I built superwhisper out of frustration with the native dictation capabilities of macOS. Inaccurate, required manual punctuation, didnt activate in some contexts or would have audio capture issues.
I wanted a replacement that worked offline, had cross language support, was configurable and worked in any application.
Under the hood the app is using whisper.cpp, which runs really well on the Apple Silicon chips.
You can use the base and standard size models for free, larger models sizes and languages other than english are paid.
Let me know what you think! For context, I launched this just one month ago and have been rapidly adding features and making fixes.
If you want to follow along with development, I post release info on twitter (https://x.com/superwhisperapp) or you can subscribe to emails via the form on the website (very bottom).
I predict someone will comment: why not just use the large model on OpenAI api? Indeed you can! Large model is the best. However, it does not do live transcription, and it is not totally private, which you can do with offline app.
My WisrpNote does not yet have live! Although I've prototyped it, been busy with other projects! It's on the list! I hope yours has live.
I see you are going a paid model, does that mean that it is a subscription using OpenAI API or just paying for the download and utilization of these larger models essentially, even tho they run offline?
Anyway, WisprNote is Powered by Wispr models from OpenAI using the ggml work on GitHub from ggreganov!
Totally agree that MacOS has crap dictation! So is the Google dictation! And the iPhone dictation!
https://superwhisperapp.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout?cart=856e7...
I would also challenge you on it:
How much time does it save you each day?
How could that translate to your income?
Do you want the app to improve and add features over time?
Is 65 dollars a year truly out of reach if you feel that you need pro level features?
It’s running on my hardware, openAI made the model, whisper.cpp keeps it updated. You legitimately solved an issue/problem making it easier to use and made a UI, but that’s not something I’m willing to pay monthly for.
You are an unknown and I have no idea if this will be kept up to date. Id pay for an OS update if something broke or you came out with a new set of features. But again you haven’t added monthly value.
You mention that I should pay an ongoing fee for features to be added over time. However, there is no guarantee of future feature development even if I do pay every month. And there is definitely no guarantee I will care about or like the new features either. If this transcription works well, that’s the only feature I need.
Being charged monthly also doesn’t seem right when you’re not providing an ongoing service. If you develop a new feature that is better than the current version, I would pay for that as well.
1. Make sure that superwhisper is in the Applications folder
2. When you restart the application ensure that the accessibility prompt does not come up
3. Make sure your audio device is properly selected, you can test this by checking the file saved to Documents/superwhisper/output.wav has audio in it
I know Neil is working on improving the speed of it using CoreML, which is I think the next big leap forward. Congratulations Neil!
I agree the menu bar is overcrowded, but I don't know if the app would work very well without the icon as it is the primary way that the current recording state is indicated. If you have ideas on how else I could approach this, let me know what you think.
Edit: Disappointed to see that the Pro plan is on a subscription basis.
It is not sustainable for indie devs and the software suffers as a result.
superwhisper is not expensive (65 a year) given what it provides to the user.
On top of that the base features are free, and require absolutely nothing from you, no sign up or contact information required at all- just download and use.
It completely respects your personal privacy and provides a useful service. Very few tools outside of open source do this.
Sorry but because everything is a subscription it’s harder and harder to justify adding another on the stack.
https://superwhisperapp.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout?cart=856e7...
It’s a cool little app, I’d be happy to pay a few dollars for something like this, but not a subscription.
https://superwhisperapp.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout?cart=856e7...
I really hope this project surfaces in my feed in a couple of weeks with a more sane model
Why not think about it and make it a real plan for those who want it. Based on the comments, it seams like a blocker for many people.
https://superwhisperapp.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout?cart=856e7...
