Superwhisper vs Wispr Flow (2026): price, privacy and which to pick

Pick Superwhisper if you want your voice transcribed on your Mac, offline use, and a lower price (including a one-time lifetime license). Pick Wispr Flow if you want polished formatting with almost nothing to configure and you're comfortable with every dictation going to Wispr's servers. Both run on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, so platforms won't decide it for you.

That's the whole comparison in two sentences. The rest of this page is the detail behind it, plus a third option if you only dictate on a Mac. We make Sayburst, which is that third option, so weigh our view accordingly. Everything about Superwhisper and Wispr Flow below comes from superwhisper.com, Wispr's pricing page and Wispr's help center, checked October 31, 2026.

#At a glance

#Price

Superwhisper costs less at every level. The free tier is genuinely usable: unlimited dictation with its Whisper models, which run on your Mac. Pro is $8.49 a month or $84.99 a year, and a $249.99 lifetime license ends the payments. Pro adds cloud and local AI models, your own API keys, translation into English, and audio and video file transcription. You can try Pro free for 3,000 words, and Superwhisper offers a 30-day refund on all plans. Students get 40% off.

Wispr Flow Pro is $15 a month, or $144 a year (works out to $12 a month). There's no lifetime option. Teams can move up to Growth at $23 a user per month, or $18 billed yearly, which adds SSO and admin controls; Growth with the meeting Notetaker is $33, or $26 yearly. Our Wispr Flow pricing breakdown has every plan.

Over three years on yearly billing:

If you're sure you'll still be dictating in three years, Superwhisper's lifetime license pays for itself against its own yearly plan around then, and against Wispr Flow much sooner.

#Privacy

This is the real fork in the road.

• Wispr Flow says plainly on its data controls page: "Transcription always occurs on the cloud." It always uses the name of the app you're in and the contents of the text box you're dictating into to decide formatting. An optional Context Awareness setting can also use relevant text from the active window. A setting called "Improve the model for everyone" decides whether your audio, transcripts and edits can be used for training; check it if that matters to you. Our Wispr Flow privacy explainer goes through each setting.
• Superwhisper lets you choose local models that transcribe on your Mac, so your audio doesn't have to leave it. Cloud models are there on Pro if you want their extra speed or formatting. The trade-off is that you have to know which one a given mode is using.

If you write anything you'd rather not upload (client notes, HR matters, unannounced plans), that difference matters more than any feature below.

#Offline

Superwhisper's local models work on a plane or a dead hotel Wi-Fi. Its own FAQ adds a caveat: offline models only run really well on Apple silicon Macs, and Intel Macs do best with cloud models.

Wispr Flow needs a connection for every dictation. No connection, no text.

#Features and feel

Wispr Flow is built to need no setup. You hold a key, talk, and it formats for you: fillers gone, self-corrections resolved, punctuation added. It has a Dictionary for names and jargon, snippets, and Styles. Command Mode lets you edit selected text or draft a reply by voice on Mac and Windows; it's off by default and lives under Settings → Experimental. Wispr's help center says it can't transcribe audio files you upload; it works on live speech only.

Superwhisper is built around modes: Voice, Message, Email, plus custom modes with your own instructions and tone presets like Formal, Casual and Legal. Super Mode adapts to what's on your screen. Vocabulary, custom shortcuts and push-to-talk are there. You get more control and more to configure.

Both support 100+ languages and both have a meeting recorder.

#Which should you pick?

• Pick Superwhisper if privacy or offline use matters, if you like tuning modes, or if you'd rather pay once with the lifetime license.
• Pick Wispr Flow if you want the least setup and the most hands-off formatting, your team needs SSO and admin controls, and the cloud is fine with you.
• Use either if you need dictation on Windows or Android as well as your Mac. Sayburst, below, is Mac-only.

#A third option: Sayburst

If you dictate on a Mac and mostly want to hold a key, talk, and get clean text in whatever app you're in, Sayburst does that for $29 once (or $49 for three Macs), with no subscription.

• Local by default and only. Speech recognition runs on your Mac with Parakeet or Whisper. Sayburst never uploads your audio, and once the model is downloaded you can turn Wi-Fi off.
• Cleanup without an account or API key. Fillers, repeats, capitals and punctuation are handled on the Mac. The optional Sayburst Writer, a small AI model that also runs on your Mac, resolves changed minds and lays out emails.
• Modes per app. Email for Mail, Message for Slack, Notes for bullets, chosen automatically by the app you're in.

Here's a status update said into Slack, the way people talk:

"hey so the, the staging deploy is done, um, QA can start on Thursday, actually no, Friday morning because Priya's out"

What Sayburst Writer posts in Message mode:

Hey, the staging deploy is done. QA can start on Friday morning because Priya's out

The filler and the repeated "the" are gone, Thursday became Friday, and there's no forced full stop at the end. The trade-offs are honest ones: no Windows, iPhone or Android app, no meeting recorder, and it needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later. If those matter, stay with Superwhisper or Wispr Flow. Head to head: Sayburst vs Superwhisper and Sayburst vs Wispr Flow.

Our take

Superwhisper beats Wispr Flow on price, privacy and offline use, and its free plan is the more generous of the two. Wispr Flow wins if you want zero setup, team admin features, and don't mind the cloud. If you only dictate on a Mac, Sayburst gives you local transcription and per-app cleanup for a one-time $29. More matchups on our comparisons page, or see every Wispr Flow alternative.

Questions people ask

Is Superwhisper better than Wispr Flow?

For privacy, offline use and price, yes: Superwhisper can transcribe on your Mac and costs less. Wispr Flow is the easier pick if you want polished cloud formatting with almost no setup and don't mind every dictation going to its servers.

Which is cheaper, Superwhisper or Wispr Flow?

Superwhisper. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 for a lifetime license. Wispr Flow Pro is $15 a month or $144 a year, with no lifetime option.

Does Wispr Flow work offline?

No. Wispr's data controls page says transcription always occurs in the cloud. Superwhisper's local Whisper models work with no internet, and they're included in its free plan.

Do both have a free plan?

Yes. Superwhisper Free includes unlimited use of its Whisper models. Wispr Flow Free gives a 2,000-word weekly allowance on Mac and Windows, after which it slows down, with a hard stop at 5,000 words.

Wispr Flow vs Superwhisper on Reddit: what's the real difference?

Strip away the opinions and it comes down to where your speech is processed. Superwhisper can keep it on your Mac and charges less; Wispr Flow always uses the cloud and asks for less configuration.