Quick verdict: Wispr Flow and Superwhisper both turn your voice into clean text in any app, but they make opposite bets. Wispr Flow is cloud-based and automatic — talk, and polished text appears — at $15/month or $12/month billed annually. Superwhisper can run entirely on your device, works offline, gives you customizable AI modes and a $249.99 lifetime option, and its Pro plan costs less at $8.49/month. Pick Wispr Flow for zero-setup polish; pick Superwhisper for privacy, offline use and control.
Both apps dictate system-wide on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, clean up filler words, and support 100+ languages. The differences that matter are where your audio is processed, how much you can tune the output, and how you pay. This comparison is research-based on the vendors’ published pricing and documentation.
Wispr Flow vs Superwhisper at a glance
| Feature | Wispr Flow | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | Cloud only | On-device local models, or cloud — your choice |
| Works offline | No — needs an internet connection | Yes, with local models |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Free plan | 2,000 words/week on desktop (less on mobile) | Free forever with smaller local models, plus a 3,000-word Pro trial |
| Paid price | $15/month, or $12/month billed annually | $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 one-time lifetime |
| AI cleanup | Automatic editing and tone cleanup | Configurable — built-in modes plus your own custom modes |
| Customization | Shared dictionaries for teams | Fully customizable modes with your own prompts |
| File transcription | No | Yes |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA; privacy mode with zero data retention | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA; audio can stay entirely on-device |
| Best for | Effortless, polished dictation everywhere | Offline/Private dictation, tinkerers, one-time buyers |
The core difference: cloud polish vs local control
Wispr Flow sends your audio to the cloud and returns text that has already been edited — fillers removed, punctuation fixed, tone tidied. There is almost nothing to configure, which is exactly the appeal: hold a key, talk the way you normally talk, and paste-ready text lands in whatever app you are using. The costs of that design are a hard internet requirement and a word cap on the free plan — 2,000 words a week on desktop runs out fast for daily dictation.
Superwhisper’s headline feature is that the cloud is optional. Its local models transcribe on your own machine, so dictation works on a plane, in a secure office, or with confidential material that should never leave the device. Around that it layers modes: a Super mode that reads screen context, a pure-transcription Voice mode, email and messaging modes, and fully custom modes you define with your own instructions. It also transcribes audio files, which Wispr Flow does not do. The tradeoff is setup and choice overload — you pick models and modes instead of just talking.
What does each one cost?
Superwhisper is cheaper at every level. Its free tier never expires (with smaller local models), Pro is $8.49/month or $84.99/year, and the $249.99 lifetime license lets you stop paying altogether — rare in this category. Wispr Flow’s free plan is a weekly allowance rather than a forever tier, and Pro is $15/month or $144/year billed annually. Wispr’s team pricing climbs from there, while Superwhisper’s one licence covers all your devices. If you dictate daily for years, the lifetime math is hard to argue with; if you dictate occasionally, either free tier may be enough to start.
Who each one is really for
Wispr Flow fits people who write all day across chat, email and docs and want dictation that needs no thought — including teams that want a shared dictionary so names and jargon come out consistently. Its dedicated extensions for editors like Cursor and Windsurf also court developers who dictate code-adjacent text. Superwhisper fits privacy-sensitive professionals, frequent travelers, and power users who want per-context behavior — one mode for email, another for code, another for raw transcription — and it works in any IDE or terminal because it is system-wide. We cover each app in depth in our Wispr Flow review and Superwhisper review.
Which should you pick?
Pick Wispr Flow if you want the least setup and the most automatic cleanup, you always have a connection, and a subscription is fine.
Pick Superwhisper if offline or on-device processing matters, you like tuning how the AI rewrites you, or you would rather pay once. It is also the cheaper subscription.
Bottom line: Wispr Flow is the smoother default for most people; Superwhisper is the better tool for privacy, control and long-term cost. Decide where your audio should live, and the choice makes itself.
Frequently asked questions
Does Superwhisper work offline?
Yes. Superwhisper can run speech recognition entirely on your device with local models, so it works with no internet connection. Wispr Flow is cloud-only and needs a connection.
How much does Wispr Flow cost?
Wispr Flow Pro is $15/month, or $12/month billed annually ($144/year). The free plan allows 2,000 words per week on desktop.
Is there a dictation app you can buy once instead of subscribing?
Yes — Superwhisper offers a lifetime license for $249.99 alongside its $8.49/month and $84.99/year plans. Wispr Flow is subscription-only.
Which dictation app is more private?
Both are SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant. Superwhisper goes further for privacy purists because audio can be processed entirely on-device and never sent to a server; Wispr Flow processes in the cloud with a zero-retention privacy mode.