CHOOSE BY THE REASON YOU ARE LEAVING.Every claim sourced · verified Aug 2026

Find the right Superwhisper alternative.

Superwhisper remains strong for private dictation on Mac, Windows, and iOS. The better replacement depends on whether you need finished meeting work, Android support, lower costs, or a simpler Mac tool.

What's pushing you to look? Pick one — the page reorders around it.

The evidence

What actually differs, claim by claim.

Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.

Pricing

Vowen has the strongest pay-once value at $49 for unlimited meetings and file transcription, while QuickWhisper follows at $59 for a local Mac transcription workbench. Ottex offers the most flexible model: unlimited local or BYOK use for free, $0.20 per hour through its provider, or $14 per month. Superwhisper remains reasonably priced at $84.99 per year, but its free allowance is only 15 minutes of Pro recording and is a trial rather than a lasting workload.

See the evidence — 26 claims across 6 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	Superwhisper	QuickWhisper	Vowen	Wispr Flow	Granola
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	PartialPro features for 15 minutes of recording for free; free tier available forever	PartialTiny and Base Models; free transcription of audio and video files using the Tiny and Base models, with no limitations.	PartialUnlimited voice dictation; 10 audio/video transcriptions; 5 hours total meeting notes recording; 5 Command Mode calls per day; 1 custom tone; 1 text expansion; 1 custom API integration.	Partial2,000 words (soft cap) and 5,000 words (hard cap) per week on desktop; 1,000 words (soft cap) and 1,500 words (hard cap) on iOS; unlimited on Android; weekly meeting limit not numerically published	Partial25 meetings/month
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	$7/moAnnual Pro is listed as $84.99/year.	NoNo subscription plan	NoNo subscription plan	$7.5/moThis is discounted Flow Pro pricing for eligible students.	$18/moBusiness is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).	$249.99 one-timeAll Pro billing options include the same features and work on all platforms.	$59 one-timePay-once use forever.	$49 one-timeLifetime updates	NoSubscription only	NoSubscription only
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesPro includes use of your own AI API keys.	YesChangelog lists adding existing API keys for cloud transcription providers and AI models.	YesCloud transcription and AI enhancement use user-provided provider keys.	NoNot supported	No public claim
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesThe pricing section advertises 40% off for students.	No public claim	No public claim	YesStudents and educators with an education email receive 50% off Flow Pro.	No public claim

Platforms

Wispr Flow has the broadest replacement coverage with Mac, Windows, iOS, and a shipped Android beta, although its meeting feature is unavailable on Android. Superwhisper provides native platform-specific apps for Mac, Windows, and iOS, while its web presence is limited and it has no claimed Android app. Ottex is Apple-only, and QuickWhisper is primarily a Mac product with conflicting public evidence about iOS availability.

See the evidence — 10 claims across 6 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	Superwhisper	QuickWhisper	Vowen	Wispr Flow	Granola
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac, Windows, iOS	Mac	Mac, WindowsSome platforms in beta/waitlist	Mac, Windows, iOSSome platforms in beta/waitlist	Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesVendor distributes platform-specific macOS, Windows, and iOS apps.	YesQuickWhisper is distributed as a macOS app through direct download, App Store, GitHub, and Homebrew.	No public claim	YesWispr describes its macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android clients as native apps.	No public claim

Meetings & team memory

Granola is the strongest choice for polished bot-free capture and shared team memory across desktop and mobile access, while Ottex combines bot-free meetings with everyday dictation. QuickWhisper is the local Mac specialist, offering bot-free recording and speaker diarization for $59 once. Superwhisper records system audio without a meeting bot and supports speaker separation, but it lacks claimed calendar detection and a shared workspace.

See the evidence — 27 claims across 6 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	Superwhisper	QuickWhisper	Vowen	Wispr Flow	Granola
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	YesMeeting Mode records meeting audio and produces summaries with action items.	YesVendor lists recording meetings in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and others.	YesVowen captures meetings from Zoom, Teams, Meet, Slack Huddles, or any app that produces sound.	PartialNotetaker records meetings and voice memos on Mac only and is unavailable to Enterprise organizations.	YesGranola records and transcribes meetings without joining as a bot.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	YesDocs describe local recording by starting Superwhisper rather than adding a meeting bot.	YesVendor says meetings are recorded without bots joining calls.	YesSilent meeting capture records without a bot or banner.	YesRecording happens on the user's device without a bot joining the call.	YesGranola does not send a bot to meetings.
Speaker separation	Yes	YesSpeaker separation can be enabled in Advanced Settings.	YesVendor lists global speakers and speaker filtering across history.	PartialSpeaker identification is a Pro feature.	YesThe refined transcript separates speakers and supports assigning or renaming speaker labels.	No public claim
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	No public claim	No public claim	PartialAuto-detect meetings is a Pro feature.	YesMac Notetaker detects calls and can show a recording prompt automatically.	YesGranola surfaces calendar events and can start notes from upcoming meetings.
Cross-meeting search	Yes	No public claim	YesChangelog lists related transcriptions and semantic search across History.	No public claim	YesThe remote MCP server lets compatible AI clients search summaries, notes, and transcripts across meetings.	YesAsk Granola can answer across past meetings.
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	No public claim	No public claim	No public claim	No public claim	YesBusiness workspaces include shared notes and folders for teams.

