SuperSpeech vs Superwhisper: Which Is Right for You?
Superwhisper is Mac-first and AI-feature-heavy. SuperSpeech is leaner, cross-platform, and optimized for speed over features.
Superwhisper and SuperSpeech compete directly in the offline Mac dictation space. Both use local ML. The difference is philosophy. Superwhisper piles on AI features — modes, prompts, agents. SuperSpeech keeps the surface area small and moves everything fast. Users tend to prefer one or the other based on whether they want a dictation tool or an AI workflow hub.
Quick verdict
If you want a Swiss Army knife of AI-augmented dictation with modes and prompts and want to stay on Mac: Superwhisper. If you want plain fast dictation with minimal configuration that works on Mac and Windows: SuperSpeech.
Feature philosophy
Superwhisper has modes (email mode, code mode, meeting mode), AI prompts for post-processing, and an agent system. SuperSpeech has transcription, grammar cleanup, and custom dictionary — and nothing else in the critical path. This keeps latency low and the learning curve flat.
Speed
Both are fast, but SuperSpeech with Parakeet-TDT has a ~2-3x realtime factor advantage over Superwhisper with Whisper-large. For bursty dictation, this is barely noticeable. For transcribing meeting recordings, it adds up.
Platforms
Superwhisper is Mac-only. SuperSpeech runs on Mac and Windows with feature parity. For most people with only a Mac, this does not matter. For teams mixing OSes, SuperSpeech is the only option.
Privacy
Both run locally. Superwhisper does have optional cloud AI features (post-processing with GPT-4 etc.) which upload text when enabled. SuperSpeech keeps even the grammar correction LLM local by default.
Feature comparison
| Feature | SuperSpeech | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Offline ASR | Yes | Yes |
| Mac support | Yes | Yes |
| Windows support | Yes | No |
| Dictation modes (email, code, etc.) | No (via dictionary) | Yes |
| AI prompts for post-processing | Via local LLM only | Local + cloud options |
| Model | Parakeet-TDT-0.6B | Whisper variants |
| Realtime factor | ~166x | ~60-80x |
| Latency (30s audio) | <1s | ~1-2s |
| Custom dictionary | Yes | Yes |
| Grammar correction LLM | Local (Llama 3.2) | Optional cloud LLM |
| Pricing | $9.99/mo or $179 lifetime | $8.49/mo or tiers |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which has better dictation accuracy?
Roughly comparable on English. SuperSpeech edges ahead on German, French, Spanish, Italian due to Parakeet multilingual training. Superwhisper may edge ahead on rare languages.
Does Superwhisper work offline?
Core transcription is offline. AI post-processing features can be either local or cloud-based depending on configuration.
Do I need modes for different writing contexts?
Some users love modes. Others find them overhead. SuperSpeech uses custom dictionary entries instead of modes — less switching, same effect.
Which is lighter on resources?
SuperSpeech idles at ~100MB RAM vs Superwhisper around 150-200MB. Active dictation: SuperSpeech ~500MB with model loaded, Superwhisper similar.
Can I try both?
Yes. Both offer trials. Try Superwhisper first if you love AI modes. Try SuperSpeech if you want speed and simplicity.
Lean dictation, no AI overhead
SuperSpeech focuses on fast, accurate dictation. 30-day refund.