What is the best Whisper app for Mac?

For transcribing files, MacWhisper. For dictation, Superwhisper if you want modes on every device, VoiceInk for $25 once, or Koi if you also want calls recorded on the Mac and an assistant.

Is there a free Whisper app for Mac?

Yes. Handy and FluidVoice are free and open source for dictation, Buzz for files, and Spokenly's local models are free with no account. MacWhisper and Superwhisper have free versions too.

Does Whisper work on Intel Macs?

Through some apps. Koi and VoiceTypr support Intel, FluidVoice runs only its Whisper models there, and Superwhisper recommends cloud models on Intel. VoiceInk, BetterDictation and the latest Buzz need Apple silicon.

Which Whisper model is the most accurate?

Large, per OpenAI, with Large v3 Turbo close behind and much faster. Small is a good everyday size. Turbo can't translate speech into English.

Does Koi use Whisper?

Yes. Koi runs Whisper on your Mac for dictation and recorded calls: Small is built in, Base and Large v3 Turbo are downloads. It doesn't transcribe audio or video files.

Best Whisper Apps for Mac (2026): 11 Picks Compared

Start here

What counts as a Whisper app

Whisper is OpenAI's open speech model. Its code and weights are free under the MIT license, so any app can run it on your Mac with no connection. What you choose between is the app around it: does it type into the app you're in, or transcribe a file you drop in? Does it keep everything on the Mac, or send text to a cloud model to clean up? Does it run on your Mac at all?

Every app below runs Whisper on the Mac, and most also offer other models. They split into two kinds: dictation apps, where you talk and text appears in another app, and transcription apps, where a recording goes in and a transcript comes out. We make Koi, so it's first and we say so. The rest are ranked by how well they do their own job. Facts are from each app's site, docs or GitHub page, checked October 16, 2026. We didn't benchmark them.

The list

The best Whisper apps for Mac in 2026

1. Koi

Best for: Whisper dictation in any app, plus recorded calls and an assistant

Koi runs three Whisper sizes on your Mac: Small is built in, Base (lighter) and Large v3 Turbo (the most accurate) are a download away. Tap Fn + ⌥ in any app and talk. Words appear while you speak, each once two passes of the model agree, so nothing typed gets taken back. It detects 57 languages by itself, takes out the ums on the Mac, and with Small or Base types any language you speak in English. Unlimited on every plan, on Apple silicon and Intel with macOS 14 or later.

The same model writes down your calls. Tap Fn + ⌃ and pick Online call: your microphone and the Mac's sound are transcribed apart on the Mac, with a video of the screen and no bot. The assistant, the other half of Koi, uses cloud AI models.

What Koi doesn't do: transcribe audio or video files, which most apps below do. There's no free plan (Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial that needs a card, Lifetime from $59 once), it's Mac only, and it has no snippets.

2. MacWhisper

Best for: Transcribing files, subtitles and meetings

The name says it. MacWhisper transcribes mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov and mp4 files with Whisper, Parakeet and other models, in 100 languages, free. Pro is €64 once with lifetime updates. It also records meetings, noticing Zoom, Teams, Slack, WhatsApp and browsers by itself, and since version 15.2 Pro tells up to eight speakers apart. It exports .srt, .vtt, .docx, .pdf and more, and dictates system-wide too.

Version 15 needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, TidBITS reports. More in Superwhisper vs MacWhisper.

3. Superwhisper

Best for: Dictation with modes, on every device

Superwhisper's Free plan is unlimited dictation with any local Whisper model, plus a custom vocabulary and text replacements. Pro adds Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe, cloud voice models, file transcription, AI modes and realtime transcription, for $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. One license covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Its FAQ says Intel Macs work best with cloud models.

4. VoiceInk

Best for: Open source Whisper dictation for $25 once

VoiceInk runs Whisper through whisper.cpp, and Parakeet too, on your Mac. It removes filler words, keeps a dictionary, expands phrases and switches modes by app. It's open source under GPLv3, and a license is $25 for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, with lifetime updates and a 14-day refund. Its pricing page says it works only on Apple silicon, with macOS 14.4 or later.

5. Aiko

Best for: The simplest file transcription, paid once

Aiko, by Sindre Sorhus, turns audio and video into text with Whisper's large v2 model on the Mac, in 100 languages. It's $24 once for the Mac, iPhone and Vision Pro apps together. It's deliberately small: no batch mode and no editing, and a 14-day TestFlight trial of the full app.

6. Buzz

Best for: Free, open source file transcription

Buzz transcribes files, YouTube links and your microphone offline with Whisper, names speakers and exports TXT, SRT and VTT. It's free under the MIT license, on Mac, Windows and Linux. Its README says the Mac version now needs Apple silicon (the last Intel build is 1.4.5), and the .dmg comes from SourceForge.

