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MacWhisper

A Mac app that transcribes files, meetings and dictation locally with Whisper models.

Free plan + paidAI meeting assistants and transcription tools
Visit MacWhisperSee 5 alternatives
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About MacWhisper

MacWhisper is an indie Mac app that runs OpenAI's Whisper and other speech models directly on your Mac, so audio never has to leave the machine. You can drop in audio or video files, record meetings from apps like Zoom without a bot joining, and use dictation to type with your voice in any app. It supports around 100 languages, exports subtitles in SRT and VTT and documents in several formats, and lets you switch between local models and cloud models when speed matters more than privacy. The free version covers basic transcription with smaller models; MacWhisper Pro is a one-time licence with lifetime updates, unlocking larger, more accurate models, batch processing, meeting recording and AI features. It is popular with journalists, researchers and podcasters handling sensitive recordings. Speed depends on your Mac's chip, and it's Mac-only, so mixed-platform teams will need something else.

Best for: Mac users who want private, offline transcription without a subscription.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Runs locally, so recordings stay on your Mac
  • One-time Pro licence with lifetime updates
  • Meeting recording without a bot

Why people leave

  • Mac only
  • Large models are slow on older Macs
  • No team collaboration features

Top MacWhisper alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1Buzz logo
    Buzz

    Free and open source, and also runs on Windows and Linux.

    66.5
  2. 2Superwhisper logo
    Superwhisper

    Focused on system-wide dictation, with apps beyond the Mac.

    62.6
  3. 3VoiceInk logo
    VoiceInk

    Open-source Mac dictation app with a one-time licence.

    59.6
  4. 4Otter.ai logo
    Otter.ai

    Cloud transcription with live meeting notes and team sharing.

    57.2
  5. 5Meetily logo
    Meetily

    Open-source local meeting notes with AI summaries.

    55.3

Why people left MacWhisper

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MacWhisper: common questions

Is MacWhisper free?

MacWhisper has a free plan and paid plans. Free version: Yes, free forever (checked on MacWhisper's own site).

Is MacWhisper open source?

No, MacWhisper is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Buzz, VoiceInk and Meetily.

What platforms does MacWhisper run on?

MacWhisper is available for macOS.

What are the best alternatives to MacWhisper?

The highest-ranked MacWhisper alternatives right now are Buzz, Superwhisper and VoiceInk. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 MacWhisper alternatives