Setup
Nothing to manage
No model catalog, downloads, API keys, or quality settings. Subscribe, sign in, and dictate.
Vs. · Superwhisper
Sign in. Talk. Done.
Superwhisper runs models locally. Dictate runs them for you. Sign in, speak, and text lands at your cursor without model downloads or tuning.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | Dictate | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Setup before first dictation Superwhisper’s on-device transcription means choosing and downloading models. Dictate’s managed path has nothing to download, no API keys, nothing to tune. | Sign in and talk | Local models to manage |
| Accessibility-API insertion Dictate inserts via the Accessibility API and falls back to paste when an app fights it, including Electron apps like Slack and VS Code. | Yes | Unknown, see vendor docs |
| Cloud audio discarded after transcription Dictate’s server transcribes and discards; history keeps text only. Superwhisper’s local mode keeps audio off the network entirely: a stronger guarantee, if you run local. | Yes | Unknown, see vendor docs |
| Flat pricing, no tiers | $8/month, one plan | Unknown, see vendor docs |
| Account-backed history, glossary, and settings | Yes | Unknown, see vendor docs |
| Polish / AI rewrite step | Yes | Yes |
| Local-only mode If audio must never leave the device, Superwhisper is the honest pick. | No | Yes |
| On-device LLM action chains | No | Yes |
| Native Apple Silicon | Yes | Yes |
| Multilingual quality Both depend on the underlying model; we won’t guess vs theirs. | Unknown, see vendor docs | Unknown, see vendor docs |
Cells marked “Unknown, see vendor docs” mean we couldn’t verify the capability from public sources at time of writing. We’d rather say “we don’t know” than guess.
Insertion
Lands in the stubborn apps
Dictate uses the Accessibility API first and paste as a fallback in apps such as Slack, VS Code, and Notion.
Offline
Never locked out
Transcription needs a connection. The signed subscription check is cached on your Mac.
The honest call
Choose Superwhisper if…
Audio must stay on your Mac. Superwhisper also offers on-device LLM action chains beyond plain dictation.
In return, you manage the models yourself. Dictate instead syncs text history, glossary, and settings across your Macs.
Skip the model catalog.
$8/month flat. Cancel any time; unused subscriptions refunded.