Comparison · Checked
A Superwhisper alternative with the fast local engine included.
Superwhisper is a capable dictation app with a real free plan: unlimited dictation with local Whisper models. Its fastest local models, its cloud models and its AI modes are part of Pro. Yap does one thing: it recognizes speech on your computer with a Parakeet engine (on Macs with macOS 14 or later, Windows PCs and phones) on its one plan, and has no cloud option at all. Here’s how they compare, and when Superwhisper is the better pick.
The main difference
Where your speech goes.
Superwhisper: on your device or in the cloud, by model
- Its model docs say: “There are two types: cloud models run on hosted servers with no download, and local models run entirely on your device.”
- On the Free plan dictation uses its local Whisper models, and its pricing docs say: “Nothing you dictate leaves your device.”
- Pro adds cloud voice models and AI modes (Super, Mail and your own) that run your dictation through a language model. Its docs say: “Local voice models transcribe without an internet connection. AI formatting offline needs the local S1-mini model in the Message or Mail mode. Other AI processing needs the internet.”
- Its privacy policy says: “Your data is not retained on Superwhisper servers. All data is only stored locally on your machine.”
Source: Superwhisper’s voice model docs, plans and pricing, introduction and privacy policy, read Oct 17, 2026.
Yap: on your Mac
- Speech recognition runs on your Mac. Audio is not uploaded to a transcription service.
- Finished text goes to your cursor and into a local History you can copy from or delete.
- After setup, dictation works offline for up to 24 hours after each successful access check. How offline dictation works.
Details: our privacy policy.
Superwhisper and Yap, side by side.
| Feature | Superwhisper | Yap |
|---|---|---|
| Where speech is recognized | Your choice of model. Free uses local Whisper models; Pro adds the local Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe models and cloud models that run on hosted servers. | On your Mac. Audio is not uploaded. |
| Without internet | Local voice models work without internet. Most AI processing needs a connection; offline AI formatting needs its local S1-mini model. | Works offline for up to 24 hours after each successful access check. The first launch needs internet. |
| Price | Free: unlimited dictation with local Whisper models and up to two modes without AI. Pro: $8.49 USD a month, $84.99 USD a year or $249.99 USD once, with 40% off for students, educators and non-profits. New users get 3,000 words of Pro free. | $6.90 USD a month or $69 USD a year, after 3 free days with a free account and no card, and a 10-day trial with a card. No permanent free plan. |
| Devices | Macs with macOS 13.3 or later, Windows 10 and 11 (x64 and ARM64), iPhone (iOS 18 or later), and Android phones (Android 13 or later). One Pro license covers all of them. | Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later) with macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), iPhone (beta), and Android phones (Android 10 or later), on one subscription. No Intel Mac version. |
| Languages | 100+ languages with its multilingual Whisper models and its cloud model; its Parakeet Multilanguage model covers 24. | Detected from your voice for each recording. On macOS 14 or later, the upgraded engine covers 25 languages; others use compatible local recognition. |
| Tidying and editing | Custom vocabulary and text replacements on every plan. Pro adds AI modes that format or rewrite what you said, using context from your screen. | Removes “um” and “uh” in English, capitalizes sentences and adds a closing period. Spoken commands like “new paragraph” are optional. No AI rewriting. |
| Speed | Rates its local Parakeet models 10 and Whisper Large v3 Turbo 8 for speed on its own 1-to-10 scale (ratings, not measurements). Measured times are on its benchmark page. | A median of 0.56 seconds from releasing the key to finished text on an Apple M5 Pro Mac, about 1.4 seconds on an Apple M2 Pro (our measurement). |
| Your history | Kept on your device. Its privacy policy says: “Your data is not retained on Superwhisper servers. All data is only stored locally on your machine.” | Kept in a local History on your Mac, where you can copy or delete it. Up to 5 minutes per recording. |
Superwhisper details from its plans, voice model, download and privacy pages, read Oct 17, 2026. We did not time Superwhisper; how we measured Yap. Yap details reflect the current Mac app.
