Claude Whisper vs Superwhisper
Superwhisper is a mature dictation app with local and cloud models, AI modes and apps for desktop and phone. Claude Whisper is a free, open-source desktop app that lets Claude Code’s voice dictation do the transcribing. They overlap more than most: both hold Right Command on a Mac by default.
Written by the developer of Claude Whisper. Facts about Superwhisper come from its own pages, read in November 2026; every one is listed under Sources.
Local models and many modes, or zero setup on Claude Code
Superwhisper is the stronger choice if you want dictation that can run entirely on your computer, a choice of models, AI modes per app, or phone apps; its free tier already covers unlimited local dictation. Claude Whisper makes sense if you already use Claude Code and want AI cleanup on macOS without paying for a Pro licence or picking models.
Pick Claude Whisper if
- You already use Claude Code and want dictation with no extra licence.
- You want AI cleanup (Improve, on macOS) without a paid plan of its own.
- You don’t want to download or choose speech models.
- You want the source code: it is MIT licensed.
Pick Superwhisper if
- You want dictation that works offline, on your own computer.
- You want to choose between local and cloud models.
- You want custom AI modes, meetings or file transcription.
- You also want iPhone and Android apps.
Claude Whisper and Superwhisper compared
| Claude Whisper | Superwhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free app, MIT licensed. Runs on the Claude account you already use for Claude Code: no extra subscription, no API key | Free tier; Pro $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 one time; Enterprise custom. One Pro licence covers unlimited Macs and PCs plus your phones |
| Platforms | macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple silicon or Intel); Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64), first version | macOS 14 or later; Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64); iOS (keyboard); Android (floating bubble) |
| Phone apps | No | Yes: iOS and Android |
| Where speech is processed | Claude Code’s built-in voice dictation, signed in as you; your speech goes to Anthropic through Claude Code. The app’s only connections of its own are to GitHub, to check for updates when you ask | Your choice: local voice models on your computer, or cloud models (S1-Voice, Deepgram, ElevenLabs) on Pro |
| Works offline | No: transcription is done by Claude Code’s voice dictation | Yes with local voice models. Offline AI formatting needs the local S1-mini model in Message or Mail mode |
| Free tier | The whole app; Improve uses your Claude subscription | Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to two modes, vocabulary and replacements, no AI processing. New users get 3,000 words of Pro |
| AI cleanup | Improve (macOS only, optional): removes fillers and self-corrections, fixes punctuation and the spelling of product names and technical terms. About a second extra. Not on Windows yet | AI modes on Pro: Message, Super, Mail, Note and your own instructions, switching per app; language models include GPT-5, Claude Haiku 4.5, Gemini 3.0 Flash and local S1-mini |
| Languages | Those Claude Code’s voice dictation supports; pick one in Settings | 100+ depending on the model (Parakeet Multilanguage 24, Cohere Transcribe 14) |
| How you trigger it | Hold Right Command (Right Ctrl on Windows), speak, let go. Lock hands-free with Right Option / Right Alt or a double-tap. Esc cancels. Every key can be changed | Mac: hold Right Command by default, Option+Space to toggle, a mouse button can be assigned. Windows: press the shortcut to start and again to stop |
| Beyond dictation | History of the last 30 dictations | Meetings on Mac, file transcription, system audio, speaker separation, translation to English (Pro) |
| Teams and compliance | None. It is an independent open-source project with no admin controls or certifications of its own | SOC 2 Type II (Enterprise); self-serve DPA and BAA |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | No |
Prices as of November 2026, in the currency the vendor shows. Claude Whisper needs Claude Code installed and signed in to a Claude account.
What each one costs
Claude Whisper
Free and MIT licensed, with no tiers. Dictation runs on the Claude account you are already signed in to Claude Code with, and Improve uses your Claude subscription. You need that Claude account in the first place.
Superwhisper (as of November 2026)
- Free: unlimited local dictation, two modes, no AI processing.
- Pro: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year (“2 months free”) or $249.99 once. Every plan has the same features; only billing differs.
- 40% off for verified students, educators and non-profits (not on App Store purchases); 30-day refund on all plans.
- Enterprise: custom.
On your computer, or through Claude Code
Claude Whisper
Claude Code transcribes your speech, signed in as you, so the audio goes to Anthropic under your account. It cannot run locally. Apart from update checks on GitHub when you ask, the app itself makes no network connections, and it keeps the last 30 dictations on your computer.