From meeting to finished work

Ottex wins when the meeting needs to become a follow-up email, CRM update, ticket, PRD, or project document rather than stop at notes. Granola is stronger for reusable prompts, action items, follow-up emails, cross-meeting questions, and shared team memory. Hedy is the surprise for live guidance, adding questions, blind-spot alerts, and talking points during meetings, whereas Superwhisper does not claim live coaching or finished follow-up drafts.

See the evidence — 16 claims across 6 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	Superwhisper	Vowen	Wispr Flow	Granola	Alter
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	YesMeeting Mode highlights key decisions.	YesChat with meetings can surface decisions.	YesMeeting summaries include decisions made during the meeting.	YesGranola can extract decisions from meetings through templates and AI notes.	YesDocs list extracting decisions from meetings.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	No public claim	YesMeeting chat can surface follow-ups.	No public claim	YesRecipes can generate follow-up emails from meetings.	YesDocs list a follow-up email draft based on a meeting as a common prompt.
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	No public claim	No public claim	No public claim	YesGranola lists Attio as an integration for sending meeting notes to CRM records.	PartialMeetings page says summaries and action items can be pushed to CRM or project management tools after meetings.
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	No public claim	PartialCustom note instructions are Pro-only.	No public claim	YesUser notes are used to guide the generated meeting notes.	No public claim

Dictation & transcription AI

Superwhisper remains competitive with local and cloud voice models, user-connected API tokens, automatic language detection, and more than 100 languages. Ottex adds unlimited local or BYOK paths, Whisper and Parakeet options, mixed-language speech, and per-app output rules across Mac and iOS. Vowen brings local Whisper or Parakeet dictation to both Mac and Windows with 99-language support, while its mobile apps remain unshipped.

See the evidence — 21 claims across 6 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	Superwhisper	QuickWhisper	Vowen	Wispr Flow	Granola
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Local voice models, cloud voice models, Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, and user-connected API tokensDocs describe local and cloud voice models and cloud language models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Groq.	Whisper, Qwen 3 ASR, Nvidia Parakeet 110M, Nvidia Nemotron, Mistral Voxtral Mini, cloud providers OpenAI, Google, DeepGram, ElevenLabs, and GroqVendor changelog lists local voice model additions and cloud transcription providers.	Local Whisper and Parakeet; cloud models from Groq, Deepgram, AssemblyAI, ElevenLabs, Mistral, Soniox, and moreThe docs say users can choose from 10+ engines.	Wispr cloud voice-to-text engineEvery plan uses the same cloud-hosted voice-to-text engine.	No public claim
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesVendor says offline speech recognition runs on Mac, Windows, and iOS with no upload.	YesVendor says all transcriptions are processed and stored locally on the machine.	YesLocal Whisper and Parakeet run offline on the device.	NoFlow requires an internet connection for voice transcription.	NoGranola states it requires an internet connection to transcribe and generate notes.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesUsers can pick voice models and select cloud or local AI models during setup.	YesVendor lists Whisper settings, custom GGML model import, and selectable local/cloud models.	YesUsers can pick and switch transcription engines.	No public claim	No public claim
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	No public claim	No public claim	Partial100+ languages · Code-switching works best with one primary language and occasional foreign words; rapid mid-sentence switching is unsupported.	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	No public claim	No public claim	YesPer-app writing styles are listed in the docs.	YesUsers can set styles by destination category: Personal message, Work messages, Email, and Other.	NoNot supported

The short answer

OttexMac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

Try Ottex for free

Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.

Choose Ottex if

You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules

Look elsewhere if

You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.

Cost

What a year actually costs at your volume.

Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

Wispr FlowStudent$72/yrThis is discounted Flow Pro pricing for eligible students. · Unlimited dictations; paid-plan meeting allowance not numerically published

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

Wispr FlowFlow Pro$144/yrNotetaker is included at no extra cost but is being rolled out gradually. · Unlimited dictations; higher weekly meeting limit, exact number not published

OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.

GranolaBusiness$312/yr$168 + $144Business is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually. · Unlimited meetings

Wispr FlowBusiness$456/yr$288 + $168The published price is per seat, and some business-plan accounts may not have Notetaker access. · Unlimited dictations; Notetaker availability varies by business account

Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG uses hosted at-cost estimates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings); BYOK is estimated at about a third of that because you pay the model provider directly. Bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Aug 2026.

The field

All 7 tools, one line each.

The honest one-liner we'd give a friend for each. Select 2–4 and compare them side by side.

Ottex

Mac, iOS

Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

Best when: You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs

Superwhisper

Mac, Windows, iOS

Limited free · $7/mo · $249.99 one-time

Best when: You want system-wide voice-to-text in native macOS, Windows, or iOS apps rather than a browser-first workflow.

QuickWhisper

Mac

Limited free · $59 one-time

Best when: You want local-first dictation, file transcription, and bot-free meeting recording on macOS 14.6+ with Apple Silicon.

Vowen

Mac, Windows

Limited free · $49 one-time

Best when: You want offline-capable dictation and transcription on Mac or Windows with local Whisper/Parakeet plus optional cloud engines.

Wispr Flow

Mac, Windows, iOS

Limited free · $7.5/mo

Best when: You want polished system-wide dictation across macOS, Windows, iPhone, and beta Android.

Granola

Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Limited free · $18/mo

Best when: You want bot-free meeting capture that records from your mic and computer audio without joining calls.

Alter

Mac

Limited free · $2/mo · $720 one-time

Best when: You want a Mac app that publicly positions itself around writing by voice in other apps.

Pick 2–4 tools, then compare.

Switching

Move from Superwhisper in about 10 minutes.

Nothing breaks: both apps can run side by side while you decide.

1
Download Ottex and dictate right away2 min
Free out of the box: local models or the included starter credits, no card. Press the hotkey and speak — the default experience is deliberately close to Superwhisper. Keep Superwhisper installed; they coexist fine.
2
Move your hotkey — or run both1 min
Set Ottex to the key you already press by muscle memory, or give it its own shortcut while you compare output side by side.
3
Bring your dictionary3 min
If Superwhisper keeps a custom dictionary or replacement rules, copy those words into Ottex's personal dictionary and glossaries — names and jargon survive the move.
4
Pick where AI runs2 min
Defaults just work on starter credits. When you care, switch per task: local Whisper or Parakeet v3 for on-device privacy, your own key for control, or hosted routing at cost.
5
Add per-app rules and meetings when ready5 min
Set exact text for AI chats, polished email, structured tickets. Then record one low-stakes call and check the follow-up, CRM update, and ticket drafts.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

What is Superwhisper?

Superwhisper is a system-wide voice dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iOS that also records meetings and transcribes audio or video files. It fits people who want local speech recognition, AI formatting, and more than 100 languages in one personal tool.

Is Superwhisper free?

Superwhisper has a permanent free tier with voice-to-text, meeting recording, more than 100 languages, small AI models, and custom prompts. Its trial of Pro features is limited to 15 minutes of recording, so it is useful for evaluation rather than sustained Pro use.

How much does Superwhisper cost?

Superwhisper Pro costs $8.49 per month, $84.99 per year, or $249.99 once. Cheaper alternatives include Vowen at $49 once, QuickWhisper at $59 once, and Ottex with unlimited local use for free or provider processing at $0.20 per hour.

What is the best free alternative to Superwhisper?

Ottex is the strongest full replacement with unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac, plus a free BYOK path. Vowen also provides unlimited free dictation on Mac and Windows, but its free meeting allowance is capped at five total hours and file transcription at 10 files.

Does Superwhisper work on Windows or Android?

Superwhisper supports Windows 10 or later on x64 and ARM64, but no Android app is publicly claimed. Wispr Flow has a shipped Android dictation beta, while Vowen supports Windows with local processing but lists Android only as coming soon.

Does Superwhisper work offline?

Yes, Superwhisper says offline speech recognition runs locally on Mac, Windows, and iOS without uploading audio. QuickWhisper offers a similarly local Mac workflow, while Vowen extends local Whisper or Parakeet processing to Mac and Windows.

Download Ottex and dictate right away2 min

Move your hotkey — or run both1 min

Bring your dictionary3 min

Pick where AI runs2 min

Add per-app rules and meetings when ready5 min