Best Free Transcription Apps for Mac in 2026
Free transcription on a Mac usually means one of two things: software that runs a local model on your computer, or a cloud service with a monthly allowance. Apple Dictation, Avaan's local transcription, MacWhisper, and Superwhisper cover the first group. Otter and Notta are the second. Avaan also gives every account a 7-day Pro trial of its cloud transcription, with no card. Read the free limits below as of October 2026.
What "free" means here
| Type | How it works | Limit you will hit |
|---|---|---|
| Built in | Apple Dictation, part of macOS | No file transcription |
| Local, free | A model runs on your Mac and nothing is metered | Your Mac's speed, and fewer cloud features |
| Free cloud plan | Audio goes to a provider, with a monthly cap | Minutes per month and per recording |
| Trial | Full features for a limited time | It ends |
Avaan: free local transcription, plus a Pro trial
Avaan's free tier is local transcription on Mac. It needs no account, works offline, and that audio stays on the Mac. You dictate with a global hotkey into the app in front, and you can transcribe imported audio files. There is no monthly minute cap, because nothing is metered.
Pro is the other half of the product. Cloud transcription works on iPhone and Mac and sends audio to the speech providers on the subprocessors page. Pro also adds Modes, speaker labels, and Notes with memories on iPhone. It costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year and includes 10 hours of cloud transcription each month.
Every account gets a 7-day Pro trial with no card, up to 140 minutes of cloud transcription. When it ends, cloud features pause, your Notes stay readable, and local transcription on Mac stays free. To use the trial you need an account; local transcription does not need one.
Start with local transcription on a recording you already have. Use the trial when you want to hear the difference on a noisy room or a long conversation, then decide on Pro.
Apple Dictation: free, already installed
Apple's Dictation guide says to turn it on in System Settings under Keyboard. You can dictate text of any length without a timeout, and it stops after 30 seconds without speech. It handles live speech only, so recordings need another tool. Apple notes you can check Keyboard settings to see whether general dictation is processed on your device. If you choose Share Audio Recordings, Apple may review a sample of stored audio.
MacWhisper and Superwhisper: other local options
MacWhisper's site describes drag-and-drop transcription of audio and video files with local models, system-wide dictation, and a free version plus a paid one-time license. It does not mark which features belong to which tier, so test the free version on a real file. See our MacWhisper alternatives post for a fuller comparison.
Superwhisper's site lists a free plan that includes unlimited use of Whisper models, with voice-to-text in any app and meeting recording. Its file transcription is listed under Pro. If you want a free local dictation app and use Windows or Android as well, it is worth testing.
Free cloud plans: Otter, Notta, and Wispr Flow
These are cloud services, so audio goes to their servers.
- Otter: its pricing page shows a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes per month, a 30-minute limit per conversation, and 3 lifetime file imports. It suits meetings you want to share. See Avaan vs Otter.
- Notta: its pricing page shows 120 free transcription minutes per month, with up to 3 minutes per conversation, so it suits very short clips.
- Wispr Flow: its site describes a free plan with 2,000 words per week for dictation in any app.
Where your audio goes
| Option | Where audio goes |
|---|---|
| Avaan local transcription | Stays on the Mac |
| Avaan Pro cloud transcription | Speech providers listed on the subprocessors page |
| MacWhisper local models | Stays on the Mac, per its site |
| Apple Dictation | See Apple's Keyboard settings note above |
| Otter, Notta, Wispr Flow | Their cloud services |
None of this makes one choice right. Sensitive recordings point toward local transcription, and long, noisy, or multi-speaker audio often points toward cloud. Our on-device transcription guide explains the tradeoff, and the free file-transcription walkthrough shows the steps.
Which free option to try first
- Short messages: Apple Dictation.
- A recording on your Mac, no account: Avaan local transcription or MacWhisper's free version.
- A meeting you need to share: Otter's free plan, within its limits.
- A hard recording or an iPhone workflow: Avaan's 7-day trial.
Download Avaan to try local transcription, or read the pricing details first.
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