Eko · Roundup
The best offline / on-device dictation apps for Mac (2026)
Most AI dictation apps now send your voice to the cloud by default — fine for convenience, but not for privacy or working without Wi-Fi. We rounded up the Mac dictation and transcription tools with genuine on-device modes, where audio never has to leave your machine, and compared them on price and how much they do beyond raw transcription.
Get Eko for Mac — $391. Eko★ our pick
$39 onceBest all-in-one on-device assistant
Runs fully on-device (or with your own API key) for a one-time $39, and goes beyond dictation with local correction, translation, ask-AI, screen vision, and app-launching — all without an internet connection.
2. Superwhisper
$249.99 lifetime / $9.99+/moBest for custom local AI modes
A genuine offline strength: local Whisper/Parakeet models are free to use, and scriptable custom Modes let you tailor AI processing — but the lifetime tier is over 6x Eko’s price.
Superwhisper vs Eko →3. VoiceInk
$25-49 onceBest open-source local option
Fully on-device transcription via whisper.cpp, with the source published under GPL v3 so you can audit or self-compile it — AI enhancement modes need your own API key, though.
VoiceInk vs Eko →4. Spokenly
Free / $9.99/moBest free unlimited local tier
Unlimited, offline Whisper/Parakeet transcription for free, plus a Local Only Mode that blocks all network requests — Pro adds managed cloud models but isn’t required for local use.
Spokenly vs Eko →5. BetterDictation
$39 once (+$2/mo Pro)Best budget local dictation
Local Whisper large-v3-turbo on the Apple Neural Engine keeps raw dictation fully offline for $39 — but its AI cleanup add-on needs an internet connection and sends text to OpenAI.
BetterDictation vs Eko →6. Aiko
$24 onceBest for offline file transcription
Sindre Sorhus’s fully offline Whisper transcription app for recorded audio and video across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro — but it has no live-dictation hotkey, so it can’t type into other apps as you speak.
Aiko vs Eko →One shortcut. In any app. $39 once.
Eko is a Mac AI keyboard assistant: dictate, fix, translate, ask AI, read your screen and open apps — from one shortcut, in any app. Runs on-device or with your own API key. $39 once, no subscription.
Get Eko for Mac — $39$39 once · No subscription · macOS 14.0 or later, Apple Silicon (M1+)
FAQ
What’s the best fully offline dictation app for Mac?
For an all-in-one tool that dictates, corrects, translates and takes actions entirely on-device at a one-time $39, Eko is our top pick. Superwhisper and VoiceInk are the strongest alternatives if you want deeper custom scripting or open-source code.
Is Superwhisper actually offline, or does it need the cloud?
Its local Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models run 100% offline for free — only its optional cloud-LLM Modes (GPT-5, Claude, etc.) require an internet connection.
Is there a free offline dictation app for Mac?
Yes — Spokenly’s local Whisper/Parakeet tier is free and unlimited, and Apple’s built-in Dictation processes basic speech locally on Apple Silicon Macs by default, though both offer less AI processing than paid on-device tools.
Does offline dictation sacrifice accuracy compared to cloud tools?
Not much anymore — local Whisper and Parakeet models used by Eko, Superwhisper, VoiceInk and Spokenly are close to cloud-model accuracy for most speech, though cloud tools can still edge ahead on heavily accented or noisy audio.