Pick Superwhisper if…
Dictation power users are its whole audience, and it shows.
- Dictation is your primary way of writing, all day
- You want per-app modes and AI rewriting of what you say
- You dictate on your iPhone too
Compare
LokalBot vs Superwhisper
The honest version: if dictation is the only thing you want, Superwhisper is the deeper tool — custom modes, AI rewrites, an iOS keyboard. LokalBot's dictation is simpler by design — hold ⌥ Space, speak, it types — and it comes inside a free, open-source workspace that also records your meetings, tracks your day, and autocompletes your writing.
Last verified July 2026 · spot something outdated? Open an issue.
| Feature | LokalBot | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation | Hold or toggle ⌥ Space, live transcript pill, pastes at the cursor | Deeper: custom modes, AI text processing, per-app behavior |
| Runs on-device | Always — there is no cloud path for your audio | Local models, with optional cloud models |
| Audio retention | Scratch recording is deleted right after transcription | Configurable in-app |
| Meeting notetaker | Bot-free capture with Me / Them tracks, summarized locally | Voice-first tool, not a system-audio meeting notetaker |
| Day timeline | Opt-in screenshots + OCR with app tracking | No |
| Writing autocomplete | Cotyping ghost text as you type | No — AI modes transform what you dictate instead |
| Source code | Open source, GPLv3 | Proprietary |
| Price | Free — dictation included, nothing gated | Free tier · Pro subscription or a lifetime license (~$250 at last check) |
| Platforms | macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon | macOS and iOS |
Pick LokalBot if…
Good dictation, plus everything around it — for free.
- You want dictation and meeting notes, a day timeline, and autocomplete
- One model download covers your meetings and your dictation
- You prefer free and open source over a license
- You want a strict no-cloud guarantee you can verify in the code
Questions
The short answers.
Which speech models does LokalBot use?
Granite, Parakeet, or Whisper-family models running on the Neural Engine. Dictation reuses whichever engine and language you picked for meetings, and keeps it warm so transcription starts instantly when you hold the key.
Does LokalBot keep my dictation audio?
No. It records to a scratch file, transcribes it on-device, pastes the text, and deletes the recording. It even pauses your music before it starts listening.
Can I run both apps?
Sure — they use different shortcuts. Some people will want Superwhisper for heavy dictation workflows and LokalBot for meetings and everything else. LokalBot is free, so trying the combination costs nothing.
Download
Speak anywhere. Stays on your Mac.
Free and open source. Models download on first use; built-in inference then works offline.
Download for macOS.dmg installer · all releases and notes
Superwhisper is a trademark of its owner; LokalBot is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Details are based on public pages and pricing as of July 2026 and may change — if something here is wrong or out of date, open an issue and we'll fix it.