NoteOwl vs Superwhisper

A Superwhisper alternative that runs every step on your Mac

NoteOwl is a Superwhisper alternative for Mac that does all of its work on the Mac itself: tap fn in any app, talk, and your words type at the cursor, polished in the right tone for that app — free and unlimited.

NoteOwl Pro adds meeting notes with no bot, voices recognised in every meeting, a board of what you owe and are owed, and chat with cited answers, all on your Mac, for $79 once.

Download free
Free dictation for Mac: talk, and it types in any app (0:33). Recorded dictating into TextEdit; the words appear exactly as NoteOwl typed them.
Read the transcript

Typing is slow. Talking isn’t.

Tap fn, and just talk.

(Dictating) “Um, so, quick update for the team. The budget’s ninety thousand, and, uh, we start on the twenty-first. Can you all send me your plans by Friday?”

Your words land right where you’re typing. In any app.

Tap Polish, and it’s tidied up. Filler words gone, punctuation fixed.

And it all runs on your Mac.

NoteOwl. Free to download. Dictation’s free, forever.

Why choose NoteOwl over Superwhisper?

Because every step runs on your Mac with nothing to set up, dictation is polished for free, and Pro costs $79 once. Then NoteOwl Pro turns your meetings into a memory: voices recognised, your promises tracked, and answers that cite the meeting they came from.

  • Every step on your Mac, by design

    Dictation, polish, transcripts, summaries and chat all run on your Mac with on-device AI models. There are no cloud models to switch on and nothing to configure. In Superwhisper, each mode can use cloud or local models, and cloud models are part of Pro.[1,4]

  • Pay once. No subscription.

    NoteOwl Pro is $79 once for your Mac. Superwhisper Pro is $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and covers all your devices.[1,2]

  • Voices recognised in every meeting

    Speakers are separated in any call app. Name a voice once and it’s recognised in every meeting after; the voice profile stays on your Mac.

  • Polished dictation, free

    Tap fn in Mail, Slack, Notion or your code editor, talk, and tap again. Your words type at the cursor, and one tap polishes them in the right tone for that app — free and unlimited. In Superwhisper, AI modes, context awareness and tone control are part of Pro.[1,6]

  • Meeting notes that know who spoke

    Record Zoom, Teams, Meet or FaceTime from your Mac with no bot. NoteOwl Pro labels every speaker and writes the summary and action items from the labelled transcript — rewrite it in any of 22 templates. In Superwhisper’s Meeting mode, speaker labels are off by default and aren’t included in its AI summaries.[9]

  • Ask every meeting, even offline

    In NoteOwl Pro, Chat answers from your own meetings and notes and cites the passage it used — or tells you when nothing matches.

  • Every promise, and everyone you meet

    Also in Pro: a board of what you owe and what you’re owed, a profile for everyone you meet, and prep pages from your Mac’s Calendar.

NoteOwl’s Dictations screen: a spoken email with the raw words beside the Professional Email version
Free: every dictation is kept, your raw words beside the polished text.
A NoteOwl meeting summary with decisions and action items, written on a Mac with no bot in the call
NoteOwl Pro: the notes for a four-minute client call, with three speakers labelled.

Superwhisper pricing

Is NoteOwl cheaper than Superwhisper?

For one person on one Mac, yes. NoteOwl Pro is $79 once. Superwhisper Pro is $84.99 a year — $169.98 over two years — or $8.49 a month, or $249.99 once, and one Superwhisper licence covers all your devices.[1,2]

And you can start free: NoteOwl dictation is free forever, polish included, and every Pro feature is free for 7 days in the app, with no card. Superwhisper’s Pro trial is 3,000 words.[1]

What one person pays

  1. After 1 year

    NoteOwl Pro$79
    Superwhisper Pro, billed yearly$84.99

  2. After 2 years

    NoteOwl Pro$79
    Superwhisper Pro, billed yearly$169.98

  3. After 3 years

    NoteOwl Pro$79
    Superwhisper Pro, billed yearly$254.97
NoteOwl Pro: $79 once, for one Mac; NoteOwl dictation is free. Superwhisper pricing: Pro is $84.99 a year, $8.49 a month or $249.99 once, in US dollars, with the same features on every plan; one licence covers all of a person’s devices.[1,2] Prices checked 27 September 2026; totals are $84.99 × years.

How is NoteOwl different from Superwhisper?

Both dictate into any Mac app, and both record meetings with no bot. The difference is where the work happens and what comes after: Superwhisper picks cloud or local models for each mode[4]; NoteOwl does everything on your Mac and turns meetings into a memory you can ask.

Where dictation turns into text
NoteOwlOn your Mac, always, with on-device AI models
SuperwhisperOn the device or in the cloud, chosen for each mode; cloud models are part of Pro. Its guide to a first mode starts on a tab labelled “Cloud (Start here)”, and a local mode is suggested when your keyboard is set to English[1,4,5,6]
Free dictation
NoteOwlUnlimited and free forever, with one-tap polish in the right tone for each app
SuperwhisperUnlimited on the free plan, with local models and up to two modes; AI modes, context awareness and tone control need Pro[1,6]
Works offline
NoteOwlEverything — dictation, meeting notes and Chat — after the one-time model download
SuperwhisperWith local models; cloud models need an internet connection[5,8]
App context sent with AI modes
NoteOwlNothing leaves your Mac; the tone is picked from the app you’re dictating into
SuperwhisperSuper mode, the only built-in mode with all three context types on by default, gives the mode’s language model the active app’s text, your selected text and clipboard, plus the date, your full name and your computer name[9,10]
Training and retention
NoteOwlNothing is uploaded; the app has no analytics or telemetry
SuperwhisperSays your data isn’t used to train AI models; cloud models process your content without storing it, and outside AI providers work under zero-data-retention terms[4,13]
Price
NoteOwl$79 once for one Mac; no subscription. Dictation is free
SuperwhisperPro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, with the same features on every plan; one licence covers all your devices[1,2]
Bot in the call
NoteOwlNone; records your microphone and your Mac’s audio on your Mac
SuperwhisperNone; a mode can record your device’s audio, which is a Pro setting[1,3,11]
Where meetings are transcribed
NoteOwlOn your Mac, with on-device AI models; no meeting length limit
SuperwhisperWith the mode’s voice model, local or cloud; its docs recommend a cloud model for long recordings and the best speaker separation[9]
Meeting summaries
NoteOwlWritten on your Mac when the call ends; Summarize as rewrites it in any of 22 templates
SuperwhisperMeeting mode writes a structured summary with key decisions and action items, using the mode’s language model, cloud or local[4,9]
Speaker labels
NoteOwlEvery speaker separated in any call app; name a voice once and it’s recognised in later meetings; voice profiles stay on your Mac
SuperwhisperAn optional Pro setting, off by default in Meeting mode; labels show in History’s Segments view, you rename speakers by hand, and the labels aren’t included in AI summaries or action items[1,9,12]
Commitments, people and calendar
NoteOwlAction items become a board of what you owe and are owed; a profile for everyone you meet; prep pages from your Mac’s Calendar
SuperwhisperNot described in Superwhisper’s site or Help Center; Meeting mode lists action items in its summary[9,17]
Chat across meetings
NoteOwlAnswers only from your own meetings and notes, cite the exact passage and work offline
SuperwhisperNo in-app chat described; a command-line tool can let outside AI assistants search and read your history, and the transcripts they query go to that assistant[15,17]
Search
NoteOwlDictations are searchable for free; in Pro, ⌘K searches every meeting, note and person
SuperwhisperIn-app search covers original dictations, not AI results; a separate command-line tool on macOS does full-text search across all transcriptions[14,15]
Import recordings
NoteOwlPro: MP3, WAV, M4A, AIFF, FLAC, AAC and MP4 files, transcribed with speaker labels
SuperwhisperAudio and video files, including MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV and MOV, run through the active mode[6,16]
Getting notes out
NoteOwlCopy any note into any app, export it as Markdown, PDF, text or SRT, or export everything as plain files
SuperwhisperA command-line tool on macOS exports everything as JSONL or Markdown[15]
Devices
NoteOwlMac
SuperwhisperMac, Windows, iPhone and Android[18]
Mac requirements
NoteOwlmacOS 26 or later, Apple silicon, 16 GB memory
SuperwhispermacOS 13.3 or later on its download page, macOS 14 in its Quickstart; Apple silicon or Intel[18,19,20]
Superwhisper’s column is taken from Superwhisper’s own website, Help Center, changelog and Terms, checked on 27 September 2026; the numbers link to the sources.

Is Superwhisper local or cloud?

Either, chosen for each mode. Superwhisper’s free plan runs local models only; Pro adds cloud speech and AI models, and its guide to a first mode starts with cloud for both steps[1,4,5]. NoteOwl has no cloud option: every step runs on your Mac.

Superwhisper, in its own words

“Every dictation in Superwhisper passes through two independent stages.” … “You can mix and match, for example using a local voice model with a cloud language model, or keeping both fully local.”[4]
Its guide to creating a first mode opens on a tab labelled “Cloud (Start here)”. Since August 2026, “Local Mode is now suggested automatically when your keyboard is set to English”.[5,6]
On cloud voice models: “Audio goes to the Superwhisper proxy, gets transcribed, and comes back.”[7]
“Pair a local voice model with a local language model, and every stage of a dictation stays on your machine.”[4]

NoteOwl

Dictation, polish, recording, transcription, speaker detection, summaries, search and chat all run on the Mac, with on-device AI models. There is no cloud model to pick and no mode to set up. Your dictations, recordings, transcripts and notes are never uploaded to NoteOwl or anyone else, and the app has no analytics or telemetry.

The only network use: the one-time model download, update checks and, for Pro, signing in and an occasional licence check — none of which sends what you say or record. Offline AI meeting notes, and what stays on your Mac

Does Superwhisper take meeting notes?

Yes. Superwhisper’s Meeting mode records with no bot and writes a summary with key decisions and action items[3,9]. NoteOwl Pro records with no bot too, then keeps going: voices recognised across meetings, commitments, people, calendar prep and cited answers.

Who said what. NoteOwl separates every speaker in any call app, and a voice you name once is recognised in every meeting after. Transcription with speaker identification

What was promised. Action items become a board of what you owe and what you’re owed, each linked to the moment it was said. Meeting action items, tracked

What was said, months later. Ask Chat about any meeting and the answer cites the passage it came from — offline. Chat with meeting notes

NoteOwl Chat answering “What changed on the Ferncastle pilot since the kickoff?”: budget cut from $120,000 to $90,000, personal accounts only, 12 weeks to 8, with the meeting it came from and the passages it cites
A real answer in NoteOwl’s Chat, with the meeting and passages it came from.

When is Superwhisper the better choice?

When you want a cloud service: Superwhisper Pro can run your dictation through cloud speech and AI models, chosen for each mode.[4,7]

Can you switch from Superwhisper to NoteOwl?

Yes, in a few minutes. Download NoteOwl, allow the permissions it asks for, and tap fn in any app: your words type at the cursor, turned into text on your Mac. Your next meeting can be recorded with NoteOwl Pro, free for 7 days.

Superwhisper switches modes by app[11]; NoteOwl sets the tone for each app for you — Mail gets a professional email, Slack a casual message — and you can change any of them in Settings → Auto-Context. Teach it your names and jargon with custom vocabulary (NoteOwl Pro). Recordings you already have as audio or video files can be imported into NoteOwl Pro and transcribed with speaker labels. And your words are never locked in: copy any note into any app, or export your meeting notes as Markdown, PDF, text or SRT — or all of your data at once as plain files.

