Superwhisper alternatives: 6 Mac dictation apps compared
Last updated 21 October 2026. Prices checked on each vendor's own page.
Superwhisper runs speech models on your Mac and lets you shape the output with modes. People look elsewhere when they want less setup, a lower price, support for an Intel Mac, or translation built in. The six apps below cover those cases.
We make Lispr, one of the six. Read this as a vendor's comparison: every app gets a limitation, ours included, and we left out accuracy and speed claims about apps we haven't measured ourselves.
Quick picks
| If you want | Try |
|---|---|
| One key, nothing to download or configure, on Intel or Apple silicon | Lispr |
| Local processing for a one-time price under $50 | VoiceInk |
| AI that rewrites as you talk, plus phone apps | Wispr Flow |
| Transcripts of recordings, interviews and video | MacWhisper |
| A cloud model sold on technical vocabulary | Aqua Voice |
| Free and already installed | Apple Dictation |
Superwhisper and six alternatives compared
| App | Platforms | Where speech is processed | Works offline | Free plan | Paid price | License model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superwhisper (for reference) | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Local models on your device; cloud models on Pro | Yes, with local models | Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to 2 modes | $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 once | Subscription or lifetime |
| Lispr | macOS 11+ (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 10+ | Cloud: hosted Whisper large-v3-turbo | No | 60 minutes a week, resets Monday, no account | $7.99/month or $79/year | Subscription |
| Wispr Flow | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Cloud | No | 2,000 words a week on desktop, 1,000 on mobile | $15/month, or $144/year billed yearly | Subscription |
| MacWhisper | Mac | Local models on your device | Yes | Smaller Whisper models | €64 once | One-time license |
| VoiceInk | Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14.4+, plus iPhone | Local models on your device | Yes | Trial; free if you build it from source | $25 (1 Mac), $39 (2) or $49 (3), once | One-time license, open source (GPL v3) |
| Aqua Voice | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Cloud, its own Avalon model | No | 1,000 words in total | $8/month billed yearly | Subscription |
| Apple Dictation | Mac, built in | On your Mac on Apple silicon for supported languages; Apple's servers otherwise | Yes, on Apple silicon in supported languages | Free, no cap | Free | Part of macOS |
One limitation per app
| App | Limitation |
|---|---|
| Superwhisper | The features people buy it for, AI modes and the faster local models, sit behind Pro, and building modes takes time. |
| Lispr | It needs an internet connection and has no phone app. Free dictation pauses at 60 minutes a week until Monday. |
| Wispr Flow | Cloud only, and the free cap covers about 13 minutes of speech a week at 150 words a minute. |
| MacWhisper | It's built for files and recordings. Live dictation into other apps is a Pro extra. |
| VoiceInk | It runs only on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14.4 or later, and its AI cleanup needs API keys you supply. |
| Aqua Voice | The free plan holds 1,000 words in total, and it covers 49 languages. |
| Apple Dictation | It listens in one language at a time and has no custom vocabulary list. |
The six alternatives
1. Lispr: push-to-talk with nothing to set up
Lispr is our app. Hold the dictation key (right Option on a Mac, right Ctrl on Windows), speak, and your words appear at your cursor when you release it. It types anywhere a cursor blinks: Slack, Mail, Cursor, a terminal, a browser address bar.
Superwhisper asks you to choose and download models. Lispr sends your speech to hosted Whisper large-v3-turbo instead, so the Mac download is about 6 MB and no model runs on your machine. The median time from key release to text on screen is 346 ms, measured on our servers across live traffic. Lispr runs on macOS 11 or later, on Intel and Apple silicon Macs, and on Windows 10 or later.
Two features stand out. Hold a translation key together with the dictation key and the translation lands instead of the transcript, in any of 32 target languages. And when you drift between languages mid-sentence, Lispr follows you across about 99 languages without a mode switch.
The free plan gives you 60 dictation minutes a week, reset every Monday, with no account and no card, and it includes every Pro feature, AI formatting too. Pro costs $79 a year or $7.99 a month. It removes the weekly cap and signs you in with an email code so the plan covers every device on your account. New installs get a 30-day Pro trial without a card.
Our servers don't store your audio. The transcription provider keeps it for up to 30 days for abuse review, then deletes it, and nobody trains a model on it. If you chose Superwhisper because audio must never leave your Mac, Lispr is the wrong swap. Pick VoiceInk or MacWhisper.
2. VoiceInk: local and open source for a one-time price
VoiceInk is the nearest match if you like Superwhisper's local approach and want to pay once. It runs Whisper models on your Mac, keeps audio on the device and publishes its source code under GPL v3. A license costs $25 for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, and developers can build it from source for free.
It needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14.4 or later, which rules out Intel and older machines. Its AI enhancement runs through API keys you bring from a provider.
