AI models in Superwhisper

Superwhisper runs two models back to back. A speech recognition model turns your voice into text. Then an optional language model rewrites that text in Super Mode, so an email comes out like an email and a code prompt stays technical.

You can mix and match. On-device Parakeet into cloud Claude Sonnet is a common setup. So is Ultra into nothing at all for raw transcription. The speed and accuracy dots rank models relative to each other inside Superwhisper, not against the whole industry.

This is the first model in the chain. Run it in the cloud when you want top accuracy or the lowest latency, or run it on your own machine when the audio has to stay local. The Fast, Nano, and Standard Whisper models come with the free tier. Want to try one on a real recording first? Transcribe an audio file and check the output.

The second model is optional. Super Mode hands your transcript to a language model that can rewrite it, translate it, or reshape it for the app you're typing into. Cloud requests run through the Superwhisper proxy, so providers never see your account and nothing is kept for training.

Transcription scores are anchored to the Hugging Face Open ASR Leaderboard. Parakeet V2 leads on real-time factor with an industry-best 6.05% word error rate for English. Whisper Large V3 scores a little higher on accuracy but runs much slower, which is why Ultra V3 earns a 2 on speed and a 5 on accuracy while the Turbo variant evens out at 4 and 4.

Language model scores are anchored to Artificial Analysis. Claude Sonnet 4.6 and the GPT-5.4 series sit at the top of the intelligence index next to GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite pushes past 200 tokens per second, so it takes the speed crown on the lite side. Groq's Llama 3.1 8B is faster still, but its smaller parameter count holds it at a 2 on intelligence.

One thing worth repeating. The dots are relative to the other models in Superwhisper. A 5 is the best in its class. A 1 is there for people who want a tiny download and can live with a rougher transcript.

Every on-device model in this list runs locally. Your microphone input never leaves the machine, we don't log audio, and nothing you dictate is stored on our servers. Work on a plane or inside a locked-down environment and the models behave the same way.

Cloud models are there when you want them. Pick one and your audio and text pass through the Superwhisper proxy to the provider and back. Providers see a proxy request, not your account, and nothing is retained for training. Enterprise customers can swap in their own API keys or host compatible models behind a VPC. Superwhisper is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant.