Best Voice to Text Apps for Mac
Side-by-side comparison of the top Mac dictation and transcription apps. Compare pricing, privacy, offline support, speaker ID, and AI access.
Comparison Table
Prices and features as of July 2026. Check each vendor for current details.
| App | Price | Processing | Offline | Speaker ID | AI-generated text | Platform | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enzo | Free typing / Pro $39 once | Local default; optional cloud AI | Local features after setup | Pro | Local Chat, summaries + drafts (Pro) | Mac | Unlimited voice typing |
| macOS Dictation | Free | Local + Cloud | Partial | No | Mac / iOS | ||
| Wispr Flow | From $12/mo | Cloud | AI rewrites | Cross-platform | |||
| Otter.ai | From $8.33/mo | Cloud | Summaries + follow-ups | Cross-platform | |||
| Granola | Free / Business $14/user/mo | Cloud | Basic | AI notes + Chat | Mac, Win, iOS, Android | ||
| Rev | From $25.49/mo | Cloud | Summaries + assistant | Web + mobile | |||
| Whisper CLI | Free (OSS) | Local | No | Cross-platform | |||
| VoiceInk | From $25 one-time | Local | Custom AI prompts | Mac | |||
| SuperWhisper | $8.49/mo or $249 | Local + Cloud | Basic | Custom AI prompts | Mac, Win, iOS | ||
| MacWhisper | From $69 one-time | Local | Basic | Summaries + prompts | Mac | ||
| Spokenly | Free / $7.99/mo | Local + Cloud | AI text cleanup | Mac + iPhone |
Why Enzo
Enzo is your own AI assistant for Mac. Unlimited voice typing is free. Pro adds meetings, local AI for documents, recordings and your screen, and full retained Recall history for $39 once.
- Fast: up to 120x realtime on Apple Silicon
- Private: Zero network requests for transcription
- Free Solo dictation, with Pro at $39 one-time
- Complete: Solo dictation + Meeting Mode with speaker ID
- Offline: Works without internet after setup
The app behind the table.
Recordings and saved speaker profiles in Speak, as they look in the app.
Just left the standup, remind me to follow up with Marcus about the deploy and grab a room for Thursday's review.
Open any entry to read it back or play the audio.
Bars show how well each voice is known. New voices wait for review.
Detailed Comparisons
How Enzo stacks up against each alternative
Enzo vs macOS Dictation
macOS Dictation is free and built-in, making it the default choice for basic dictation. However, it sends some audio to Apple for processing, lacks meeting support, and has no history or export features.
Enzo Advantages
- Voice typing is transcribed on your Mac
- Meeting Mode with speaker identification
- Searchable history with audio playback
- Reads into Claude, Cursor, and other AI tools (MCP)
- Fast local transcription, tuned for Apple Silicon
macOS Dictation Advantages
- Free and pre-installed on every Mac
- Works across macOS and iOS
- No additional setup required
Enzo vs Wispr Flow
Wispr Flow is a polished cloud dictation app with strong AI editing. Every phrase you dictate is processed on its servers, it does not work offline, and the Pro plan is $15/month (or $12/month billed annually) with a word-capped free tier.
Enzo Advantages
- Local transcription and optional cloud answers
- Works offline
- One-time $39 license vs $144/year
- Meeting transcription with speaker labels
Wispr Flow Advantages
- Windows and iPhone apps
- Deeper AI rewriting of tone and formatting
- Permanent free tier (word-capped)
Enzo vs Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a cloud-based transcription service with real-time collaboration features. It requires an internet connection and a monthly subscription, but offers strong team collaboration tools.
Enzo Advantages
- Local transcription and AI by default
- Works offline, no internet required
- One-time $39 license vs ongoing subscription
- No bot joins your meetings
Otter.ai Advantages
- Real-time collaboration and sharing
- Works on any platform with a browser
- Team features with shared workspaces
Enzo vs Granola
Granola combines meeting notes with Chat, shared folders, and integrations. It captures meetings without a bot and uses cloud transcription and AI providers. See the detailed comparison for official sources and the current review date.
Enzo Advantages
- Local transcription and AI by default
- Works offline, no internet required
- One-time $39 vs an ongoing subscription
- Unlimited free voice typing, with meetings and local AI in Pro
Granola Advantages
- Polished AI-written meeting summaries
- Team workspaces and shared folders
- Integrations with Slack, Notion, and HubSpot
Enzo vs Rev
Rev offers cloud-based transcription with human review options. It targets enterprise users and charges per-seat monthly subscriptions.
