Sorimac vs MacWhisper: Live Dictation or File Transcription

MacWhisper is free, with a Pro license at €64 paid once (macwhisper.com, checked October 21, 2026), and its strength is transcribing audio and video files on the Mac. Sorimac costs $9.99 once and does one job: live dictation and voice commands at your cursor. Both run speech recognition on the Mac.

How do Sorimac and MacWhisper compare?

	Sorimac	MacWhisper
Price	$9.99 once	Free; Pro €64 once per license
Main job	Live dictation at the cursor, plus voice commands	Transcribing audio and video files; system-wide dictation too
Free version	3-day trial, everything unlocked	Free forever, with dictation and local models
Runs on the device	Yes, offline after the model download	Yes, local models; content stays on the Mac
Platforms	Mac only (Apple Silicon, macOS 15+)	Mac (macOS 14+, M-series, also works on Intel); separate iPhone and iPad app, per its Gumroad listing
Exports and subtitles	No	Pro: .md, .pdf, .html, .docx export, subtitle generation and translation
AI cleanup of dictation	No	Pro: grammar improvement, AI prompts, app-specific prompts
Voice commands for the Mac	Yes (volume, screenshot, open apps)	Not listed
Open source	No	Not listed

Summary chart comparing Sorimac and MacWhisper on Free plan, Pay once, Runs offline, File transcription, Subtitles, export, Mac voice commands — Summary of the table above. "not listed" means the official page does not say.

Sources, checked October 21, 2026: MacWhisper home and plans, MacWhisper on Gumroad (Good Snooze). Sorimac facts: our FAQ.

When is MacWhisper the better pick?

Most of your audio is already recorded: interviews, lectures, podcasts, meetings. MacWhisper is built for that, and Sorimac does not open files at all.
You need subtitles or exports to Word, PDF or Markdown. Those are in MacWhisper Pro.
You are on an Intel Mac or macOS 14. MacWhisper's listing covers macOS 14 and Intel; Sorimac needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15.
You want free system-wide dictation and can live without the Pro cleanup. MacWhisper Free includes it.

When does Sorimac fit?

Your words start as speech, not as a file: messages, notes, prompts for Claude Code typed straight into Terminal.
You want the Mac to listen the way you prefer: always on, while you hold a key (push-to-talk), or after a wake word.
You want voice commands next to dictation, and auto-Enter so a chat message sends without touching the keyboard.
You want the lower one-time price: $9.99 against €64, if you do not need file tools.

What does each cost over one and three years?

Option	After 1 year	After 3 years
MacWhisper Pro	€64	€64
MacWhisper Free	$0	$0
Sorimac	$9.99	$9.99

USD before tax unless marked. MacWhisper is priced in euros on its site; we did not convert it. Prices checked October 21, 2026.

FAQ

Is MacWhisper a one-time purchase?

Yes. MacWhisper Pro is listed as €64, pay once, per license, on macwhisper.com (checked October 21, 2026). There is also a free version.

Can MacWhisper do live dictation?

Yes. MacWhisper's site lists system-wide dictation in the free version, and Pro adds higher-quality dictation with grammar cleanup and AI prompts. Its center of gravity is still file transcription.

Does MacWhisper send audio to the cloud?

Its site says it uses local models and that sensitive content never leaves your Mac. Optional connections to outside AI services are a Pro feature. Sorimac also keeps recognition on the Mac unless you add your own API key.

Should I buy both?

Some people do: MacWhisper for recorded files, Sorimac for live typing and voice commands. If you only transcribe files, MacWhisper alone is enough.

Sorimac vs MacWhisper