MacWhisper

Only on your deviceNetherlands

MacWhisper, made by Good Snooze in Amsterdam, transcribes files, microphone input and meeting audio on the Mac itself with local Whisper and Parakeet models.

Visit MacWhisper Compare with anotherChecked 19 October 2026

How it listens: Only on your device; Transcribes on your device, Records your computer's audio, Upload a file
Free plan: Free plan, with limits
Cheapest paid: €64 once; One-time licence
Trains AI on your recordings: Says it doesn't train on them
Where it transcribes: On device or in the cloud; Local by default; optional cloud transcription (Groq, ElevenLabs, Deepgram…) and AI prompts send data to the provider you pick

Where it stands among 43

Each fact with every app's answer. MacWhisper is outlined.

Trains AI on your recordings

Says it doesn't train on them

Only if you opt in 5

Yes, unless you opt out 3

Yes 2

Not stated 3

Notes from a call without a bot

Yes, no bot joins

A bot joins the call 7

Doesn't join live calls 4

Where it transcribes

On device or in the cloud

On your device 3

On device or in the cloud 5

Free plan

Free plan or free with the device

Free plan or free with the device 31

No free plan 11

Not stated 1

Webex AI Assistant

Can skip keeping the audio

Not stated

EU data storage

Not applicable

HIPAA

Not stated

Plans and prices

In euros, per month, as listed by MacWhisper. Checked 19 October 2026.

Free version: €0Parakeet and Qwen3 models, automatic speaker recognition, batch transcription and integrations are Pro only
Pay once: €64 onceMacWhisper Pro, pay once, per licence, lifetime updates; the Gumroad checkout shows €65 for one personal licence; volume licences from €54 each (5) to €44 each (50)

How others are told

MacWhisper doesn't tell the other people by default, so it's up to you to let them know.

Nothing by default

No bot joins; the 'Meeting detected' prompt is shown only to you, and no notice to other participants is described

All the facts

How it listens

Ways it captures: Transcribes on your device, Records your computer's audio, Upload a file Drag-and-drop files, microphone or any input device, and system audio from meeting apps (meeting detection prompts you to record); no bot
No bot in your calls: Yes Drag-and-drop files, microphone or any input device, and system audio from meeting apps (meeting detection prompts you to record); no bot
How others are told: Nothing by default No bot joins; the 'Meeting detected' prompt is shown only to you, and no notice to other participants is described
Labels who said what: YesYes Pro: automatic speaker recognition with WhisperKit local models or ElevenLabs/Deepgram; labels are Speaker 1, 2… and you rename them
Languages: 100+
Mixed-language meetings: Not statedNot stated The support article says a file with two languages can't be transcribed at once; the CLI docs describe a multilingual mode for models that can switch mid-audio

What happens to your recordings

Trains AI on your recordings: Says it doesn't train on them The maker's privacy policy says 'No data (audio, text or other) leaves your device'; no training policy for the optional cloud providers is stated
Where it transcribes: On device or in the cloud Local by default; optional cloud transcription (Groq, ElevenLabs, Deepgram…) and AI prompts send data to the provider you pick
Can skip keeping the audio: Not statedNot stated No setting to discard meeting audio described
How long it's kept: Kept on your Mac until you delete it No retention period; data can be inspected or removed manually
EU data storage: Not applicableNot applicable Stored on your own device
SOC 2: Not statedNot stated None stated
HIPAA: Not statedNot stated None stated

What it costs

Free plan: Free plan, with limits Parakeet and Qwen3 models, automatic speaker recognition, batch transcription and integrations are Pro only
Cheapest paid plan: €64 once
Pay per minute (AI): Not offered No pay-per-use; one-time licence
Human transcription: Not offered No human transcription
One-time price: €64 once MacWhisper Pro, pay once, per licence, lifetime updates; the Gumroad checkout shows €65 for one personal licence; volume licences from €54 each (5) to €44 each (50)
Device price: No device
Free trial: Not stated A trial of Pro not stated
Refund window: 7 days Refund if you write within 7 days and say what could be improved

Where it works

Zoom: YesYes Meeting detection for Zoom; records the app's audio on the Mac
Google Meet: Not statedNot stated Not named; detection covers Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Arc and Brave, where Meet runs
Microsoft Teams: YesYes Meeting detection for Teams
Webex: YesYes Meeting detection for Webex
In-person meetings: YesYes Records from the Mac's microphone or any input device
Phone calls: Not statedNot stated Phone calls not mentioned
Apps: Mac, iPhone

What you get out

Transcript exports: TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT
Subtitles (SRT): YesYes Free
Audio download: Not statedNot stated A .whisper file bundles the original audio with the transcript; a separate audio export isn't listed
Integrations: Notion, Zapier, Make, n8n, Obsidian, Webhooks, CLI Pro only; Notion via the homepage list

Who makes it

Company: Good Snooze Built by Jordi Bruin and friends
Owned by: Not stated No parent company stated
Based in: Netherlands Amsterdam
Founded: Not stated Not stated

Where we recommend it

Best note taker for privacy

Runs on your Mac, and its privacy policy says no audio or text leaves your device unless you pick an optional cloud provider. There's a free edition; Pro is €64 once.

Best for transcribing recordings: pay per minute or subscribe

For files that shouldn't leave your computer: it transcribes on your Mac, with a free edition and a €64 one-time Pro licence.

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