A Superwhisper alternative for notes and meetings, not just dictation (2026)

At a glance

Credit where it's due

Superwhisper's privacy posture is genuinely good, and its own words are worth quoting: with local models, "your microphone input never leaves the machine, we don't log audio, and nothing you dictate is stored on our servers." Its free tier runs entirely on local models with no expiry. No account, ever — a license key unlocks Pro. If you came to this page from the cloud-transcription world, Superwhisper is already one of the honest options.

Nib holds the same line — transcription on-device via Apple's speech engine, audio never uploaded, never even synced to iCloud, no account. On the privacy question, these two apps are on the same side of the fence, and this page won't pretend otherwise.

One asymmetry worth knowing: on Pro, Superwhisper offers optional cloud speech models (routed through their proxy, not retained for training) for higher accuracy. Nib doesn't have a cloud transcription mode at all — on-device is the only path, on every tier.

A dictation tool and a notepad are different shapes

Superwhisper's job is turning your voice into polished text inside other apps — hold a key, talk, and clean text lands in Slack, Gmail, your editor. It's genuinely great at that, and Nib doesn't do it. If system-wide dictation is what you want, you can stop reading: buy Superwhisper.

Nib's job starts where a dictation tool's ends: with a place for the words to live. You press record inside a note. The transcript grows next to the agenda you typed before the meeting. The recording stays attached — tap any line and the audio plays from that moment. Search works across everything, including by meaning, so "the meeting about pricing" surfaces even if nobody said "pricing." Sketches and photos ride along with OCR. Notes sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac; the audio files deliberately stay on the device that recorded them.

Superwhisper does have a meeting mode — it records (including system audio) and produces a summary with action items. But it's a mode in a dictation tool: real-time transcription needs its cloud Ultra model on Pro, speaker labels don't carry into the summaries, and the output is a summary you take elsewhere. In Nib, the meeting lands in a note you keep working in — the minutes, the transcript, the audio and your own writing in one searchable place. And live transcription while you record is part of Nib's free tier, not a Pro cloud feature.

The honest checklist

Pick Superwhisper if:

• You want to talk instead of type, everywhere — that's the product, and nothing about Nib replaces it.
• You're on Windows (Superwhisper ships there; Nib is Apple-only).
• You want a lifetime license — $249.99 once. Nib's answer to subscription fatigue is different: the core is free outright, and one-time credit packs from ¥300 cover the AI without a subscription.
• You want the option of cloud-grade transcription accuracy on demand.

Pick Nib if:

• Meetings and notes are the center of your day, and you want the transcript, the audio, the minutes and your own writing in one place.
• You want live transcription without paying for a cloud model.
• You take notes on an iPhone as much as at a Mac.
• You want AI minutes — decisions, to-dos with owners, open questions — generated from the transcript. (That part of Nib runs in the cloud, through no-retention providers, on transcript text — never audio. Said plainly, as always.)

Some people will run both: Superwhisper to talk to their computer, Nib to remember what happened. They don't overlap much, and neither one is watching you.

FAQ

Is Nib's transcription local like Superwhisper's?

Yes — Apple's on-device speech engine, on Mac, iPhone and iPad. The audio never leaves the device. Unlike Superwhisper, there's no optional cloud transcription mode; on-device is the only path.

Can Nib dictate into other apps like Superwhisper?

No. Nib transcribes into its own notes. For system-wide dictation, Superwhisper is the right tool.

Does either app need an account?

Neither. Superwhisper uses a license key for Pro; Nib has no sign-in at all.

Is live transcription free in Nib?

Yes — words appear as you speak, on-device, on the free tier. Recordings run up to 30 minutes each free, with no monthly cap; Pro removes the per-recording limit. In Superwhisper, real-time transcription requires the Ultra Cloud model on Pro.

Can Nib transcribe existing audio files?

Yes, imported files are transcribed on-device. In Superwhisper, file transcription is a Pro feature.

What do they cost?

Superwhisper Pro is $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 lifetime. Nib's recording, transcription and search are free; Pro (AI features, unlimited-length recordings) is ¥800/month or ¥6,500/year, with one-time credit packs from ¥300 as the no-subscription option.