MacWhisper

MacWhisper: On-device transcription and dictation for Mac

MacWhisper is a Mac app that transcribes audio and video files, records online meetings and adds system-wide dictation, using local models such as Whisper, Parakeet and Qwen so audio can stay on the device. Transcripts can be searched, edited, summarized with AI and exported as subtitles, documents or structured text files.

Key Features

• Drag and drop transcription: Accepts mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov and mp4 files, plus YouTube videos, podcasts and audio captured from any app on the Mac.
• Meeting recording: Records Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype, Chime and Discord calls in the background without a bot joining, with automatic meeting start and end detection.
• System-wide dictation: Whisper-based dictation works in any app, and Pro adds automatic spelling and grammar improvement, dictation with AI prompts and app-specific prompts.
• Local and cloud models: Transcription runs on the device with Whisper, Parakeet and Qwen3-ASR models. Cloud transcription through OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, Groq or Gladia is optional.
• Speaker recognition: Distinguishes and labels speakers, with diarization powered by NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Diarization in Pro.
• Editor and search: A built-in editor, full text and speaker search, audio and video playback synced to the transcript, and automatic removal of filler words.
• Exports: Exports .srt and .vtt subtitles as well as csv, docx, pdf, markdown and html files, with custom export formats.
• AI on transcripts: Summaries, chat and custom prompts using your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, Azure, Deepseek or OpenRouter, or local models through Ollama and LM Studio.
• Automation: Watched folders, batch transcription, a command line interface for scripts and AI agents, and forwarding to Notion, Zapier, Obsidian, n8n, Make.com or a custom webhook.

Use Cases

• Interviews and sensitive audio: Local models keep confidential recordings on the Mac during transcription.
• Lectures and study: Lectures, voice memos and online videos become searchable text.
• Video and podcasts: Subtitles in .srt and .vtt with translation, and podcast transcripts with each host detected.
• Organisations: Multi-license packs and deployment through MDM providers such as JAMF.

Pricing

MacWhisper has a free version. MacWhisper Pro is a one-time payment per license with lifetime updates and no subscription, sold through Gumroad, with packs of 5, 10, 20 and 50 licenses. Journalists, students and non-profits can ask for 25% off.

Getting Started

• Website: macwhisper.com
• Download and purchase: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper
• Documentation: macwhisper.helpscoutdocs.com

MacWhisper suits Mac users who transcribe interviews, lectures, meetings or video and want local models, flexible exports and dictation in a single app.