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blabe vs Superwhisper
Superwhisper is a flexible dictation app with local and cloud models, modes and coding-agent plugins. blabe keeps it simple: hold one key, speak, and your exact words appear in any app on your Mac.
The short version
Superwhisper suits you if you want control. You choose local or cloud voice models, the free plan runs entirely on your Mac, and modes format your dictation for email, messages or notes. It also runs on Windows, iPhone and Android, and it has plugins that let you answer a coding agent by voice.
blabe suits you if you want less to manage. There are no modes and no model to pick: hold one key, speak, let go, and your words appear wherever your cursor is. It runs on Microsoft’s MAI-Transcribe 2, benchmarked 5–10× faster than OpenAI’s, ElevenLabs’ and Google’s transcription models . It is Mac-only, and transcription is included in the price.
Side by side
| Feature | blabe | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, transcription included within a fair-use monthly limit. 2-day free trial, no card. | A free plan with local models. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. |
| Rewrites your words by default | No. It removes “um” and “uh” (you can turn that off) and never rewrites with a language model. | Depends on the mode. Voice to Text has no AI processing; its AI modes, such as Message and Super, clean up and format. |
| Transcription model | Microsoft’s MAI-Transcribe 2, through blabe’s transcription service. | S1-Voice, its own cloud model, on Pro. Local Whisper models on the free plan. |
| Account or key needed | No provider account or API key. You activate a paid plan with a license key. The trial needs no card, email or signup: install blabe and click Start Free Trial. | No account. You enter a license key once per device. |
| Works offline | No. It needs the internet to transcribe. | Yes, with local models. On the free plan, nothing you dictate leaves your device. |
Which one to choose
When to choose Superwhisper
- You need offline or on-device transcription. The free plan runs local Whisper models and nothing you dictate leaves your device.
- You use Windows, iPhone or Android too. One Pro key covers unlimited Macs and Windows PCs, plus iPhone and Android.
- You want AI modes that format your dictation for email, messages or notes, or modes you write yourself.
- You want plugins for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others that let you answer questions, approve tool calls and get done notifications by voice.
- You would rather buy once: there is a $249.99 lifetime plan.
When to choose blabe
- You want one key that works the same in every app, wherever your cursor is.
- You want your exact words. blabe uses no language model on your speech.
- You want a small tool with nothing to configure per app: no modes, no history, no model picker.
- You want a lower yearly price: $49.99 a year with transcription included within a fair-use monthly limit, against $84.99 a year for Pro.
Before you pick blabe. blabe needs the internet and macOS 14 or later. After the 2-day trial it is a subscription: $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year for up to 3 Macs, with transcription included within a fair-use monthly limit. When your trial or subscription ends, new dictation stops until you subscribe. What you've already dictated isn't affected. There is no Windows, Linux or phone app.
Try blabe free for 2 days.
No card. No email, no signup. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel.