COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

Aqua Voice vs Superwhisper: the honest comparison.

Aqua Voice is the simpler polished dictation app. Superwhisper is broader and more private, with local models, BYOK, files, and basic meeting recording. Ottex is our tool: Mac/iOS-first, built to turn dictation and meetings into finished work.

Ottex

Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

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 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.

Aqua Voice

Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $8/mo

Aqua Voice is a polished system-wide dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iOS, with 49 languages and strong formatting controls, but it is not a meeting recorder or file transcription tool and dictation is processed server-side.

Choose if

You want fast, system-wide voice dictation across Mac, Windows, or iOS for everyday writing.
You want dictated text cleaned up automatically with punctuation, paragraphs, filler-word removal, snippets, custom vocabulary, and tone rules.
You are comfortable paying $10/month or $96/year after the 1,000-word trial, which is only about 8 minutes of speech.

Look elsewhere if

You need meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, or calendar-based meeting workflows.
You need audio or video file transcription with timestamps, speaker labels, exports, batch processing, or watch folders.

Superwhisper

Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $7/mo · $249.99 one-time

Superwhisper is a strong pick if you want private, system-wide dictation with local processing, 100+ languages, and a reasonably priced Pro plan, but it is less convincing as a full meeting-workflow system because calendar capture, shared w

Choose if

You want system-wide voice-to-text in native macOS, Windows, or iOS apps rather than a browser-first workflow.
You care about privacy: local transcription, no Superwhisper server retention, no AI training on user data, and BYO API keys are all publicly claimed.
You want dictation plus basic meeting recording in one personal tool, with Pro at $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 once.

Look elsewhere if

You need a mature team meeting hub with calendar integration, shared workspaces, cross-meeting search, CRM updates, or automatic follow-up drafts.
You need Android, Linux, or a browser extension as a primary platform; those are not publicly claimed in the dossier.

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

Superwhisper wins the subscription math: $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, or $249.99 one-time beats Aqua Voice at $10/mo or $96/yr. Aqua Voice's 1,000-word free trial is only about 8 minutes of speech, while Superwhisper gives 15 minutes of Pro recording. Ottex wins the real free path on Mac/iOS with free local AI or your own key, plus $0.20/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team.

See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Aqua Voice	Superwhisper
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	Partial1,000 free words, no card required	PartialPro features for 15 minutes of recording for free; free tier available forever
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	$8/moFAQ says Pro is $8/month billed annually after the free words.	$7/moAnnual Pro is listed as $84.99/year.
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).	NoSubscription only	$249.99 one-timeAll Pro billing options include the same features and work on all platforms.
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	No public claim	YesPro includes use of your own AI API keys.
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesStudents with a .edu email get 70% off annual plans.	YesThe pricing section advertises 40% off for students.

Platforms

Aqua Voice and Superwhisper tie on stated OS coverage with Mac, Windows, and iOS, so either is safer than Ottex if Windows matters. Ottex is Mac and iOS only, which is narrower, but it is the natural fit if Apple devices are enough and you want dictation, files, and meetings in one app.

See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Aqua Voice	Superwhisper
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac, Windows, iOS	Mac, Windows, iOS
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	No public claim	YesVendor distributes platform-specific macOS, Windows, and iOS apps.

Meetings & team memory

Superwhisper is the only compared tool here with meeting support: Aqua Voice has no meetings, while Superwhisper includes basic meeting recording alongside dictation and file transcription. Ottex also supports meetings, and it is the stronger choice if the capture needs to feed finished follow-ups, CRM updates, tickets, PRDs, or docs instead of staying as a personal transcript.