7. BetterDictation

Best for: Whisper Large v3 Turbo dictation on the Neural Engine

BetterDictation runs whisper-large-v3-turbo on Apple's Neural Engine and says nothing leaves your Mac. Basic is $39 once for one Mac, Flex $49 for three, Studio $149 for ten, with a 14-day refund. An optional Pro cleanup, $2 a month billed yearly, sends text to OpenAI and needs internet. It needs an M1 or newer.

8. Handy

Best for: Free, open source dictation with almost no settings

Handy is press a key, speak, done. It runs Whisper Small, Medium, Turbo or Large, or Parakeet, on your computer, free under the MIT license, on Mac, Windows and Linux.

9. Spokenly

Best for: Free local Whisper with no account

Spokenly's Whisper and Parakeet models are free with no limits and no account. Local+ is $29 once for extra recording styles and settings sync, and Pro is $99.99 a year for managed cloud models. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone.

10. VoiceTypr

Best for: Pay-once Whisper on an Intel Mac or a PC

VoiceTypr runs Whisper and Parakeet on the device by default, in 99 languages, and transcribes files too. It's $69 once for two devices, with a 3-day trial that needs no card and a 7-day refund. It needs macOS 14 or later and supports Intel Macs, and there's a Windows version.

11. FluidVoice

Best for: Free and open source, with many model families

FluidVoice is free with no tiers, under GPLv3. Whisper, from Tiny to Large, is one of several model families it runs, alongside Parakeet, Nemotron, Cohere Transcribe and Apple Speech. It needs macOS 15, and on Intel only its Whisper models work.

Compared

Whisper apps for Mac side by side

App	Job	Price	Intel Macs	Best for
Koi	Dictation, calls	$20 a month, or Lifetime from $59	Yes	Dictation plus recorded calls
MacWhisper	Files, meetings	Free; Pro €64 once	Not stated	Recordings and subtitles
Superwhisper	Dictation	Free; Pro from $8.49 a month	Cloud models advised	Modes on every device
VoiceInk	Dictation	$25 once	No	Open source, cheap
Aiko	Files	$24 once	Not stated	Simple transcription
Buzz	Files	Free	No (last Intel build 1.4.5)	Free transcription
BetterDictation	Dictation	$39 once	No	Large v3 Turbo dictation
Handy	Dictation	Free	Not stated	Free and simple
Spokenly	Dictation	Free; Local+ $29 once	Not stated	No account
VoiceTypr	Dictation, files	$69 for two devices	Yes	Intel and Windows
FluidVoice	Dictation	Free	Whisper models only	Open source, many models

“Not stated” means the app's own pages don't say, not that it fails. Check before you buy if your Mac is Intel.

Sizes

Which Whisper model do these apps run?

Most let you pick. The usual range is Tiny or Base for speed, Small as the everyday choice, and Large v3 Turbo for the best accuracy at a reasonable speed. Aiko sticks to large v2, and BetterDictation to Large v3 Turbo. OpenAI says the turbo model isn't trained to translate, so apps that type other languages in English use a different size: in Koi that's Small or Base.

Bigger models need more memory and do better on Apple silicon, which is why several of these apps skip Intel. Our Apple Dictation vs Whisper page has OpenAI's table of sizes and what each needs.

Free

Free Whisper apps for Mac

Handy: free and open source dictation, Mac, Windows and Linux.
Buzz: free and open source file transcription, on Apple silicon Macs.
Spokenly: free local dictation with no account.
FluidVoice: free and open source, macOS 15 or later.
MacWhisper and Superwhisper both have free versions: files for MacWhisper, dictation for Superwhisper.

Koi isn't free, so if price is the deciding thing, start with these. For dictation that never needs a connection, see offline dictation apps for Mac, and for apps you pay for only once, lifetime dictation apps.

Choosing

How to pick a Whisper app

Recordings to turn into text? MacWhisper, Aiko or Buzz.
Talking instead of typing, on the Mac only? Koi, VoiceInk, BetterDictation or Handy.
Dictation on a PC and phone too? Superwhisper, or Spokenly.
An Intel Mac? Koi or VoiceTypr. VoiceInk, BetterDictation and the latest Buzz need Apple silicon.
Dictation and call recording in one app, with no bot? Koi, or MacWhisper if you also need files.

Whatever you pick, try it with the hardest thing you say: names, jargon, a second language. That's where Whisper apps differ most. For a wider list that includes cloud apps, see the best dictation apps for Mac.

The best Whisper apps for Mac