Best Speech-to-Text App for Mac: Live Speech, Files, or Meetings

Speech-to-text on a Mac means three different jobs: typing by voice into other apps, turning an audio file into a transcript, and capturing a meeting. Apple Dictation covers the first for free. Avaan handles live dictation and file transcription, with cloud transcription in Pro and a free local option. MacWhisper is built around files, and Otter around meetings. Pick by input type, as of October 2026.

Start with your input

If you are unsure which job you have, read real-time dictation vs file transcription.

Live speech: built-in first

Apple Dictation is free and ships with macOS. Apple's guide says to turn it on in System Settings under Keyboard, then start with the Microphone key or a shortcut. You can dictate text of any length without a timeout, and it stops after 30 seconds without speech. Apple lists a Keyboard settings option to check whether general dictation is processed on your device. It will not transcribe a file, and it does not adapt tone to the app you are writing in.

If that is enough for you, do not install anything. If you want more, Avaan lets you dictate with a global hotkey into the app in front, and Pro Modes format the text for email, chat, or documents. Superwhisper and Wispr Flow offer similar dictation, and their sites list more platforms than Avaan does.

Audio files: local or cloud

For recordings, the question is where the audio goes.

• Local transcription runs on your Mac. Avaan's local transcription is free, needs no account, and works offline, so that audio stays on the Mac. MacWhisper's site describes local models for files too.
• Cloud transcription sends audio to speech providers. Avaan Pro uses it for the main experience. The providers are named on the subprocessors page, and the privacy policy explains the rest.

Avaan Pro adds speaker labels for conversation files. MacWhisper is a good choice if you mostly process batches of files and prefer a one-time license; its site lists a one-time Pro license price in euros, so check it for the current number. For a step-by-step guide to the file workflow, see how to transcribe audio on Mac for free.

Meetings: use a meeting tool

Otter is built for meetings: shared transcripts, summaries, and team access. Its pricing page shows a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes per month, a per-conversation limit, and a small number of imported files, with paid plans above it. Notta offers a free plan with a monthly minute allowance and a short per-conversation limit. If your goal is team meeting notes, those tools fit better than a dictation app. Avaan can transcribe a meeting recording as a file, but it is not a meeting bot.

Notes on iPhone

If your speech-to-text happens away from the desk, Avaan's iPhone app records a Note that syncs to your account. With memories turned on (Pro, off by default), you can Ask your Notes a question by voice or text and get answers that cite the Notes they came from. You can exclude a Note, correct or forget a memory, or turn memories off. Note audio uploads only if you opt in.

What it costs

After the Avaan trial or a cancelled plan, cloud features pause, your Notes stay readable, and local transcription on Mac stays free.

How to decide

Run the same two-minute recording through two tools and read the results side by side. Test a clip with names, jargon, or a noisy room, since those separate tools faster than clean audio does. Download Avaan to try dictation and file transcription, or compare costs on the pricing page. For improving results with any tool, see voice-to-text tips for better accuracy. Related guides: best dictation apps and offline transcription on Mac.