Superwhisper
With local voice and language models, Superwhisper says “no audio or text ever leaves your machine”. Cloud providers are used under zero-data-retention terms, and your data is not used for training. Transcripts and audio are stored locally; Superwhisper says it never stores them. It does collect account, licence and usage metadata (no audio or transcripts).
Where each one runs
Superwhisper runs on macOS 14 or later, Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64), iOS and Android. Some features are not on Windows yet, such as Filesync, the coding-agent integrations and Meetings. Superwhisper notes that Intel Macs work best with cloud models.
Claude Whisper runs on macOS 14 or later (Apple silicon or Intel) and Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64). Its Windows app is a first version without Improve. There are no phone apps.
How far each one goes
Claude Whisper
- One job: hold a key, speak, and the text is pasted at your cursor.
- Improve on macOS: tap Shift while talking for Claude to remove fillers and self-corrections.
- Hands-free lock, Esc to cancel, History, “Paste and press Return”.
- No models to download or choose.
Superwhisper
- Local models (Whisper, Parakeet, Cohere Transcribe) and cloud models.
- Modes with your own AI instructions, switching per app; Super Mode uses screen context (Pro).
- Vocabulary hints and text replacements, free.
- Meetings without a bot (Mac), file transcription, bring your own API keys.
Claude Whisper’s limits, plainly
- It needs Claude Code installed and signed in to a Claude account, with
/voiceworking. If you do not use Claude Code, it is not for you. - Your speech goes to Anthropic through Claude Code, under your account. It is not an offline or on-device tool.
- Desktop only: macOS 14 or later and Windows 10/11. No iPhone or Android app.
- The Windows app is a first version: no Improve, no capsule position and no Faster start yet.
- The Windows build is not signed yet, so SmartScreen warns on the first launch.
- It is unofficial: not made by, affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.
When Superwhisper is the better choice
- You need dictation to work offline, or you don’t want audio to leave your computer: Superwhisper’s local models do that, even on the free tier.
- You want to pick the speech and language model, or bring your own API keys.
- You want several modes with your own AI instructions, switching per app.
- You want meetings, file transcription or speaker separation as well.
- You want phone apps, or a lifetime licence that covers all your devices.
- You don’t use Claude Code.
Questions about Claude Whisper and Superwhisper
Can I run Claude Whisper and Superwhisper together?
Both hold Right Command by default on a Mac, so move one of them to another key in its settings first. Claude Whisper’s keys can all be changed in Settings.
Which one is more private?
Superwhisper with local models, which keeps audio and text on your computer. Claude Whisper always sends your speech to Anthropic through Claude Code.
Is Superwhisper’s free tier enough?
Its free tier gives unlimited dictation with local Whisper models but no AI processing. Claude Whisper’s Improve adds AI cleanup on macOS without a separate licence, as long as you have a Claude account with Claude Code.
Does Claude Whisper need a powerful Mac?
It does no speech recognition itself, so there are no models to run locally; Claude Code handles transcription. It needs macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.
Is Claude Whisper made by Anthropic?
No. It is an unofficial, independent project that works with Claude Code. It is not made by, affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.
Try Claude Whisper
Free and open source. If Claude Code already works on your computer, setup takes a couple of minutes.
More comparisons
Sources
Competitor pages were read on 10 November 2026. Prices are as shown there that day.
- Claude Whisper README: https://github.com/viachm/claude-whisper#readme
- Claude Whisper guide: https://github.com/viachm/claude-whisper/blob/main/docs/GUIDE.md
- Superwhisper homepage and pricing: https://superwhisper.com/
- Plans: https://superwhisper.com/docs/billing/plans.md
- Introduction: https://superwhisper.com/docs/get-started/introduction.md
- Quickstart: https://superwhisper.com/docs/get-started/quickstart.md
- Windows: https://superwhisper.com/docs/get-started/windows.md
- Essential settings: https://superwhisper.com/docs/get-started/essential-settings.md
- Voice models: https://superwhisper.com/docs/models/voice.md
- Sensitive data: https://superwhisper.com/docs/security/sensitive-data.md
- Account deletion: https://superwhisper.com/docs/security/account-deletion.md
- Compliance: https://superwhisper.com/docs/security/compliance.md
- Privacy policy: https://superwhisper.com/privacy
- Docs index: https://superwhisper.com/docs/llms.txt