SuperWhisper vs Hearsy: Which Mac Dictation App Wins?

SuperWhisper and Hearsy both run Whisper locally on your Mac. Here's how they differ on speed, AI cleanup, pricing, and when each is the better choice.

BobSoftware developer with over a decade of experience building web and native apps.Last updated March 1, 20266 min read

Quick Verdict

SuperWhisper and Hearsy both process audio locally with Whisper. The key differences: Hearsy adds the Parakeet engine for under-50ms English dictation and includes a local LLM for AI cleanup. SuperWhisper offers cross-platform support (iOS, Windows) and a free tier. Hearsy costs $29 one-time vs SuperWhisper's $249 lifetime.

At a glance

Feature	SuperWhisper	Hearsy
Processing	Local (Whisper)	Local (Whisper + Parakeet)
Privacy	No audio leaves device	No audio leaves device
Offline	Yes	Yes
Free tier	Yes (smaller models, unlimited)	3 dictations/day
Pricing	Free / $8.49/mo / $249 lifetime	$29 one-time
STT engines	Whisper (multiple sizes)	Whisper Large V3 + Parakeet TDT
English latency	~1–2 seconds (Whisper Large)	Under 50ms (Parakeet)
Languages	100+	99 (Whisper) + English (Parakeet)
AI cleanup	Custom modes, bring your own API key	Templates + local Qwen 2.5
Local LLM included	No	Yes (Qwen 2.5 via MLX)
Platform	macOS + iOS + Windows	macOS only

What is SuperWhisper?

SuperWhisper is a Mac (and iOS) dictation app launched in 2023 by developer Neil Chudleigh. Press a hotkey, speak, and text is pasted at your cursor — entirely on-device, via Whisper models running locally.

Version 2.0 added a redesigned interface and deeper customization: custom modes with user-defined prompts, search across recording history, keyboard-accessible model switching, and support for bringing your own API keys for cloud AI post-processing.

SuperWhisper supports 100+ languages and runs on macOS, iOS, and Windows. The free tier uses smaller, faster Whisper models (Tiny, Base, Small). Pro unlocks Large V3 for the most accurate transcription.

What is Hearsy?

Hearsy is a menu-bar dictation app that runs entirely on your Mac. Press a global hotkey from any app, speak, and transcribed text is pasted at your cursor. No internet connection is used during transcription. Audio is processed in local RAM by one of two AI engines: Parakeet TDT for English (under 50ms latency) or Whisper Large V3 for 99 languages. Optional AI cleanup runs locally via Qwen 2.5 by default, with no API call required.

Privacy

SuperWhisper processes audio locally using Whisper — no audio leaves your device during transcription. Both SuperWhisper and Hearsy are equivalent on transcription privacy: nothing is transmitted.

The difference appears in AI cleanup. SuperWhisper uses cloud APIs (GPT-4, Claude) for post-processing, which requires sending text to those providers. Hearsy includes a local LLM (Qwen 2.5 via MLX) that handles cleanup without any network call.

For fully local processing including AI cleanup, Hearsy's bundled local LLM is the more private option.

Speed and latency

Both apps run Whisper locally, so multilingual performance is equivalent at 1–2 seconds per burst.

The difference is in English dictation. SuperWhisper's fastest option is Whisper Large V3 at ~1–2 seconds. Hearsy's Parakeet TDT processes English in under 50ms — a fundamentally different experience where text appears before you've consciously registered the pause.

For multilingual dictation, the speed advantage disappears. Both apps converge on Whisper Large V3 and perform comparably.

The Privacy-First Alternative

100% local processing. No subscription. One-time purchase. Works in every app on your Mac.

Try Hearsy Free View Pricing

Pricing

Plan	SuperWhisper	Hearsy
Free	$0 (Smaller models, unlimited use)	€0 (3 dictations per day)
Pro	$8.49/mo ($84.99/year (~$7.08/mo))	$29 (One-time purchase)
Lifetime	$249 (One-time purchase)	$29 (One-time purchase)
Cost after 1 year	~$102	$29
Cost after 2 years	~$204	$29
Model	Subscription	One-time purchase

Which to choose

Choose SuperWhisper if:

•You want a free tier before paying anything
•You need iOS dictation alongside macOS
•You also use Windows and want one app across platforms
•You want full control over AI cleanup prompts and which AI model handles each mode
•One-second Whisper latency works fine for your dictation volume

Choose Hearsy if:

•You dictate in English at high volume and want the fastest response (Parakeet, under 50ms)
•You prefer $29 one-time pricing with no subscription tiers or feature gating
•You want AI cleanup that works immediately without configuring prompts
•You want a local LLM included — no API keys needed for AI cleanup
•You're on Apple Silicon and want both speed (Parakeet) and multilingual accuracy (Whisper)

Frequently asked questions

Is SuperWhisper free?

SuperWhisper has a free tier with unlimited use of smaller Whisper models (Tiny, Base, Small). Pro costs $8.49/month or $84.99/year. A lifetime license is $249 one-time.

What is the best SuperWhisper alternative?

Hearsy is the closest alternative: both run Whisper locally on your Mac with no audio sent to servers. Hearsy adds the Parakeet engine (under 50ms for English) and multi-template AI cleanup with a bundled local LLM. No subscription — $29 one-time purchase.

Does SuperWhisper work offline?

Yes. SuperWhisper processes audio locally using Whisper models. No internet needed for transcription. Cloud AI features (GPT-4, Claude) require internet, but core dictation is fully offline.

SuperWhisper vs MacWhisper — what's the difference?

SuperWhisper is real-time dictation: press a hotkey, speak, text appears. MacWhisper is file-based transcription: drop in an audio file, get a transcript. Different use cases — SuperWhisper for daily dictation, MacWhisper for batch transcription.

Is SuperWhisper private?

Yes, for transcription. SuperWhisper processes audio locally using Whisper — no audio leaves your device during transcription. Cloud AI post-processing (GPT-4, Claude) requires internet and sends text to those APIs. Hearsy includes a local LLM (Qwen 2.5) so AI cleanup can also be fully local.

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