3. Wispr Flow: cloud AI cleanup on desktop and phone
Wispr Flow rewrites as you speak. It strips filler and adjusts tone to the app you're typing in. It runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, the widest reach on this list after Superwhisper itself. Pro costs $15 a month or $144 a year and removes the free plan's 2,000-word weekly cap. The company holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification.
Coming from Superwhisper, you give up local processing. Wispr Flow needs a connection for every dictation.
4. MacWhisper: transcripts of recordings
MacWhisper runs Whisper on your Mac and does its best work on audio and video you already have: interviews, lectures, meetings, subtitle files. The free tier uses smaller models. Pro costs €64 once and unlocks the large models, batch transcription and system-wide dictation. The Mac App Store sells a separate edition, Whisper Transcription, on subscription.
Choose it for files. For dictating into other apps all day, the apps above fit better.
5. Aqua Voice: a cloud model built around technical speech
Aqua Voice runs its own cloud speech model, Avalon, and markets it on accuracy with programming terms and AI vocabulary. It works on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android and covers 49 languages. Pro costs $8 a month billed yearly. The free Starter plan holds 1,000 words in total, enough for a test and not much more.
6. Apple Dictation: free and already on your Mac
Apple Dictation costs nothing and needs no install. On an Apple silicon Mac it processes supported languages on the device, so it works offline. On an Intel Mac, or in a language without on-device support, your Mac sends the audio to Apple. Sessions have no time limit and end after 30 seconds of silence.
It listens in one language at a time. To switch, you click the language in the dictation window. If you dictate in one language a few times a day, try it before you pay for anything. Lispr vs Apple Dictation compares the two in detail, and Apple dictation alternatives for Mac answers the broader question.
How we compared
We read each vendor's pricing page or documentation on 28 September 2026 and took prices and plan limits from there. MacWhisper lists its price in euros. We haven't measured other apps' accuracy or latency under matching conditions, so the tables leave those out. Lispr's 346 ms is our own server-side median on live traffic. We re-check this page every quarter, and the date at the top shows the last pass.
Frequently asked questions
Superwhisper alternatives
The strongest Superwhisper alternatives for Mac in 2026 are Lispr (cloud push-to-talk with a free plan and built-in translation), VoiceInk (local and open source, from $25 once), Wispr Flow (cloud AI cleanup with phone apps), MacWhisper (local transcription of recordings), Aqua Voice (a cloud model aimed at technical vocabulary) and Apple Dictation (free and built in). If your audio has to stay on your Mac, choose VoiceInk or MacWhisper.
Is there a free alternative to Superwhisper?
Superwhisper's own free plan offers unlimited dictation with local Whisper models. Among the alternatives, Apple Dictation is free with no cap and processes supported languages on your Mac on Apple silicon. Lispr's free plan gives you 60 minutes a week with no account, mid-sentence language switching across about 99 languages and translation into 32. Wispr Flow's free plan stops at 2,000 words a week on desktop. Best free dictation apps for Mac compares every free option.
Best Whisper-based dictation apps for Mac
Lispr runs Whisper large-v3-turbo on hosted servers, so no model downloads to your Mac and it works on Intel Macs. Superwhisper, VoiceInk and MacWhisper run Whisper models on your Mac, and Superwhisper adds cloud models on Pro. Wispr Flow, Aqua Voice and Apple Dictation use other speech models.
Is Superwhisper free?
Yes. Superwhisper's free plan includes unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, custom vocabulary and up to two modes. Pro costs $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and adds cloud models, AI modes and faster local models.
Superwhisper vs Wispr Flow: which should you choose?
Choose Superwhisper if your audio has to stay on your Mac: its free plan runs Whisper models on the device with no cap, and one Pro license covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Choose Wispr Flow if you want cloud AI cleanup on every device; its free plan stops at 2,000 words a week on desktop, and Pro costs $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly. Lispr sits between them: cloud dictation with no model to download, translation into 32 languages and 60 free minutes a week.
Does Superwhisper work on Windows?
Yes. Superwhisper now has a Windows app, and one Pro license covers unlimited Macs and Windows PCs plus iPhone and Android. Among the alternatives above, Lispr, Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice also run on Windows, while VoiceInk, MacWhisper and Apple Dictation are Mac only.
Does Lispr work offline?
No. Lispr transcribes in the cloud, so it needs an internet connection. For offline dictation on a Mac, Superwhisper, VoiceInk and MacWhisper run models on the device.
Related pages
- Lispr vs Superwhisper
- Best free dictation apps for Mac
- Wispr Flow alternatives for Mac and Windows
- Lispr vs Apple Dictation
- Dragon for Mac alternatives
- Dictation for professionals
- Superwhisper for Windows
Try Lispr free: download for Mac or Windows. macOS 11+ or Windows 10+, no sign-up.
Superwhisper, Wispr Flow, MacWhisper, VoiceInk, Aqua Voice and Apple Dictation belong to their respective owners. Codebridge Technology, Inc. has no affiliation with them.