superwhisper vs VoiceInk, and where Wavenote fits
Both of these run speech models on your own Mac, both now run Parakeet, and both are what people recommend when someone asks how to dictate without sending audio anywhere. What separates them is what you pay and whether you can read the code.
The honest read on superwhisper
superwhisper is the more finished of the 2 and the one with a company behind it. Several model sizes to choose between, your own API keys for cloud models when accuracy matters more than privacy, meeting recording and summaries, Windows and iOS builds, and a lifetime licence for people who will not rent software. If you want to install one thing and have it work on the first try, this is the safer pick.
The honest read on VoiceInk
VoiceInk is GPL v3, built in public on GitHub, and free forever if you build it in Xcode yourself. Its Modes system swaps an entire configuration per app or per URL, which is more than superwhisper's per-app handling does. It runs Parakeet and WhisperKit as well as whisper.cpp, it ships an iOS app, and the paid tiers are $29 to $69 once by how many Macs you want. If reading the source is the point for you, nothing else on this page competes.
What actually decides it
Recognition quality is no longer the tiebreak, because both can run the same Parakeet model on the same Neural Engine. What is left is whether being able to audit and build the thing is worth more to you than superwhisper's polish, its meeting capture and its Windows build.
Side by side
| superwhisper | VoiceInk | Wavenote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source available | No | Yes, GPL v3 | No |
| Runs Parakeet on device | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Per-app configuration | Yes | Yes, full Modes | Rewriting instruction only |
| Cloud fallback on your key | Yes | Yes | No |
| Japanese | Multilingual model | Multilingual model | Its own Japanese model |
| Cost to dictate | $8.49 a month or $249.99 once | $29 to $69 once, or free from source | $4.90 once for 2 devices |
Where Wavenote fits
Wavenote is the smallest of the 3 and the least adjustable: 10.9 MB, a single model per language, one key to hold, no modes and no model picker, $4.90 once across 2 devices. Japanese runs on a model built for Japanese rather than on a multilingual checkpoint, which is the one place it is doing something neither of these does. It is also closed source, so if that is what brought you to this page, VoiceInk is your answer and Wavenote is not.
Which one to pick
- superwhisper
- You want local recognition with room to tune it, plus meeting capture and a Windows or iOS build.
- VoiceInk
- You want to read the source, build it yourself, or run a full per-app Modes setup.
- Wavenote
- You want one key and nothing else, you dictate in Japanese, or 2 devices for $4.90 matters more to you than a settings screen.
superwhisper pricing: Free tier, $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once. Checked against superwhisper.com on 7 August 2026.
VoiceInk pricing: One-time, $29 for one Mac up to $69 for three, or free if you build it yourself. Checked against tryvoiceink.com on 7 August 2026.