At a glance
| Price | Open source | Speaker labels | Also on | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacWhisper (for reference) | Free; Pro €64 one-time | ✗ | Pro only | iPhone, iPad | Mac-only users |
| Scrieb | Free 1 h/day; Pro subscription | ✗ | ✓ | Windows | Meetings and interviews with summaries |
| Aiko | $24 one-time | ✗ | ✗ | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | A simple, private transcriber |
| Buzz | Free | ✓ MIT | ✓ | Windows, Linux | A free all-rounder |
| Vibe | Free | ✓ MIT | ✓ | Windows, Linux | Speed and batch work |
| noScribe | Free | ✓ GPL-3.0 | ✓ | Windows, Linux | Interviews you check line by line |
| superwhisper | Free tier; Pro paid | ✗ | — | Windows, iOS, Android | Dictation |
| VoiceInk | Free (open source) | ✓ GPL-3.0 | — | — | Dictation |
Note: Scrieb is our product. We have tried to be accurate about where each app is better; tell us at alex@scrieb.com if something here is out of date.
1. Scrieb
Records meetings and calls on your Mac (without a bot), imports files, and transcribes with Whisper Small, Medium or Large v3 Turbo, all on the device. It labels speakers and writes summaries for the kind of recording: interview, meeting, lecture or voice memo, or your own structure. Search and AI chat work across all your recordings; export to DOCX, PDF, TXT or Markdown. Runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and one licence also covers Windows.
Compared with MacWhisper: adds Windows, summaries and chat across recordings; it is a subscription rather than a one-time licence, with a free plan of 1 hour a day. Download Scrieb.
2. Aiko
A small, private transcription app by Sindre Sorhus for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. It runs Whisper on the device (large-v2 on the Mac) and exports text, subtitles, JSON and CSV. A one-time $24 purchase, with a 14-day free trial. Limitation: no speaker identification.
3. Buzz
Free and open source, and the most popular Whisper GUI on GitHub. It transcribes files, YouTube links and live microphone input, now identifies speakers, and exports TXT, SRT and VTT. Limitation: new versions need Apple Silicon (1.4.5 was the last for Intel Macs); no DOCX export.
4. Vibe
Free and open source, fast, with speaker diarization, batch transcription and transcription from YouTube and other sites. Accelerates on Apple GPUs through CoreML. Exports SRT, VTT, TXT and more.
5. noScribe
Free and open source, made for interviews in qualitative research and journalism. It distinguishes speakers, understands about 60 languages, and includes an editor to review and correct the transcript against the audio.
6. superwhisper
Mainly a dictation app: press a shortcut and your words appear in whatever app you are using, with local or cloud models. File transcription is part of the Pro plan. A good fit if you dictate more than you transcribe recordings.
7. VoiceInk
An open-source dictation app for macOS that turns speech into text almost instantly, processed fully offline. Like superwhisper, it is built for dictation rather than for transcribing long recordings.
Which one to choose
- Free, with speakers: Buzz or Vibe.
- Interviews for research or journalism: noScribe, or Scrieb for an interview summary with quotes.
- Meetings and calls, with summaries and search: Scrieb.
- Mac and Windows with one licence: Scrieb.
- Simple, one-time purchase, iPhone too: Aiko, or stay with MacWhisper.
- Mostly dictation: superwhisper or VoiceInk.
Pricing
Scrieb: free plan 1 hour a day with speaker labels and summaries. Pro has no minute limits, one licence for Mac and Windows.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free alternative to MacWhisper?
- Buzz or Vibe. Both are free and open source, run Whisper locally on the Mac and label speakers. noScribe is the free choice for interviews, because it comes with an editor for checking the transcript. Note that new versions of Buzz need an Apple Silicon Mac.
- Is there a MacWhisper for Windows?
- No, MacWhisper is Mac-only. If you also use Windows, Scrieb, Buzz, Vibe and noScribe run on both. See MacWhisper for Windows for the Windows-side comparison.
- Which MacWhisper alternative labels speakers?
- Scrieb, Buzz, Vibe and noScribe. Aiko does not identify speakers; its developer says the underlying library has to support it first.
- How much does MacWhisper cost?
- MacWhisper has a free version and a Pro licence for a one-time €64 with lifetime updates, according to macwhisper.com in October 2026.
- Which alternative works on an Intel Mac?
- Scrieb runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Buzz 1.4.5 is the last Buzz version for Intel Macs; newer versions need Apple Silicon.
- Is superwhisper an alternative to MacWhisper?
- Partly. superwhisper is mainly a dictation app that types into the app you are using; file transcription is part of its Pro plan. For transcribing recordings, the other apps on this page are a closer match.