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Purr vs Wispr Flow, Superwhisper and VoiceInk

Checked against each app’s own site, docs and GitHub on 22 October 2026. Numbers in brackets link to the source.

All four let you hold a key, talk, and have the words typed into the app you are using. Wispr Flow does the transcription in the cloud. Superwhisper and VoiceInk can run on your Mac or in the cloud, with paid plans for the full feature set. Purr runs only on your Mac and is free and open source.

Swipe the table sideways to see all four apps.

Purr Wispr Flow Superwhisper VoiceInk
What it is Free push-to-talk dictation that runs entirely on your Mac AI dictation that transcribes in the cloud, plus a meeting notetaker [6] Dictation with AI modes, using local or cloud models [7] A paid Mac dictation app whose source code is on GitHub [20]
Where speech becomes text On your Mac, always In the cloud, always [2] On your Mac with local models on the free plan; Pro adds cloud models [8] On your Mac, or in the cloud with your own API keys [15] [17]
Works offline Yes, once the speech model has downloaded No: an offline device cannot start dictation [4] Yes, with local models [9] Yes, with local models [22]
Account None Yes: sign in with Apple, Google, Microsoft, SSO or email [5] No sign-in to start; Pro uses an emailed license key [10] [13] No sign-in; a license key after the 7-day trial [19]
Languages English with the default Parakeet engine; about 100 with WhisperKit, which can also translate to English 100+ [1] 100+; translating to English is a Pro feature [7] Many; its docs give no total [16]
When the text appears As you speak, with Smart Typing (Parakeet engine) After you release the key [4] As you speak in Realtime mode, a Pro feature [11] A live preview in its recorder; the final text is pasted after [18]
AI rewriting None. Voice commands, voice editing ("change X to Y"), a custom dictionary and filler-word trimming Removes filler words and self-corrections, formats lists, and matches the style of each app [6] AI modes with your own prompts, using cloud or local language models [8] [9] AI enhancement through a cloud provider or a local model [17] [22]
Meetings Free: records your mic and Mac audio, labels speakers, and writes a summary on your Mac Notetaker on Mac and Windows; limited on the free plan [1] Records mic and Mac audio with speaker labels and summaries; a Pro feature [12] Not covered in its docs [21]
Open source Yes, MIT No public source code No public source code Yes, GPL-3.0 [20]
Runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon only Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows, iPhone and Android [3] Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android; Intel Macs work best with cloud models [7] [10] Mac, macOS 15 or later; the iPhone app needs its own license [15] [23]
Price Free Free up to 2,000 words a week on desktop; Pro is $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly [1] Free with local models; Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once [8] $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two, $49 for three [14]

Where the others do better

Wispr Flow works on Windows, iPhone, Android and Intel Macs, and its AI cleans up filler words, self-corrections and lists for you [3] [6]. It also has team plans.

Superwhisper runs on every major platform, has AI modes with your own prompts and a wider choice of models, and on Pro transcribes audio and video files [7] [8].

VoiceInk is open source too, offers more models and AI enhancement, and has an iPhone app [20] [17] [23].

Where Purr is different

Purr is free with no word limit, no trial and no account, and the code is MIT-licensed. With Smart Typing, words land in your app while you are still talking. Meeting mode, with your Mac’s audio, speaker labels and summaries, is free and stays on your Mac. It runs on macOS 14 or later. It needs an Apple silicon Mac, and it does not rewrite your words with AI. If you need Windows, an iPhone app or AI cleanup, one of the apps above will suit you better.

Download Purr free See how it works

Sources

  1. Wispr Flow pricing
  2. Wispr Flow privacy
  3. Wispr Flow docs: supported devices
  4. Wispr Flow docs: your first dictation
  5. Wispr Flow docs: signing in
  6. Wispr Flow website
  7. Superwhisper website
  8. Superwhisper docs: plans
  9. Superwhisper models
  10. Superwhisper docs: quickstart
  11. Superwhisper docs: realtime
  12. Superwhisper docs: meetings
  13. Superwhisper docs: activating Pro
  14. VoiceInk pricing
  15. VoiceInk docs: installation
  16. VoiceInk docs: local models
  17. VoiceInk docs: cloud providers
  18. VoiceInk docs: realtime transcription
  19. VoiceInk docs: licenses
  20. VoiceInk on GitHub
  21. VoiceInk docs: audio input
  22. VoiceInk docs: privacy and data
  23. VoiceInk docs: iPhone and Mac licenses

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