The best Superwhisper alternatives for Mac, with lifetime prices

Superwhisper is one of the strongest dictation apps on the Mac, so an alternative has to win on something specific. Its free plan already gives unlimited dictation with local Whisper models. One Pro license covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with no limit on computers. It lists 100+ languages and works offline.

People still switch, usually for one of these reasons:

• Price. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. Some apps do local dictation for $25 once, or for nothing.
• An Intel Mac. Superwhisper says Intel Macs work best with its cloud models, and that offline models only run really well on Apple silicon.
• Open source. Some people want to read the code of the app that hears everything they say.
• More than dictation. An assistant that can see the screen and help with what's on it.
• Files first. If you mostly transcribe recordings, an app built around files fits better.
• Fewer settings. Modes are powerful, but if you never touch them, a simpler app is easier to live with.

We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Prices are in USD from each app's official site, checked October 7, 2026, unless we say otherwise.

Superwhisper has two plans for individuals, plus Enterprise for companies. Free gives you unlimited dictation with any local Whisper model, a custom vocabulary, text replacements and up to two modes without AI processing. Superwhisper says nothing you dictate on Free leaves your device.

Pro adds the cloud voice models, the Cohere Transcribe and Parakeet local models, file transcription, unlimited modes, AI modes like Super, context awareness, realtime transcription, system audio recording, speaker separation and your own API keys. New users get 3,000 words of Pro for free; after that the app falls back to Free and nothing is deleted.

Every Pro plan has the same features; only the billing differs. Students, educators and non-profits get 40% off when they buy on Superwhisper's own site, and the site offers a 30-day refund on all plans. It needs macOS 14 or later. The details are on Superwhisper's plans page.

How the prices line up, at the time of writing.

Koi's monthly and yearly prices pay for time with the assistant and recorded calls. Dictation is free on every plan, so for dictation alone Koi costs $0. See Koi's pricing for what each plan includes.

A one-time price only makes sense next to how long you'll use the app. Here are three years of each, worked out from the official prices above. No discounts, taxes or future price changes are included.

Two things stand out. Superwhisper's lifetime license is a fair deal if you're staying: it costs less than three years of the annual plan ($249.99 against $254.97) and less than 30 months of the monthly one ($8.49 × 30 = $254.70). And if all you need is local dictation, the free apps and VoiceInk's $25 beat every subscription here.

MacWhisper Pro isn't in the table because it's priced in euros: €64 once, with lifetime updates. Koi Pro buys time with the assistant and 10 recorded calls a month, not dictation. Koi Lifetime gives unlimited dictation and recorded calls for good, plus about 5 hours with Koi.

They sound alike and both run Whisper on your Mac, but they start from opposite ends.

• Superwhisper is dictation first. You press a key, talk, and the text lands in the app you're in. Modes reshape the words for email, messages or code. Files and meeting audio are Pro extras.
• MacWhisper is transcription first. You drag in a recording and get a transcript you can export as subtitles or text, with speaker labels, YouTube links and batch jobs on Pro. Dictation is there too, but it isn't the main event.

On price, Superwhisper Pro is a subscription or $249.99 once, and MacWhisper Pro is €64 once. Superwhisper also covers Windows, iPhone and Android under the same license, which matters if you don't only work on a Mac.

Pick Superwhisper if you mostly speak into apps. Pick MacWhisper if you mostly have recordings to turn into text. Some people use both. If you want local dictation and call recording without file transcription, Koi covers that, but it doesn't transcribe audio or video files.

Yes, several, and Superwhisper's own free plan is one of the better ones. If you want a different app:

• Koi: unlimited dictation on your Mac, plus a limited amount of time with the assistant and 2 recorded calls a month. It needs an account, which is just an email.
• Handy: free and open source, on Mac, Windows and Linux.
• FluidVoice: free and open source, with cleanup that runs on the Mac. It needs macOS 15.
• Spokenly: free local models with no account, plus a local-only mode.
• Apple Dictation: built into the Mac. It does less cleanup, and Keyboard settings show whether yours is processed on the device.

The first four run speech to text on your computer, so they work without internet.

• Want dictation plus an assistant that sees your screen, and call recording? Koi.
• Want to pay once, and little? VoiceInk at $25, on Apple silicon.
• Want free and open source? FluidVoice on macOS 15, or Handy anywhere.
• Mostly transcribing files? MacWhisper.
• On an Intel Mac and want local dictation? Koi, or FluidVoice's Whisper models.
• Fine with the cloud and want polish everywhere? Typeless or Wispr Flow.

Stay with Superwhisper if you rely on its modes, need Windows and Android under one license, dictate in a language outside Koi's 57, or already own a lifetime key. Paid for is paid for.

A good test before you switch: dictate the same three things in both apps. A long email, a quick chat reply, and a paragraph full of names and jargon. Count how much you had to fix. Our list of the best dictation apps for Mac has more options.