See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Aqua Voice	Superwhisper
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	NoNot supported.	YesMeeting Mode records meeting audio and produces summaries with action items.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	NoNot supported.	YesDocs describe local recording by starting Superwhisper rather than adding a meeting bot.
Speaker separation	Yes	NoNot supported.	YesSpeaker separation can be enabled in Advanced Settings.
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	NoNot supported.	No public claim
Cross-meeting search	Yes	NoNot supported.	No public claim
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	NoNot supported.	No public claim

From meeting to finished work

Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it explicitly turns dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, docs, and notes. Superwhisper can cover dictation, files, and basic meeting recording, but it is not positioned as a mature team meeting hub with shared workspaces, calendar capture, cross-meeting search, CRM updates, or automatic follow-up drafts. Aqua Voice does not compete in

See the evidence — 9 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Aqua Voice	Superwhisper
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	NoNot supported.	YesMeeting Mode highlights key decisions.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	NoNot supported.	No public claim
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	NoNot supported.	No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	NoNot supported.	No public claim

Dictation & transcription AI

Superwhisper beats Aqua Voice on dictation AI depth because it supports local processing, BYO API keys, file transcription, and 100+ languages, while Aqua Voice has 49 languages, no local option, no BYOK, and no file transcription. Ottex matches the 100+ language and local/BYOK story, adds file transcription and per-app output rules, but loses to both if you need Windows.

See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Aqua Voice	Superwhisper
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Avalon proprietary speech modelAqua says it runs on its own Avalon speech model.	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.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	NoAqua requires an internet connection and processes audio server-side.	YesVendor says offline speech recognition runs on Mac, Windows, and iOS with no upload.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	No public claim	YesUsers can pick voice models and select cloud or local AI models during setup.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	Yes49+ languages · Language guide says Aqua supports multilingual speakers.	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	PartialAqua formats for the destination app, but no per-app rule editor is documented.	No public claim

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

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

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

Aqua VoicePro Annual$264/yr$96 + $168FAQ says Pro is $8/month billed annually after the free words. · Unlimited use

Aqua VoicePro Monthly$288/yr$120 + $168A vendor comparison page lists Pro at $10/month. · Unlimited use

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 Jun 2026.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

Aqua Voice vs Superwhisper: which should I pick?

Pick Superwhisper for most buyers because it adds local processing, BYOK, file transcription, basic meetings, 100+ languages, and a lower $84.99/yr Pro plan. Pick Aqua Voice if you mainly want polished system-wide dictation on Mac, Windows, or iOS and prefer its cleanup controls at $96/yr.

Is Aqua Voice free?

Aqua Voice has a free trial with 1,000 words, which is only about 8 minutes of dictation at normal speech speed. After that, Pro is $10/mo or $96/yr. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local models or your own key on Mac/iOS.

Is Superwhisper free?

Superwhisper has a forever free tier, but the Pro-feature allowance is 15 minutes of recording, so it is a trial-sized way to test the product. Serious use points to Pro at $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, or $249.99 once. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local models or your own key on Mac/iOS.

How much does Aqua Voice cost compared with Superwhisper?

Aqua Voice costs $10/mo or $96/yr for unlimited use after its 1,000-word trial. Superwhisper is cheaper at $8.49/mo or $84.99/yr, and it also offers a $249.99 lifetime license with unlimited Cloud and Local AI models.

Is Aqua Voice safe compared with Superwhisper?

Superwhisper is the better privacy pick because it claims local transcription, no Superwhisper server retention, no AI training on user data, and BYO API keys. Aqua Voice is processed server-side, so choose it for convenience and dictation polish rather than maximum privacy.

Is it worth switching from Aqua Voice to Superwhisper?

Yes, if you want local AI, BYOK, file transcription, basic meeting recording, 100+ languages, or lower annual pricing. Stay with Aqua Voice if your workflow is just fast system-wide dictation and its 49-language coverage and formatting controls already fit.

Does Aqua Voice or Superwhisper work on Windows or Android?

Aqua Voice and Superwhisper both state support for Mac, Windows, and iOS. Neither dossier claims Android, Linux, web, or a browser extension as a primary platform, so Android users should not pick either from these facts.

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