Enzo Advantages
- One-time $39 vs from $25.49/month
- Local transcription and AI by default
- Works offline
- No per-seat pricing
Rev Advantages
- Human-reviewed transcription option
- Enterprise-grade collaboration tools
- Cross-platform support
Enzo vs Whisper CLI
OpenAI's Whisper is a free, open-source speech recognition model. It's powerful but requires technical setup (Python, ffmpeg, command line) and lacks a graphical interface.
Enzo Advantages
- Native Mac app — no terminal or Python required
- Meeting Mode with speaker identification
- Searchable history and audio playback
- Optimized for Apple Silicon hardware
- Hotkey-triggered dictation in any app
Whisper CLI Advantages
- Free and open-source
- Works on any platform (Mac, Windows, Linux)
- Customizable with different model sizes
Enzo vs VoiceInk
VoiceInk is a Mac-native local transcription app with a similar privacy focus to Enzo. It uses local processing but lacks meeting transcription and speaker identification.
Enzo Advantages
- Meeting Mode with speaker identification
- Searchable history with audio playback
- Reads into your AI assistant through a local MCP server
- Speaker voice profiles for auto-recognition
VoiceInk Advantages
- Custom AI actions and text formatting
- Supports more whisper model variants
Enzo vs SuperWhisper
SuperWhisper offers local transcription with optional cloud features. It supports Mac, Windows, and iOS but uses a subscription model or high one-time price.
Enzo Advantages
- $39 one-time vs $8.49/mo or $249 lifetime
- Full speaker identification (vs basic separation)
- Local AI included; optional cloud answers with your own key
- Searchable history with audio playback
SuperWhisper Advantages
- iOS companion app
- Multiple Whisper model sizes
- Optional cloud processing for accuracy
Enzo vs MacWhisper
MacWhisper is a Mac-native, on-device app built around transcribing existing audio and video files. It is a one-time purchase like Enzo, with deep batch and export tooling, but it is file-first rather than a live dictation and meeting tool.
Enzo Advantages
- Live dictation into any app at your cursor
- Meeting Mode with a cross-meeting speaker library
- Meeting recording from your Mac, without a bot
- Reads into your AI assistant (MCP)
MacWhisper Advantages
- Deep file and batch transcription workbench
- Export and subtitle formats
- Local or API-based AI summaries
Enzo vs Spokenly
Spokenly is a Mac and iPhone transcription app with both local and cloud processing options. It has a free tier and supports speaker identification.
Enzo Advantages
- $39 one-time vs $7.99/mo subscription
- Local by default, with controls for selected context
- Optimized for Apple Silicon
Spokenly Advantages
- Free tier available
- iPhone companion app
- Both local and cloud processing options
Comparison FAQ
Common questions about choosing a Mac transcription app
Unlimited voice typing, saved recordings and transcripts, playback, search, and tags across all saved days. Live Solo text is free with its optional component. Recall is opt-in and includes today’s full timeline and earlier-day overviews. Starter has no word limit or expiry.
Pro includes meetings with speaker identification, local AI for recordings, documents, your current screen, and Recall, plus summaries, rewritten notes, email drafts, and daily briefs. It adds full retained Recall history and context search. Pro is $39 once for one active Mac, transferable, with future updates included. Optional cloud provider billing is separate.
The 10-day trial starts with intentional use of a Pro feature. Setup and model downloads do not count. No card or account is needed. Voice typing stays free afterward, and saved recordings and generated results remain readable.
Transcription, speaker recognition, and Recall collection run on your Mac. Ask uses Local by default. If you choose DeepSeek Flash with your own API key, your question, recent conversation, and selected text context go directly to DeepSeek. That text can include excerpts from recordings, Recall, documents, and your screen. Raw audio, files, screenshots, and images are not uploaded by that request. Optional web research sends a public query directly to a search provider and retrieves selected sources. License checks, downloads, updates, and optional analytics also use the internet.
Saved recordings stay accessible in Speak across all saved days, including on Starter. Recall is a separate, optional timeline of permitted work context. Starter shows today’s full timeline and earlier-day overviews; Pro adds detailed retained history, context search, and AI. Recall retention is adjustable on every plan and defaults to 30 days.
Still have questions? Get in touch
Try Enzo Free
Starter stays free. Your 10-day Pro trial starts when you first use a Pro feature, not during setup or model downloads.