MacWhisper

What it does

MacWhisper turns audio and video into text on a Mac. It takes local files such as mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov and mp4, YouTube and media URLs, microphone recordings, and audio from Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype, Chime and Discord calls. Transcripts include automatic speaker recognition, translation, and exports as subtitles (.srt and .vtt), text, Markdown, PDF, HTML or Word documents.

People use it for interviews, lectures, podcasts, voice memos and recorded meetings, plus system-wide dictation into any app. Meetings are recorded in the background without bots joining. Other features include batch transcription, watched folders, a built-in editor, and AI summaries, chat and custom prompts over transcripts, using local models through Ollama and LM Studio or your own API keys for providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

Local models keep sensitive files on the Mac. A separate iOS app transcribes shared audio files, with on-device models on iPhone 15 or newer. The free tier covers basic transcription; Pro is listed at a one-time €64 license with lifetime updates. Cloud transcription and third-party AI usage are billed by those providers.

What it can do

• Transcribe local audio and video files, YouTube and media URLs, and microphone recordings
• Record and transcribe Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype, Chime and Discord meetings
• System-wide dictation into any app, with grammar improvement and AI prompts
• Automatic speaker recognition and podcast transcripts with individual files per speaker
• Export subtitles, text, Markdown, PDF, HTML and Word documents
• AI summaries, chat and custom prompts using local models or your own API keys

Works with

• Zoom
• Microsoft Teams
• Webex
• Skype
• Discord
• Notion
• Zapier
• Obsidian
• n8n
• Make.com

Before you choose

• Cloud transcription on iOS is done through Groq with a 25MB file size limit; the documentation says a move to ElevenLabs for larger files is planned.
• Local models on iPhone require iPhone 15 or newer.
• Only install from the official Gumroad or App Store links, since the site warns of scam copies that may contain malware.

Listed under

• Productivity
• Meetings and notes
• Dictation
• Mac app
• Meeting notes
• Meeting transcription
• Podcast
• Podcast transcription

Get started

Download the free version or buy Pro through the official Gumroad page; the website also states purchases can go through the App Store.

1. Download MacWhisper from the official Gumroad link or the App Store, and confirm the download there before installing.
2. Grant microphone and, if needed, system audio permissions to record meetings or app audio.
3. Optionally add your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic or other providers, or install Ollama or LM Studio for local models.

Pro is listed at a one-time €64 per license with lifetime updates. This price is shown for the Mac app; iOS pricing is not stated. Third-party AI and cloud transcription costs are billed by those providers and are not included.

Source: macwhisper.com, checked 29 Oct 2026. Prices can change; check before you buy.

Sources for this overview

Product pages, documentation, and pricing checked 29 Oct 2026. Each source supports part of the overview; availability and prices can change.

• MacWhisper ↗www.macwhisper.com
• MacWhisper ↗www.macwhisper.com
• MacWhisper for iOS - MacWhisper Support ↗docs.macwhisper.com
• AI Features - MacWhisper Support ↗docs.macwhisper.com

Company website

macwhisper.com: product, pricing and policy pages

YC directory mirror

Batch and company name

Human review

Checked by a person

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Last checked 29 Oct 2026. Every field keeps its source and date; unknown means we couldn’t confirm it.