Guides

superwhisper vs Spokenly on a Mac: two free local plans, and a free open-source third option

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Pick superwhisper if you want a free plan that stays on your Mac without changing a default, a license you pay for once, Android, or a team plan with single sign-on, and pick Spokenly if you want Parakeet, file transcription and your own API keys without paying, Linux, or a voice link to coding agents. Both give you unlimited local Whisper dictation for free. superwhisper Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and Spokenly Pro is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

I built YapToText, a free, open-source dictation app that runs on the Mac, so it shows up here as a third option, and you should read that part knowing I made it. My hands make typing difficult, so I dictate every day. Every fact about superwhisper and Spokenly here comes from their own sites and documentation, as of October 3 to 6, 2026. I have not tested either app hands-on, so nothing here ranks them by accuracy.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

On this page: 11 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Side by side
  3. What each one costs
    1. superwhisper
    2. Spokenly
  4. On device or in the cloud
    1. superwhisper
    2. Spokenly
  5. Models, modes, files and meetings
    1. superwhisper
    2. Spokenly
    3. Files and meetings
  6. Devices, Macs and languages
  7. Which one should you pick
  8. Where YapToText fits as a free third option
    1. Step 1: Install it and allow two permissions
    2. Step 2: Quit the other app and dictate with Wi-Fi off
    3. Step 3: Ask for a list out loud
  9. What each one cannot do
    1. superwhisper
    2. Spokenly
    3. YapToText
  10. The short version
  11. Questions

Steps

  1. Install YapToText from the Mac App Store and open it.
  2. In the Get set up card on the Home page, press Continue next to Microphone and Grant next to Accessibility.
  3. Quit Spokenly or superwhisper, turn Wi-Fi off, click into a text field, tap Right Command, talk, and tap it again.
  4. Check that the words landed at your cursor with no connection.
  5. End a dictation with as a bullet list while Auto mode is on, and the dictation comes out as a list.

Side by side

Checked October 3 to 6, 2026, on superwhisper.com and spokenly.app: both price lists on October 5. Prices change, so confirm on each pricing page before you pay.

superwhisperSpokenlyYapToText
Free planUnlimited dictation with local Whisper models, custom vocabulary, text replacements, up to two modes without AI processingUnlimited local Whisper and Parakeet, no word caps and no account; cloud models with your own API keys at no Spokenly feeEverything, with no word cap
PaidPro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once; Enterprise by quotePro $9.99 a month or $99.99 a yearNone; tips are optional and buy no features
RefundsWithin 30 days of purchase14 days, on Pro bought from spokenly.appNothing to refund
Where speech becomes text out of the boxOn the device, on the free planCloud models by default, per its own summary; on the device once you download a local modelOn the Mac
Speech modelsWhisper free; Parakeet, Cohere Transcribe and cloud models from superwhisper, Deepgram and ElevenLabs on ProWhisper and Parakeet free; cloud models such as GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova 3 and Soniox, through Pro or your own keys11 Whisper models, plus your own whisper.cpp files
AI cleanup without payingNo; every language model is ProYes, with Apple Intelligence or your own model keyYes, Auto mode and six built-in modes, on the Mac
Edits selected text by voiceSuper Mode, on Pro; it formats a selection rather than rewriting itNot statedQuick Edit, free
Audio filesPro, with speaker separationFree with local models, exported as TXT, SRT or VTT; optional speaker labels, plan not statedFree, as plain text
MeetingsPro: records calls in Zoom, Teams, Discord and Slack without a bot, with speaker labelsRecords your microphone and the Mac's system audio without a botNone
What the app collectsOn the free plan, its privacy policy says no recordings or transcriptions are collectedAnonymous usage analytics, never audio or transcripts, unless Local Only Mode is onNothing
DevicesMac, Windows, iPhone, Android; one Pro license covers them allMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone; Android by waitlistMac only
Mac requirementmacOS 13.3 or later; cloud models suggested on Intel MacsmacOS 13.3 or later; Intel Macs with some limitsApple silicon, macOS 14 or later
LanguagesMore than 100More than 100, with automatic detection29, plus auto-detect
Open sourceNot statedNo; its own page says its code is proprietaryYes, GPL-3.0

Both free plans are real dictation apps, and the difference is the extras: Spokenly gives away Parakeet, files and your own keys, which superwhisper keeps for Pro. superwhisper answers with a free plan that is local from the first dictation, a one-time price and Android. The full comparison of Mac dictation apps puts both next to Wispr Flow, MacWhisper and VoiceInk.

