1Our pick · The all-in-one local AI assistant
Typilot.
The only entry on this list that does voice plus typing, polish, meetings, notes, and 27 inline AI commands - all locally, on macOS, Windows, and Linux. No cloud round-trip. Lifetime license option. Disclosure: we built it - that is why it is at the top.
2
Superwhisper
Best pure local Whisper dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iOS with a lifetime option.
Pros
- +Fully local Whisper transcription - audio never leaves the device
- +iOS companion app for mobile dictation that syncs with the desktop
- +Choice of all Whisper model sizes from tiny to large-v3
- +Free tier plus $8.49/mo or $249 lifetime licence
Cons
- −Voice dictation only - no inline AI commands, ghost-text autocomplete, or meeting transcription
- −No Linux support
- −Lifetime price ($249) is higher than SuperDictate's $79 one-time
3
Handy
Free MIT open-source local dictation for Mac, Windows, and Linux - no word cap, no account.
Pros
- +Completely free - MIT open source, no word cap, no account, no credit card required
- +Runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux - same cross-platform reach as SuperDictate at zero cost
- +Supports Whisper large-v3, NVIDIA Parakeet v3, and Moonshine; all processing on-device; 23,000+ GitHub stars
- +Press-to-record, release-to-transcribe; actively maintained
Cons
- −No AI command layer, no AI autocomplete, no meeting transcription
- −No optional AI polish or filler removal built in
- −Requires downloading model weights manually; no GUI model picker
4
HyperVoice
Local Whisper for Windows, Linux, and Mac with GPU acceleration and a lifetime option.
Pros
- +Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac with Vulkan GPU acceleration (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel, 3-5x faster than CPU)
- +$49.99 lifetime or $79.99/yr; free tier of 500 words per day with no credit card
- +BYOK AI style cleanup - routes only text, not audio, to your chosen cloud provider
- +Logs only technical metadata (model name, latency, errors) - no audio or transcribed text leaves the device
Cons
- −No AI command triggers, no ghost-text autocomplete, no meeting transcription or diarization
- −Free tier caps at 500 words/day - lower than SuperDictate's 15 min/month free tier
- −AI polish requires a cloud API key; there is no local Ollama option for the cleanup layer
Free 500 words/day · $7.99/mo · $79.99/yr · $49.99 lifetimeVisit site ↗ 5
Spokenly
Free local Whisper + Parakeet dictation for Mac, Windows, and iOS with an MCP server.
Pros
- +Free tier: local Whisper Large-v3 + NVIDIA Parakeet, no word cap, no account required
- +BYOK cloud option routes only text to your provider (OpenAI/Deepgram/Groq/Anthropic/Google) at zero markup
- +MCP server for AI agent integration; Agent mode (voice to macOS automation); bash hooks
- +100+ languages; no expiry on the free local tier
Cons
- −macOS, Windows, and iOS only - no Linux support
- −No inline AI commands, no ghost-text autocomplete, no meeting transcription or diarization
- −Pro managed cloud tier ($9.99/mo) uses third-party subprocessors (Cerebras, Fireworks, Groq)
6
Murmur
Local Whisper for Windows and Mac with a built-in AI cleanup layer and a lifetime option.
Pros
- +Fully local Whisper with CUDA and Vulkan GPU acceleration on Windows and Mac
- +Built-in app-adaptive AI cleanup (detects active app, adjusts tone, filler removal, custom styles) - no API key needed
- +99+ languages with auto-detection; works completely offline
- +€39.97 lifetime or €2.48/mo; free tier of 5 dictations/day
Cons
- −Windows and Mac only - no Linux
- −No AI command triggers, no ghost-text autocomplete, no meeting transcription or diarization
- −No iOS or mobile companion app
7
OpenWhispr
Free MIT open-source cross-platform dictation with local diarization and an MCP server.
Pros
- +Free local tier - MIT open source, Mac/Windows/Linux, local Whisper + NVIDIA Parakeet, no word cap
- +Meeting auto-detection (Zoom/Teams/FaceTime) + on-device diarization + voice fingerprinting included free
- +MCP server + public API; Lazy Edition $8/mo or $80/yr adds managed cloud option
- +3,700+ GitHub stars; actively maintained
Cons
- −No inline AI command triggers (gen:, fix:, rew:, etc.) or ghost-text autocomplete
- −Lazy Edition cloud routes text to third-party processors; local tier keeps everything on-device
- −Setup requires manual model download for the local tier