NoteOwl Settings, Auto-Context: Match each app selected, and per-app overrides — Apple Mail Professional Email, Slack and Messages Casual Message, VS Code Code, Notes Tidy Notes, Obsidian Auto
Settings → Auto-Context: the tone for each app, and one switch to keep your words exact everywhere.

Sources

Last checked . Superwhisper facts are quoted or summarised from Superwhisper’s own website, Help Center, changelog and Terms, with prices in US dollars. Plans and policies change; check them before you decide.

  1. [1]Superwhisper Help Center, Plans & Pricing
  2. [2]Superwhisper, llms.txt (the site’s own summary)
  3. [3]Superwhisper, Meeting transcription
  4. [4]Superwhisper Help Center, Sensitive Data
  5. [5]Superwhisper Help Center, Create Your First Mode
  6. [6]Superwhisper, Changelog
  7. [7]Superwhisper, Models
  8. [8]Superwhisper, Offline transcription
  9. [9]Superwhisper Help Center, Built-in Modes
  10. [10]Superwhisper Help Center, Context Awareness
  11. [11]Superwhisper Help Center, Intro to Modes
  12. [12]Superwhisper Help Center, Speaker-Separated Meetings
  13. [13]Superwhisper, Terms
  14. [14]Superwhisper Help Center, History
  15. [15]Superwhisper Help Center, CLI & MCP Server
  16. [16]Superwhisper Help Center, File Transcription
  17. [17]Superwhisper, Help Center — all 59 articles, read for calendar, people and commitment tracking
  18. [18]Superwhisper, Home page
  19. [19]Superwhisper, Download
  20. [20]Superwhisper Help Center, Quickstart

FAQ

Questions about NoteOwl and Superwhisper

Is there a Superwhisper alternative that runs fully on your Mac?

Yes. NoteOwl dictates into any Mac app, like Superwhisper, but every step runs on the Mac with on-device AI models: there are no cloud models to choose, and nothing you say is uploaded. Superwhisper lets each mode use cloud or local models, and its cloud models are part of Superwhisper Pro.

Is NoteOwl cheaper than Superwhisper?

For one person on one Mac, yes. NoteOwl dictation is free, and NoteOwl Pro is $79 once, with a 7-day free trial and no card. Superwhisper Pro is $84.99 a year, $8.49 a month or $249.99 once, and one Superwhisper licence covers all of your devices. Prices checked on 27 September 2026.

Does Superwhisper work offline?

Superwhisper works offline with its local models; its cloud models, which are part of Superwhisper Pro, need an internet connection. NoteOwl has no cloud models, so dictation, meeting notes and chat all work offline after a one-time model download.

Does Superwhisper record meetings?

Yes. Superwhisper’s Meeting mode records meetings from your device with no bot and writes a summary with key decisions and action items; speaker labels are an optional setting, off by default. NoteOwl Pro also records with no bot, and adds voices recognised across meetings, tracked commitments, people and chat with cited answers, all on your Mac.

Is NoteOwl dictation really free?

Yes. Dictation into any app is part of NoteOwl Free, with no word limit, no account and no end date, and one tap polishes your words in the right tone for each app. Rewrite by voice and custom vocabulary are NoteOwl Pro features: $79 once, after a 7-day free trial.

Does NoteOwl run on Windows or iPhone?

No. NoteOwl is a Mac app for macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon with 16 GB of memory. Its speech recognition and AI run on the Mac itself, which is what keeps your dictation and meetings off the cloud.

Keep exploring

More comparisons

How NoteOwl does it

All comparisons

Try free dictation that stays on your Mac

Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.

Download free

macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended

About NoteOwl

NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.

NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds

Last updated