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SayWrite vs Superwhisper
Both can run speech recognition on your Mac; SayWrite is free during early access and does AI rewriting locally with Apple Intelligence or your own Ollama or LM Studio, while Superwhisper's Pro plan adds cloud models and bring-your-own API keys.
Not affiliated; trademarks belong to their owners. Superwhisper is a trademark of its owner, and SayWrite is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Competitor details come from their public websites and documentation as of . Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Side by side
SayWrite and Superwhisper, compared
| Feature | SayWrite | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Local speech recognition | Always: NVIDIA Parakeet on the Apple Neural Engine | Yes on the free plan: “Nothing you dictate leaves your device”Source: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro |
| Cloud models | None | Pro adds cloud voice modelsSource: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro |
| AI rewriting | Included: Apple Intelligence on your Mac, or your own Ollama or LM Studio at 127.0.0.1 | AI-powered modes and bring-your-own API keys are Pro featuresSource: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro |
| Price | Free during early access | Free plan; Pro $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 lifetimeSource: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro |
| Platforms | Mac with Apple silicon | Mac, Windows, iOS and AndroidSource: superwhisper.com |
| Languages | English | 100+ languages and dialectsSource: superwhisper.com |
| Speech models | Parakeet TDT 0.6B v2 (English) | Local Whisper models on the free plan; Parakeet and cloud models with ProSource: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro |
| Account | None | Not stated on the pages we checkedUnverified |
Privacy
Privacy: local by default, or local only
Superwhisper's documentation says that on the free plan nothing you dictate leaves your device, and that Pro adds cloud voice models, AI-powered modes, context awareness and bring-your-own API keys. (Source: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro) That makes it a flexible hybrid: local when you want, cloud when you choose.
SayWrite has no cloud mode to choose. Speech recognition, the temporary recording and AI Polish all stay on your Mac, and the AI client only connects to 127.0.0.1. See the security page for the details.
Price
Price
Superwhisper lists a free plan, Pro at $8.49 a month or $84.99 a year, and a $249.99 lifetime license. (Source: Superwhisper docs: Superwhisper Pro) SayWrite is free during early access, AI Polish included.
AI Polish
AI rewriting without an API key
In SayWrite, AI Polish runs on Apple Intelligence's on-device model, or on a model you run in Ollama or LM Studio, such as qwen3.5:9b or a Gemma model. There's no API key to paste and no per-token bill, and your text never goes to a provider.
The honest answer
Which should you choose?
Choose Superwhisper if…
- You need languages other than English, or translation into English.
- You also want dictation on Windows, iPhone or Android with one license.
- You want cloud speech models or your own OpenAI-style API keys.
- You like building custom modes with different prompts per task.
Choose SayWrite if…
- You want AI rewriting included without a subscription, and running on your Mac.
- You'd rather use Apple Intelligence or a model you run in Ollama or LM Studio than a cloud API.
- You want English dictation that is fast on Apple silicon and never uploads anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Superwhisper private?
On its free plan, Superwhisper's documentation says nothing you dictate leaves your device. Its Pro plan adds cloud voice models and bring-your-own API keys, which do send data to a provider when you use them. SayWrite has no cloud option: speech and AI rewriting both run on your Mac.
How much does Superwhisper cost?
As of September 28, 2026, Superwhisper's documentation lists a free plan, Pro at $8.49 a month or $84.99 a year, and a $249.99 lifetime license. SayWrite is free during early access.
Which is faster?
We haven't benchmarked the two apps side by side, so we won't claim a winner. On our M5 Pro test Mac, SayWrite turns a short dictation into text in about 0.2 seconds. Try both on your own Mac: speed depends on the model and the chip.
Sources
Accessed .
Keep reading
Say it messy. We'll write it neat.
Hold Fn, talk, and let SayWrite type it. Everything stays on your Mac.
Free during early access · macOS 15+ · Apple silicon