Being fair
When Superwhisper is the better choice.
Yap does one thing: fast, private dictation on a Mac. If one of these matters more to you, Superwhisper fits better.
- You want to pay nothing. Superwhisper Free gives you unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, with no time limit. Yap is free for 3 days with a free account and no card, then needs a 10-day trial with a card. It has no permanent free plan.
- You want AI to reshape your words. Superwhisper Pro’s AI modes format messages and emails, follow your own instructions and read your screen for context. Yap writes down what you said, cleaned up lightly.
- You need meeting notes or file transcripts. Superwhisper records and summarizes meetings on a Mac, and Pro transcribes audio and video files. The Yap app is for live dictation; for a file, our free audio to text tool transcribes it in your browser.
- You would rather pay once. Superwhisper Pro is also sold as a lifetime license for $249.99 USD. Yap is a subscription only.
No install, no account
Hear the difference local makes.
This demo downloads a small English speech model into your browser, then turns a sentence of your speech into text inside this tab. Your audio is not uploaded.
It is a separate, smaller model, so it does not represent the Mac app’s speed or accuracy.
Your voice. No app needed.
We’ll guide you through a first-use model download before you speak.
First, a guided download. Then, your voice.
English demo, up to 60 seconds. Audio and text stay in this tab. The model is cached in this browser for next time, while storage is available.
Trying Yap after Superwhisper.
Download and open Yap.
It installs itself in Applications. The setup guide covers microphone and Accessibility access and the one-time speech model download.
Give each app its own shortcut.
Yap listens for Fn by default. If you keep Superwhisper installed, make sure the two apps don’t share a key, or quit Superwhisper while you try Yap.
Dictate where you already write.
Hold Fn, speak, and release. The text lands at your cursor in mail, notes, chats and documents.
Questions people ask.
- Is Superwhisper free?
- Yes. Its pricing docs say: “Free gives you unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to two modes, custom vocabulary, and text replacements.” Pro costs $8.49 USD a month, $84.99 USD a year or $249.99 USD once, and new users get 3,000 words of Pro features free.
- Does Superwhisper’s free plan include Parakeet?
- No. Its plans page lists the Cohere Transcribe and Parakeet local models as Pro features; Free uses the local Whisper models. Yap uses a Parakeet engine (on Macs with macOS 14 or later, Windows PCs and phones) on its one plan.
- Is Yap cheaper than Superwhisper Pro?
- Yes, as a subscription: Yap costs $6.90 USD a month or $69 USD a year, after 3 free days and a 10-day trial. Superwhisper Pro costs $8.49 USD a month, $84.99 USD a year or $249.99 USD once. Superwhisper Free costs nothing, and Yap has no free plan.
- Does Superwhisper work on Windows on Arm?
- Yes, with limits. Its Windows docs say: “On ARM, Cohere Transcribe and Whisper Large v3 Turbo are not supported yet. Use Parakeet Multilanguage or a cloud model.” Parakeet Multilanguage is a Pro model. Yap for Windows has a native Arm build that runs its Parakeet engine on every plan.
- Does Yap have a cloud mode like Superwhisper?
- No. Yap has no cloud model and no AI rewriting, so there is no setting that sends your speech or text to a server. Recognition runs on your computer, and offline use lasts up to 24 hours after each successful access check.
- Can I keep Superwhisper installed while I try Yap?
- Yes. Its site shows Option + Space as its shortcut and Yap listens for Fn by default, so they do not clash. If you changed either one, give each app its own key.
From the library
Dictation Software: How to Choose the Right App
Start with the free dictation already built into your computer or phone, and pay only for what it cannot do: typing in every app, working offline, AI cleanup, a specialist vocabulary or full hands-free control. Four choices decide the rest (on-device or cloud, raw words or AI rewriting, subscription or one-time license, general or specialist), and a short test on your own writing settles the final pick better than any ranking.