Should you build your own Superwhisper?
AI dictation for Mac that turns speech into text anywhere
A push-to-talk recorder that transcribes and pastes text into the active app is very buildable for one person, especially on macOS.
ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.
Build me a push-to-talk dictation tool for macOS to replace Superwhisper. Requirements:
- A global hotkey (default: hold right Option) records my mic while held, stops on
release. A small Swift menu bar app or a Hammerspoon script, pick the simpler to
ship.
- Record with ffmpeg (avfoundation) to a temp wav, transcribe locally with whisper.cpp
(small.en by default, model path in a config file). Works fully offline, no cloud
speech APIs.
- Paste the result into whatever field has focus (simulate Cmd+V via CGEvent or
osascript, then restore my previous clipboard).
- Optional cleanup mode on a second hotkey: send the transcript to an LLM (key in
.env) to fix punctuation and drop filler words, then paste. If no key is set, this
mode just does a plain paste.
- Menu bar icon shows idle/recording/transcribing; clicking it lists the last 10
transcripts with copy buttons.
- Append every transcript to ~/Dictation/YYYY-MM.md with a timestamp, and delete the
audio after transcription. No accounts, no telemetry.
- Out of scope: per-app presets and custom vocabulary tuning. One good general mode.
- README: mic + accessibility permissions to grant, how to download the whisper
model, and a note that the first run will trigger macOS permission prompts.The prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running. · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
What would building your own look like?
Bind a hotkey, capture microphone audio, transcribe with Whisper or speech API, optionally rewrite with an LLM, and paste into the active field.
What you will need
- macOS automation/accessibility permissions
- speech API or local Whisper
- optional LLM API
- hotkey library
They pay for the low-friction menu-bar experience and dictation profiles.
xbeautiful native UX
xpresets
xvocabulary/profile tuning
xapp-wide polish
xsupport
Prefer something ready-made?
VoiceboxVoice cloning studio attached to a global dictation hotkey; overkill, free overkill.Open source↗
HandyPress a key, talk and get plain text in the app you were already using. No cleanup magic, no invoice.Open source↗
FluidVoiceFast Mac dictation with local cleanup; even the fancy part stays on the machine.Open source↗View all 8 alternatives to Superwhisper →· Licença, instalação e limitações em cada alternativa.
How much does Superwhisper cost?
- Monthly billing
- $8.49/mo$8.49/mo
- Per year
- $102/yr$102/yr
- On a Brazilian card, with 3.5% IOF
- R$44.37/moR$532/yr
Saved to My list. You will see a notice on this site when the price changes.
You complete the purchase on Superwhisper’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0 | $0 | Basic dictation; no local models or custom modes; current numeric cloud-usage cap is not published. |
| pro monthly | $8.49≈ $8.49 | - | Unlimited cloud and local models; license covers personal Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad devices. |
| pro annual | - | $7.08≈ $7.08 | Unlimited cloud and local models; same personal-device license. |
| pro lifetime | custom | - | One-time $249.99 purchase; unlimited cloud and local models under the lifetime license terms. |
Free tierBasic dictation; no local models or custom modes; the current numeric cloud-use allowance is not published.
Billing termsmonthly, annual and one-time lifetime purchase; direct-web prices
Additional costsApp Store pricing is higher because of Apple fees, but the current exact App Store amounts were not published in the official Pro documentation.
verified 2026-08-11 · source ↗
Is it cheaper to build or buy Superwhisper?
Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.
Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.
Starting hours estimated from the analysis (one sitting). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).
Is Superwhisper free?
A free version covers basic dictation; Pro adds unlimited cloud and local models. The paid plan is Pro at $8.49/mo (checked 10/20/2026).
Can I rebuild Superwhisper?
Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal Superwhisper replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.
How much does Superwhisper cost?
Superwhisper costs about $8.49/mo (Pro, checked 10/20/2026), which is $102 per year. That’s what you save by replacing it with one prompt.
What do I lose by replacing Superwhisper?
Honestly: beautiful native UX; presets; vocabulary/profile tuning; app-wide polish; support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Superwhisper?
Yes: Voicebox (Voice cloning studio attached to a global dictation hotkey; overkill, free overkill.) Handy (Press a key, talk and get plain text in the app you were already using. No cleanup magic, no invoice.) FluidVoice (Fast Mac dictation with local cleanup; even the fancy part stays on the machine.) All 8 curated free alternatives are at https://viberadar.si/superwhisper/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.