What each one costs

Plain local dictation is free in both. superwhisper costs a little less on every subscription, and it is the only one of the two you can buy once.

superwhisper

  • Free. Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, which its plans page names as Fast, Nano and Standard, plus custom vocabulary, text replacements and up to two modes without AI processing. It does not expire.
  • Pro. $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once, for AI modes, Super Mode, file transcription, cloud models, Parakeet, unlimited modes and speaker separation.
  • Trying Pro. New users get 3,000 words of Pro features first, and superwhisper offers a refund within 30 days of purchase.
  • Enterprise. Priced by quote, with SAML single sign-on and SCIM provisioning, and superwhisper says a HIPAA BAA is available on request.

Spokenly

  • Free, local. Whisper and Parakeet models on the device, with no word caps, no time limits and no account.
  • Free, your own keys. Cloud transcription through your own API key. The provider bills you, and Spokenly adds no fee.
  • Pro. $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year, which Spokenly puts at $8.33 a month. It buys managed cloud models, hosted AI text cleanup and sync across devices, with no keys to manage.
  • Refund. Pro bought on spokenly.app has a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you buy inside an app store, check the price there.

My own arithmetic from the prices above, checked October 5, 2026, in US dollars before any tax. Confirm on each pricing page.

Aftersuperwhisper Pro, monthlysuperwhisper Pro, yearlysuperwhisper lifetimeSpokenly Pro, monthlySpokenly Pro, yearly
1 year$101.88$84.99$249.99$119.88$99.99
2 years$203.76$169.98$249.99$239.76$199.98
3 years$305.64$254.97$249.99$359.64$299.97

superwhisper's yearly plan is $15 a year cheaper, and by the third year its lifetime license costs less than either yearly plan. But if Parakeet, files or your own keys are what you would pay for, Spokenly gives them away. The superwhisper pricing page and the Spokenly pricing page break down every plan.

On device or in the cloud

Both can run on your Mac or reach the cloud. superwhisper's free plan is local from the first dictation; Spokenly starts in the cloud until you download a local model.

superwhisper

  • Free plan. superwhisper says nothing you dictate on the free plan leaves your device. Its privacy policy, last updated June 19, 2024, says audio is transcribed on your device and no recordings or transcriptions are collected.
  • Pro. Adds cloud models hosted by superwhisper, Deepgram and ElevenLabs, and the option of your own API keys. The model a mode uses decides where that mode's audio goes.
  • Offline. Its local models work without a connection.

Spokenly

  • The default. Spokenly's own summary says it uses cloud models by default, and your audio stays on the device once you choose and download a local model.
  • Local Only Mode. Blocks all network access except local model downloads, and an organization can lock it on.
  • Analytics. The app sends anonymous usage analytics, never audio or transcripts, unless Local Only Mode is on.
  • Cleanup. Its privacy policy says a mode with AI Instructions may send your transcript to an AI service even when transcription runs locally.

Spokenly says its code is proprietary and superwhisper does not mention published source, so with either one the privacy policy is what you go on. I make no compliance claims for any of the three apps. If a signed agreement is a requirement, superwhisper offers a HIPAA BAA on request through Enterprise, Spokenly does not say, and YapToText offers none. The offline dictation guide shows how to check any app with Wi-Fi off.

Models, modes, files and meetings

Both apps let you choose models and build modes. Spokenly lets you bring the AI yourself; superwhisper sells it ready-made, in Pro.

superwhisper

  • Speech models. Whisper on the free plan; Parakeet, Cohere Transcribe and cloud models on Pro. It can also translate dictation into English with a multilingual Whisper model.
  • Language models. Its documentation marks every one, local or cloud, as Pro. The one local language model, S1-mini, is English only and works only in the Message and Mail modes.
  • Modes. A mode sets the voice model, the AI formatting and, on Pro, what context it may read: the active app, the text you copied and the text you selected. Modes switch by app or website, a Change Mode shortcut, the menu bar or a deep link.
  • Super Mode. On Pro. Its guide says it handles formatting a selection, such as title case or bullet points, and does not work well for rewriting one.

