MacWhisper is a Whisper transcription app for Mac by Good Snooze. It has a free tier and a €64 one-time Pro licence on macwhisper.com. It centres on files and meetings; the website build also dictates into any text field. Voice Type, also built on Whisper models running on the Mac, is $19.99 once and centres on dictation: press a shortcut, speak, and the text lands at the cursor.
Short answer
- MacWhisper Free costs nothing and includes file transcription. Try it before paying anyone.
- Pro is a one-time licence, €64 on macwhisper.com, with lifetime updates. It adds batch and YouTube transcription, translation, system-wide dictation, and your own AI provider keys.
- Buy from macwhisper.com, not the App Store, if dictation matters. MacWhisper's own docs say dictation is only in the version sold on its website.
- Voice Type is $19.99 once and centres on live dictation into the app already open, with on-device file transcription. Pick it over MacWhisper only if you need nothing from Pro's batch, URL and meeting tools.
MacWhisper pricing
MacWhisper Free: €0
- •Record from the Mac microphone
- •Transcribe mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov and mp4
- •100 languages
- •Export .srt, .vtt and .txt
MacWhisper Pro: €64 once
- •€64 once, lifetime updates (macwhisper.com)
- •Batch transcription and YouTube or media URL transcription
- •Translation of transcripts and subtitles
- •System-wide dictation, AI prompts per app
- •Your own API keys: OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, xAI, Azure, DeepSeek, Google, OpenRouter, plus Ollama and LM Studio
- •Export to .md, .pdf, .html and .docx
Prices are in euros on both macwhisper.com and Gumroad. On 2026-10-13 the site showed €64 for one Pro licence and the Gumroad checkout showed €65. Volume packs run from 5 licences for €269 to 50 for €2,199.
The App Store version is a separate app called Whisper Transcription, version 5.2, macOS 15.0 or later. It is a free download with in-app purchases: Pro at $6.99, $8.99 or $29.99, Pro & Assistant at $12.99, Pro Lifetime at $89.99 or $99.99, and Assistant subscriptions at $5.99 a week, $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year. The listing does not say which Pro purchase is weekly, monthly or yearly. MacWhisper's docs say this build has fewer AI providers and no dictation.
Checked facts
| Voice Type | MacWhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 one time, 7-day trial | Free tier. Pro €64 one time on macwhisper.com; the Gumroad checkout listed €65 |
| Dictation into any text field | Yes | Yes in the macwhisper.com build. Not in the App Store build |
| File transcription | Yes, on device, audio and video files | Yes, its main job. Free covers mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov, mp4; Pro adds batch and URLs |
| Meeting recording | No | Yes, with start and end detection for Zoom, Teams, Webex and others |
| macOS requirement | macOS 13.4 or later | App Store build: macOS 15.0 or later |
| Cloud AI | Audio never goes to one. Optional bring-your-own-key rewrite of the transcript text, off by default | Pro: your own keys for eight cloud providers, or local Ollama and LM Studio |
Checked 2026-10-13 against macwhisper.com pricing, MacWhisper on Gumroad, MacWhisper docs: direct download vs App Store, Whisper Transcription on the App Store, Voice Type pricing. Prices change. Confirm on the vendor page before buying.
Where Voice Type loses
Where Voice Type loses
MacWhisper Free transcribes files at no cost. Pro, for €64 once, adds batch and URL transcription, translation and AI providers, and the app also records meetings and has a CLI. That is most of what Voice Type does plus a lot it does not. If one tool for recordings and live dictation is the goal, MacWhisper is the better purchase.
Where the practical differences show up
Primary job
- •MacWhisper is a transcription app first: files, meetings, subtitles, exports. Dictation is one section of its feature list. Voice Type is built around dictation at the cursor.
What the money buys
- •MacWhisper Pro's €64 pays for batch work, URLs, translation, AI providers and richer exports. Voice Type's $19.99 pays for dictation plus on-device file transcription, and nothing on the meeting side.
Where to buy
- •MacWhisper sells two different products: the website build with a one-time licence, and the App Store build called Whisper Transcription with in-app purchases. Voice Type is sold only on the Mac App Store.
Older Macs
- •The App Store build of MacWhisper needs macOS 15.0. Voice Type runs on macOS 13.4 or later.
Pick by job
Voice Type fits when...
- •Live dictation into the app already open is the whole job.
- •The Mac runs macOS 13.4 to 14 and you want an App Store purchase.
- •Custom vocabulary for names and jargon matters more than export formats.
MacWhisper fits when...
- •Meetings, interviews, lectures, or downloaded media need transcribing.
- •The free tier already covers your files.
- •One €64 licence for transcription, translation, and dictation is the better buy.
References
Primary sources, each read on 2026-10-13.
- macwhisper.com: Free vs Pro feature table and price
- MacWhisper Gumroad listing: Pro and volume licence prices
- MacWhisper docs: Direct download vs App Store version
- MacWhisper docs: How to use the dictation feature
- MacWhisper docs: Record meetings
- Whisper Transcription (MacWhisper App Store build) listing
- Voice Type App Store listing