How It Works
Three steps. No setup. No accounts.
Hold Fn (or your shortcut)
Press and hold the Fn key — or any custom shortcut you configure. Whisperer starts recording immediately from your Mac's microphone.
Speak naturally
Talk at your normal pace. Live preview shows your words appearing in real-time with ~300ms latency. Speak for as long as you need.
Release — text appears
Release the key and your transcribed text is inserted directly into the focused app — VS Code, Slack, Gmail, Notion, Terminal, or any text field.
Every Feature, 100% Offline
A full-featured speech-to-text suite in a lightweight menu bar app. All powered by local AI on your Mac.
Live Preview
See your words appear in real-time as you speak. ~300ms latency using a dedicated Neural Engine streaming model.
100+ Languages
Whisper supports 99+ languages offline. Parakeet supports 25. Set different languages per app with per-app profiles.
Code Mode
Dictate camelCase, snake_case, PascalCase, symbols, parentheses, and semicolons by voice. Built for developers.
Per-App Profiles
Automatic mode switching — Code Mode in VS Code, natural language in Slack, email formatting in Gmail.
AI Post-Processing
10 offline AI modes — Rewrite, Translate, Format, Summarize, Grammar, Email, and more. All on-device.
Personal Dictionary
Add custom terms, names, and jargon. Fuzzy and phonetic matching ensures they're recognized correctly.
File Transcription
Drag audio or video files into Whisperer to transcribe them offline. MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, and more.
Transcription History
Every dictation saved with full-text search, audio playback, re-transcribe, and usage statistics.
100% Private
All processing runs on your Mac. No cloud, no data transmission, no accounts. Your voice stays yours.
How Whisperer Compares
The best speech-to-text value on Mac — more features, lower price.
| Feature | Whisperer | Superwhisper | Wispr Flow | Apple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 once | $249/$8mo | $10–15/mo | Free |
| 100% Offline | Partial | |||
| Code Mode | ||||
| Per-App Profiles | ||||
| AI Post-Processing | ||||
| Engines | 3 | 1 | Cloud | 1 |
| File Transcription | ||||
| Languages | 100+ | 100+ | 100+ | 20+ |
Three AI Engines
Choose the best engine for your workflow. Hot-swap without restarting.
Whisper
DefaultBest accuracy. 99+ languages. 10+ model sizes from 75MB to 2.9GB.
Parakeet
FastestFastest on Apple Silicon. CTC vocabulary boosting from your dictionary.
Apple Speech
NativeZero setup. No downloads. Built into macOS 26+.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best speech to text app for Mac?
Whisperer is the most feature-rich speech-to-text app for Mac at $14.99 lifetime. It includes three offline transcription engines (Whisper, Parakeet, Apple Speech), Code Mode for developers, per-app profiles, personal dictionary, and AI post-processing. No competitor offers this combination of features.
Is speech to text available offline on Mac?
Yes. Whisperer runs 100% offline using local AI models. After downloading a model (75MB–2.9GB), no internet connection is needed. Apple Dictation also works offline on Apple Silicon Macs but with fewer features.
How accurate is speech to text on Mac?
Modern Whisper models achieve near-human accuracy for major languages. Whisperer's Large V3 Turbo model (~1.5GB) delivers excellent accuracy. You can also add a personal dictionary for project-specific terms to improve recognition of names, jargon, and technical vocabulary.
Can I use speech to text in VS Code?
Yes. Whisperer inserts text into any focused field on your Mac, including VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains IDEs, Terminal, Slack, Gmail, and Notion. With Code Mode, you can dictate camelCase, snake_case, and programming symbols.
How much does speech to text cost on Mac?
Whisperer starts at $2.99 one-time for the base app. The Pro Pack ($14.99 lifetime) adds Code Mode, per-app profiles, personal dictionary, and AI post-processing. Competitors charge $99–$249 for lifetime licenses or $10–15/month for subscriptions.
Does speech to text work with multiple languages?
Yes. Whisperer supports 100+ languages with the Whisper engine and 25 languages with Parakeet. You can set different languages per app using per-app profiles, and use offline AI translation between languages.