear at the cursor with filler words removed, names fixed from your dictionary and snippets expanded. It has no AI modes and keeps your wording by default; optional on-device AI cleanup is available on Macs with Apple Intelligence. It also reads selected text aloud with natural local voices, which no other app here does. One plan covers Mac, iPhone and iPad: $9 a month, $79 a year or $99 once, after 7 days free. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later. It doesn't transcribe files or meetings. > **Pick SpeechBee if** you want local dictation that just works, plus a reading voice, across your Apple devices. ## Questions ### What is the best Whisper app for Mac? It depends on the job. MacWhisper is best for recordings and meetings, superwhisper for AI-shaped dictation, VoiceInk for a cheap one-time price, Spokenly and OpenWhispr for free local dictation, and SpeechBee for simple dictation with Read Aloud. ### Is there a free Whisper app for Mac? Yes. Spokenly and OpenWhispr offer free local dictation, superwhisper's free tier includes unlimited local Whisper models, and MacWhisper has a free version for transcribing files. ### Do Whisper apps work offline? Yes, when they run the model locally. After the model downloads, transcription happens on your Mac with no internet needed. ### Do I need an Apple silicon Mac to run Whisper? It runs best on Apple silicon. superwhisper recommends cloud models on Intel Macs, and VoiceInk and SpeechBee require Apple silicon. ### Is Whisper better than Apple Dictation? Whisper supports many languages and runs entirely on your Mac in these apps. Apple Dictation is free and built in. Apps built on Whisper or Parakeet add things Apple Dictation lacks on Mac, such as a custom dictionary. ## Keep comparing - [MacWhisper alternatives](https://speechbee.app/compare/macwhisper-alternatives) - [superwhisper pricing](https://speechbee.app/compare/superwhisper-pricing) - [The best dictation apps for Mac](https://speechbee.app/compare/best-dictation-app-mac) - [Offline dictation on a Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/offline-dictation-mac) ## Sources All checked on 12 October 2026. - [MacWhisper](https://www.macwhisper.com/) and [MacWhisper on Gumroad](https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper) - [superwhisper](https://superwhisper.com/) - [VoiceInk pricing](https://tryvoiceink.com/pricing) - [Spokenly pricing](https://spokenly.app/pricing) - [OpenWhispr pricing](https://openwhispr.com/pricing) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)