Spokenly

  • Speech models. Whisper and Parakeet locally, for free, and cloud models through Pro or your own keys. The Parakeet vs Whisper page explains the difference.
  • AI Instructions. Strip filler words, fix grammar and format text for the app you are in, using Apple Intelligence or your own model key on the free plan, or hosted cleanup on Pro.
  • Modes. They switch on by themselves for an app or website.
  • Your words. Word Replacements, a dictionary for supported cloud models, and a prompt for local Whisper.
  • Automation. Agentic Actions turn your voice into web searches, app launches, Shortcuts and shell commands, and there is an MCP server for coding agents plus a command line tool. The guide to talking to coding agents covers that job.

Files and meetings

Spokenly's MP3 guide says file transcription is free with local models, with no length limit, and exports TXT, SRT or VTT. superwhisper keeps files for Pro, where they run through your active mode, with speaker separation. For meetings, superwhisper's meeting page says it records Zoom, Teams, Discord and Slack calls in the background without a bot and returns a transcript with speaker labels, and its docs put system audio recording and speaker separation on Pro. Spokenly records your microphone and the Mac's system audio, also without a bot.

Devices, Macs and languages

Both go well beyond the Mac, in slightly different directions. Spokenly reaches Linux and superwhisper reaches Android; YapToText reaches neither.

  • Other devices. superwhisper runs on Windows, iPhone and Android, and says one Pro license covers unlimited Macs and Windows PCs plus your iPhone and Android phone. Spokenly runs on Windows 10 and 11, iPhone with iOS 17 or later and Linux, and keeps a waitlist for Android; Pro adds sync across devices.
  • Intel Macs. Both need macOS 13.3 or later. superwhisper's FAQ points Intel Macs to its cloud models, on Pro, because its offline models only run really well on Apple silicon. Spokenly lists Intel Macs with some limits. The guide to dictation on an Intel Mac covers the other choices.
  • Spokenly from the Mac App Store. Its docs say that version cannot paste on its own, so you press Command V, and its changelog says the App Store version is no longer updated and stays available as a frozen build. The build from spokenly.app pastes for you and updates itself.
  • Languages. Both list more than 100. YapToText lists 29 plus auto-detect, and the languages guide names them.
  • Screen readers. superwhisper's accessibility page says it pastes at the cursor, so it sits next to VoiceOver and NVDA. Spokenly does not say.

Which one should you pick

Decide what you would otherwise pay for, then check the machines you use. If the free plan is enough, Spokenly's covers more; if you will pay, superwhisper costs less and can be bought once.

  • If you want free dictation that is local without touching a setting, pick superwhisper Free. Spokenly gets there too, once you download a local model.
  • If you want Parakeet or file transcription for free, pick Spokenly. Both are Pro in superwhisper.
  • If you already pay for an API key, pick Spokenly, which uses it free. In superwhisper your own keys are Pro.
  • If you want AI cleanup without a subscription, Spokenly does it with Apple Intelligence or your own key. Every language model in superwhisper is Pro.
  • If you would rather pay once, pick superwhisper's $249.99 lifetime license. Spokenly bills by the month or the year.
  • If you use Linux, pick Spokenly. If you use Android, pick superwhisper.
  • If your team needs single sign-on, SCIM or a signed agreement, superwhisper Enterprise lists all three. Spokenly lets an organization lock Local Only Mode on; a team plan is not stated.
  • If you talk to coding agents, Spokenly's MCP server and command line tool are built for it.
  • If you want cleanup and editing by voice on the Mac with no key and no plan, neither does both, and that is the gap YapToText fills.

Still torn? Both free plans cost nothing, so dictate the same paragraph into each, with a name that usually comes out wrong, and count the fixes. The Spokenly alternative page and the superwhisper alternative page each go deeper on one side.

Where YapToText fits as a free third option

YapToText is the app I built and use all day. It is free with no account, no analytics and no word cap, its code is public under the GPL-3.0, and both of its models ship inside the App Store download. The cleanup that superwhisper sells in Pro, and Spokenly asks a key or Apple Intelligence for, runs on your Mac in YapToText.

  • Cleanup with no key. Auto mode picks a treatment for each dictation, and every AI mode runs on the bundled model. The Auto mode guide lists the phrases it follows.
  • Editing by voice. Quick Edit rewrites a selection in any app: select it, tap Right Option, say the change, tap again.
  • Files. The Utility page turns audio or video into plain text, on the Mac, with no speaker labels or timestamps.
The AI Models page in YapToText: Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct marked Included, model library below.
Figure 1. Both models show as Included, so there is no local model to pick first and no key to paste before cleanup works.

