Sayburst vs Wispr Flow: local dictation or a cloud subscription?

Wispr Flow and Sayburst do the same everyday job: hold a key, talk, and clean text appears in whatever app you're using. The difference is where your voice goes and how you pay. If you write on a Mac and want your speech processed on your own machine for a one-time $29, pick Sayburst. If you dictate on Windows or your phone too, or your company needs team admin and compliance, Wispr Flow is the better fit.

We make Sayburst, so we're not neutral. Wispr Flow facts come from wisprflow.ai/pricing, its data controls page and its help center, checked October 31, 2026.

#Side by side

#Where your voice goes

Wispr is direct about it: "Transcription always occurs on the cloud." Every dictation is uploaded, processed on Wispr's servers and sent back. Its help docs say Flow doesn't work offline; on Mac and Windows it saves the audio for a retry if transcription fails, but a new dictation can't start without a connection. Wispr also uses the name of the app you're dictating into and the surrounding text box content, and an optional Context Awareness setting can use text from the active window. Wispr says it keeps zero-data-retention agreements with its AI providers. Our Wispr Flow privacy explainer covers the detail.

Sayburst runs the speech model on your Mac. After a one-time model download, you can turn off Wi-Fi and keep dictating; audio is never uploaded. Cleanup runs on the Mac too, including the optional Sayburst Writer model. Context (selected text, clipboard, window text) is off by default. If you want a cloud writer, you add your own OpenAI, Anthropic or other key, and Sayburst shows exactly what text will be sent before you turn it on.

#What you pay

Billed monthly, Pro is $180 a year. Wispr's free plan lets you dictate about 2,000 words a week on Mac and Windows before warning you, and blocks new dictations above 5,000. Students and educators get 50% off Pro. Sayburst is $29 for one Mac or $49 for up to three, once, including every 1.x update, with a 7-day trial and no card. The full breakdown of Wispr's plans is in Wispr Flow pricing.

There's no subscription for Sayburst because there's no server doing the transcription. Your Mac is the server.

#Day to day

Both apps are built around the same loop. With Sayburst you hold fn (or right Option, right Command, a mouse button, or any shortcut), talk, and let go. Tap fn once for hands-free on longer stretches. A small overlay shows your words as you speak, and the finished text is inserted when you stop.

Here's a prompt dictated into ChatGPT:

"okay so, um, I need a packing list for a three day trip to Lisbon in, in March, we'll be walking a lot and, uh, there's one nice dinner, keep it short"

What Sayburst types:

I need a packing list for a three-day trip to Lisbon in March. We'll be walking a lot, and there's one nice dinner. Keep it short.

Fillers and the repeated "in" are gone, and the punctuation makes it read like you typed it. More on this in dictating AI prompts.

Set a writing mode per app (Email for Mail, Message for Slack with auto-send if you like, Notes for bullets) and Sayburst formats each one the right way. Add names and jargon to the vocabulary, and if text can't be inserted because you switched windows, Sayburst keeps it; ⌃⌥⌘V pastes your last dictation anywhere.

#Speed

Sayburst's default model, Parakeet v3, runs on the Neural Engine. In our benchmark on an M4 Max with clean read English, it transcribed a dictation in a median 82 ms with a 0.46% word error rate. There's no network round trip, so speed doesn't depend on your Wi-Fi. Wispr's speed depends on your connection and its servers; we haven't measured it, so we won't quote a number.

#Where Wispr Flow is better

• Every platform. One account on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. If you dictate on your phone as much as your laptop, this matters more than anything else on this page.
• Teams and compliance. Team workspaces, shared dictionaries and snippets, SAML SSO, admin controls, and HIPAA enforcement with a signed BAA on Growth. Wispr lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
• Meeting notes. Notetaker records and summarizes meetings on Mac and Windows.
• Nothing to download. No models on your disk and no chip requirements; any supported device with a connection works.

#Where Sayburst is better

• Your voice stays on your Mac, and dictation works offline.
• Paid once, with no word caps and no renewal.
• No account to create or sign into.
• AI rewriting on the Mac, with a rule that it never changes a number you said.

If neither fits, see Wispr Flow alternatives or Superwhisper vs Wispr Flow. Every comparison we've written is on the compare page.

Our take

If you write on a Mac and care where your voice goes, Sayburst does the core job (hold, talk, clean text) on your own machine, offline, for $29 once. If you need dictation on Windows and phones under one account, or your company needs SSO and a BAA, Wispr Flow is the better fit.

Questions people ask

Does Wispr Flow work offline?

No. Wispr's data-controls page says transcription always occurs on the cloud, and its help docs say a new dictation can't start without a connection. Sayburst transcribes on your Mac and works with Wi-Fi off once its model is downloaded.

Is Sayburst cheaper than Wispr Flow?

Over time, yes. Sayburst is $29 once for one Mac. Wispr Flow Pro is $15 a month, or $144 a year billed annually, and its free plan has a weekly word cap.

Which is better for Windows or iPhone?

Wispr Flow. It runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android with one account. Sayburst runs only on Apple silicon Macs.

Do I need an account for Sayburst or Wispr Flow?

Wispr Flow needs an account and signing in needs the internet. Sayburst doesn't need an account: you buy a license and activate it on your Mac.

Which is better for teams?

Wispr Flow. It has team workspaces, shared dictionaries, SSO, admin controls and HIPAA options with a signed BAA on its Growth plan. Sayburst has no team or admin plan.