Superwhisper app icon

Superwhisper

The best speech to text apps, compared honestly

There are a lot of speech to text tools now, and they're not all trying to do the same thing. Some are built for real-time dictation. Others are designed for meeting transcription. A few come free with your operating system. This page breaks down six of the most popular options so you can figure out which one actually fits how you work.

What to look for in a speech to text app

Accuracy is the obvious starting point, but most modern tools are pretty close on raw transcription. The Whisper model from OpenAI raised the floor for everyone. What actually separates tools now is what they do with your words after transcribing them. Do they clean up grammar? Remove "um" and "like"? Format the text to match whatever you're writing? That post-processing layer is where the gap shows up.

Privacy and offline support matter more than people realize. Cloud-based tools send your audio to a server for processing, which is fine for a lot of use cases but not all of them. If you're dictating sensitive information, or if you regularly work without a reliable internet connection, you want something that runs on your device. Not every tool offers that.

Platform support is worth checking early. Some tools are Mac-only. Others require a browser. If you switch between a Mac at home and a Windows machine at work, your options narrow. And pricing models vary a lot, from free built-ins to monthly subscriptions to one-time purchases. There's no single right answer here. It depends on how much you use it and what you need it to do.

Comparison at a glance

ToolPlatformsOfflineAI modesPrivacyPricingBest for
SuperwhispermacOS, Windows, iOSYesContext-aware (Super Mode)On-device + optional cloudFree tier / from $8/moAI-powered dictation in any app
Wispr FlowmacOS, Windows, iOSNoAI rewritingCloud-based (HIPAA available)~$8/moCloud dictation with compliance needs
Otter.aiWeb, iOS, AndroidNoMeeting summariesCloud-basedFree tier / from $8.33/moMeeting transcription and notes
Apple DictationmacOS, iOSPartialNoneOn-device (basic mode)Free (built-in)Quick notes if you're already on Apple
Windows Speech RecognitionWindowsPartialNoneOn-device (basic mode)Free (built-in)Basic voice typing on Windows
MacWhispermacOSYesNoneOn-device~$29 one-timeTranscribing audio/video files on Mac

A closer look at each tool

Superwhisper

Superwhisper is an AI dictation app for macOS, Windows, and iOS. It types text directly into whatever app you're using, and the standout feature is Super Mode, which reads your screen and adjusts the output to match the context. Emails get formatted like emails. Code prompts stay technical. It runs on-device for privacy, with optional cloud models for higher accuracy. The free tier doesn't expire. Pro starts at $8/month.

Wispr Flow

Wispr Flow is a cloud-based AI dictation tool that's similar to Superwhisper in concept. It offers AI rewriting and works across macOS, Windows, and iOS. One notable differentiator is HIPAA compliance, which makes it a real option for healthcare professionals. The tradeoff is that it requires an internet connection for everything, since processing happens on their servers.

Otter.ai

Otter.ai is built for meeting transcription, not real-time dictation. It records meetings, generates transcripts, and provides AI-powered summaries. If your main need is capturing what happened in a Zoom call and sharing notes with your team, Otter does that well. It's not designed to type into other apps while you talk, though, so it's a different tool for a different job.

Apple Dictation

Apple Dictation comes built into every Mac and iPhone. It's free, it's always there, and it works in most text fields. For quick notes and short messages, it does the job fine. It doesn't do any AI formatting or cleanup, so what you say is what you get, filler words and all. No context awareness, no custom modes. It's a good starting point, and for some people it's all they need.

Windows Speech Recognition

Microsoft's built-in voice typing (Voice Access in Windows 11) works similarly to Apple's offering. Free, decent for basic dictation, and no setup required. It can also control your computer with voice commands, which is useful for accessibility. Like Apple Dictation, it doesn't do any AI-powered formatting or context-aware adjustments. If you're on Windows and want something that just works out of the box, this is the zero-cost option.

MacWhisper

MacWhisper is focused on file transcription rather than live dictation. You drop in an audio or video file and get a transcript back. It runs Whisper models locally on your Mac, so everything stays on-device. It's a one-time purchase (around $29 for Pro), which is appealing if you don't want a subscription. The limitation is that it's Mac-only and doesn't do real-time voice typing into other apps.

Why we built Superwhisper

We started Superwhisper because the existing dictation tools felt stuck. The built-in options on Mac and Windows hadn't changed meaningfully in years. They transcribe your words, but they don't understand what you're trying to do. If you're writing an email, the output should sound like an email. If you're talking to a coding assistant, it should stay technical. That gap between raw transcription and actually useful text is what we set out to close.

We also cared about running things on-device. Not because "privacy" is a good marketing line, but because sending audio to a server adds latency, requires internet, and means your words pass through someone else's infrastructure. For a tool people use all day, that felt wrong. So Superwhisper runs Whisper models locally, with cloud models available as an option when you want higher accuracy on tough audio.

What people say about Superwhisper

"Superwhisper delivers on the dream of an AI-native operating system. The best part: it's insanely fast and does just what you expect."

Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel

"Tried @superwhisperapp today. Very nice. Lets me talk to Cursor and then it codes for me, just gets it right."

Pieter Levels, serial entrepreneur

"Tools I couldn't live without: @Superhuman, @superwhisperapp, @reflectnotes"

Andrew Wilkinson, CEO of Tiny

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right speech to text app?

It depends on what you're doing. If you need real-time dictation that types into any app, something like Superwhisper or Wispr Flow is the right call. If your main use case is recording meetings and getting transcripts, Otter.ai is purpose-built for that. And if you just need occasional voice typing, the free options built into Mac and Windows might be enough.

Which speech to text app has the best accuracy?

All of the AI-powered tools on this list use models derived from Whisper or similar architectures, so raw transcription accuracy is comparable. Where they differ is what happens after transcription. Tools like Superwhisper run an AI layer that fixes grammar, removes filler words, and formats the output based on context. That post-processing step is often what makes the difference between usable text and text you need to edit.

Are there good offline speech to text options?

Superwhisper and MacWhisper both run speech recognition on your device with no internet needed. Apple Dictation and Windows Speech Recognition also have basic offline modes, though their accuracy tends to drop compared to the cloud versions. Wispr Flow and Otter.ai require an internet connection.

Is there a free speech to text app that's actually good?

Apple Dictation and Windows Speech Recognition are free and work reasonably well for straightforward voice typing. Superwhisper has a free tier that doesn't expire, with the core voice-to-text features included. Otter.ai offers a limited free plan too. The paid tools generally get you better accuracy, AI formatting, and more languages.

What's the difference between dictation software and transcription software?

Dictation software types text in real time as you speak, usually directly into whatever app you're working in. Transcription software takes a recording (an audio or video file) and produces a text transcript after the fact. Some tools do both. Superwhisper handles real-time dictation and file transcription. Otter.ai focuses on recording and transcribing meetings. MacWhisper is file transcription only.

Do any of these tools work for coding or technical writing?

Superwhisper has a feature called Super Mode that reads your screen and adjusts its output based on context. If you're in a code editor, it keeps the output technical and avoids reformatting things into prose. Andrej Karpathy coined the term 'vibe coding' while using Superwhisper with Cursor. The other tools on this list aren't designed with that use case in mind.

Try Superwhisper free

macOS, Windows, and iOS. Free tier that doesn't expire.

Download freeView pricing