Step 1: Install it and allow two permissions

  • You: Get YapToText from the Mac App Store and open it. In the Get set up card on the Home page, press Continue next to Microphone, then Grant next to Accessibility.
  • macOS: Asks once about the microphone, then opens System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility, where you switch YapToText on yourself.
  • Check: The Get set up card leaves the Home page once nothing is missing.

Step 2: Quit the other app and dictate with Wi-Fi off

  • You: Quit Spokenly or superwhisper, since Spokenly also starts on Right Command. Turn Wi-Fi off, click into any text field, tap Right Command, say a few sentences, and tap it again.
  • YapToText: Transcribes on your Mac, shapes the words with Auto mode and types them at your cursor, with no Command V.
  • Check: The words land with no connection. If they went to the clipboard, Accessibility is not on yet.

Step 3: Ask for a list out loud

Say: End a dictation with this while Auto mode is on.

as a bullet list

What happens: The phrase is not typed. Auto mode turns the dictation into a bulleted list, on your Mac, with no key or plan.

What each one cannot do

Each of the three leaves something out. superwhisper Free leaves out the AI and the files, Spokenly starts in the cloud and keeps its code closed, and YapToText stays on one Apple silicon Mac with Whisper.

superwhisper

  • No AI on the free plan. Cleanup, Super Mode, context, files, meeting recording and your own keys are Pro.
  • No real rewriting of a selection. Its own guide says Super Mode does not work well for rewriting.
  • No Linux. Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

Spokenly

  • Cloud by default. Free local dictation starts with a model download.
  • Cleanup needs help on the free plan. Apple Intelligence or your own key.
  • Analytics until you switch them off. Local Only Mode turns them off.
  • A frozen App Store build. It cannot paste on its own, and its changelog says it is no longer updated.
  • No one-time price and no Android yet. Pro is monthly or yearly, and Android has a waitlist.

YapToText

  • One kind of computer. An Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later; nothing for Intel Macs, Windows, Linux, iPhone or Android.
  • Whisper only. No Parakeet and no cloud models.
  • Fewer languages. 29 plus auto-detect, against more than 100 in both of the others.
  • Plain-text files and no meetings. No speaker labels, timestamps or subtitles, and no meeting recorder.
  • No automation or teams. Nothing like an MCP server, a command line tool, single sign-on or a signed agreement.

The short version

  • superwhisper. Free local Whisper dictation from the first launch; AI, files and Parakeet on Pro at $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
  • Spokenly. Free local Whisper and Parakeet, files and your own keys, cloud by default until you pick a local model; Pro at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone.
  • Both. More than 100 languages and macOS 13.3 or later. Check each pricing page before you pay.
  • YapToText. Free and open source, with cleanup and editing by voice built in, on one Apple silicon Mac.

Spokenly gives more away; superwhisper costs less once you pay; if you want the cleanup free and on the Mac, there is a third option.

If a price or feature here no longer matches superwhisper's or Spokenly's own pages, or what YapToText does on your Mac, open an issue on GitHub and I will fix it. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

Is superwhisper better than Spokenly?

It depends on what you would pay for. Spokenly's free plan adds Parakeet, file transcription and your own API keys, while superwhisper's free plan is local from the start, its Pro costs less, it sells a lifetime license and it runs on Android.

Which is cheaper, superwhisper or Spokenly?

Both are free for local dictation. For Pro, superwhisper is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and Spokenly is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, checked October 5, 2026.

Is superwhisper or Spokenly open source?

Neither. Spokenly's own page says its code is proprietary, and superwhisper's site does not mention published source code. YapToText is open source under GPL-3.0.

Do superwhisper and Spokenly work offline?

Yes, with local models. superwhisper's free plan transcribes on your device, and Spokenly runs Whisper and Parakeet locally once you download a model, since its own summary says it uses cloud models by default.

Can superwhisper or Spokenly transcribe audio files for free?

Spokenly can, with its local models, exporting TXT, SRT or VTT. superwhisper keeps file transcription for Pro. YapToText transcribes audio and video files for free, as plain text.

Is there a free alternative to superwhisper and Spokenly?

Yes. YapToText is free and open source, ships its speech and cleanup models inside the App Store download, and edits selected text by voice. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later.