Choosing the best offline speech recognition software in 2026 means balancing accuracy, privacy, and platform support. Whether you need speech recognition without internet for confidential legal notes, medical records, or simply because your Wi-Fi is unreliable, this guide compares every serious option available on Mac and Windows today — so you can pick the right tool in minutes, not hours.
Why Offline Speech Recognition Matters More Than Ever
The global speech and voice recognition market is projected to grow from USD 9.66 billion in 2025 to USD 23.11 billion by 2030, according to MarketsandMarkets. Yet a growing segment of that market is moving away from the cloud entirely.
Privacy regulations are tightening. GDPR in Europe, HIPAA in healthcare, and client confidentiality requirements in law and consulting all create scenarios where sending audio to external servers is simply not an option. Over 20% of vendors now offer on-device processing specifically to address data-exposure concerns, and on-premise speech solutions are forecast to expand at a 22.71% CAGR through 2031.
The technology has caught up too. Thanks to whisper.cpp — a lightweight C/C++ port of OpenAI’s Whisper model with 46,900+ GitHub stars — running accurate speech recognition locally is no longer a compromise. It is a genuine alternative to cloud services, especially on Apple Silicon Macs and modern GPUs.
If you are evaluating your options, our guide to choosing voice dictation software covers the broader decision framework. This article focuses specifically on tools that work 100% offline.
The Best Offline Speech Recognition Software Compared
Below is a feature-by-feature comparison of the six leading offline speech recognition tools available in 2026. Each entry has been evaluated for privacy, accuracy, platform support, and overall value.
| Feature | Weesper Neon Flow | Superwhisper | Voibe | Apple Dictation | whisper.cpp | Dragon Professional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS + Windows | macOS, Windows, iOS | macOS only | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | All (CLI) | macOS + Windows |
| 100% Offline | Yes | Yes (Apple Silicon) | Yes | Yes (Enhanced) | Yes | Yes |
| Engine | Whisper-based | Whisper-based | Whisper-based | Apple Neural Engine | Whisper (C/C++) | Proprietary |
| Languages | 50+ | 100+ | 50+ | ~60 | 99 | ~15 |
| GPU Acceleration | Metal (Mac), GPU (Win) | Metal | Metal | Neural Engine | Metal, CUDA, Vulkan | CPU-based |
| Custom Vocabulary | Yes (custom prompts) | Yes | Limited | No | No (manual) | Yes (extensive) |
| Real-time Dictation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Price | From 5 EUR/mo | 849 USD lifetime | 4.90 USD/mo or 99 USD lifetime | Free | Free (open-source) | Contact Nuance |
| Free Trial | 15 days | Limited free tier | Free plan available | Built-in | Free | No |
| Cross-platform | Yes | Partial | No | Apple only | Yes (technical) | Yes |
Detailed Reviews of Each Tool
Weesper Neon Flow — Best All-Round Offline Dictation
Weesper Neon Flow is a professional voice dictation application that processes all audio locally on your device. Built on the Whisper architecture with Metal acceleration on Mac and GPU support on Windows, it delivers near-cloud accuracy without ever requiring an internet connection.
Standout strengths:
- True cross-platform: Full-featured on both macOS and Windows — a rarity in the offline dictation space
- 50+ languages with automatic detection
- Custom prompts let you tailor output for legal terms, medical jargon, or coding documentation
- No recording limits — dictate for as long as you need
- Ultra-competitive pricing at 5 EUR per month with no commitment
For professionals who need offline voice dictation with complete privacy, Weesper strikes the best balance between capability, platform support, and affordability. You can start your free 15-day trial with no credit card required.
Superwhisper — Premium Mac-First Experience
Superwhisper offers a polished dictation experience optimised for macOS, with iOS and Windows support added more recently. It runs Whisper models locally with support for 100+ languages and custom vocabulary.
Key considerations:
- Excellent accuracy on Apple Silicon with Metal acceleration
- “Push to talk” activation via customisable hotkey
- Multiple tone modes (Formal, Casual, Legal, Chat)
- Offline models perform best on Apple Silicon; Intel Macs may need cloud fallback
- Pricing is significantly higher at 849 USD for a lifetime licence
Superwhisper is a strong choice if you work exclusively on modern Macs and prefer a one-time purchase, though the upfront cost is substantial compared to subscription alternatives.
Voibe — Lightweight and Affordable (Mac Only)
Voibe is a focused, lightweight dictation tool for macOS that processes all audio in RAM and never uploads anything. It is designed for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 13 or later.
Key considerations:
- Sub-second startup with minimal resource usage (~150 MB RAM, under 3% CPU)
- Fn key activation works system-wide across all apps
- Developer mode matches file and folder names against your active workspace
- No Intel Mac support — Apple Silicon only
- Affordable at 4.90 USD per month or 99 USD for a lifetime licence
Voibe suits developers and privacy-conscious Mac users who want simple, fast dictation without configuration overhead.
Apple Dictation — Free and Built-In
Apple’s on-device dictation is available on every Mac, iPhone, and iPad. When Enhanced Dictation is enabled, audio is processed entirely by the Apple Neural Engine without leaving your device.
Key considerations:
- Zero cost — included with macOS and iOS
- Powered by Apple’s Neural Engine for efficient on-device processing
- Supports approximately 60 languages
- No custom vocabulary, limited formatting controls
- Best for short-form dictation; lacks professional features for extended use
- Apple’s privacy documentation confirms audio is not stored by default
Apple Dictation is an excellent starting point, but professionals who need custom vocabularies, long-form dictation, or Windows support will quickly outgrow it.
whisper.cpp — Open-Source Power (Technical Users)
whisper.cpp is the open-source C/C++ implementation of OpenAI’s Whisper model that has become the foundation for many commercial offline dictation tools. With 46,900+ stars on GitHub and support for Metal, CUDA, and Vulkan GPU acceleration, it delivers impressive accuracy at zero cost.
Key considerations:
- Completely free and open-source under the MIT licence
- Runs on virtually any platform (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android)
- Models range from 75 MB (Tiny) to 2.9 GB (Large-v3)
- Requires command-line familiarity to set up and use
- No built-in real-time dictation UI — best suited as a transcription engine
- No automatic formatting, punctuation, or custom vocabulary management
whisper.cpp is ideal for developers and technical users who want maximum control. If you prefer a ready-to-use application built on the same technology, tools like Weesper Neon Flow wrap whisper.cpp in a polished interface with professional features.
Dragon Professional — Legacy Industry Standard
Dragon by Nuance (now part of Microsoft) has been the industry standard for speech recognition for over two decades. Dragon Professional supports both Mac and Windows with on-premise processing and extensive custom vocabulary training.
Key considerations:
- Deep vocabulary training adapts to your speaking style over time
- Strong accuracy for specialised domains (legal, medical)
- Supports approximately 15 languages — far fewer than Whisper-based alternatives
- Pricing requires contacting Nuance directly; historically 200-700 USD
- Development pace has slowed since Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance in 2022
- No GPU acceleration — relies on CPU processing
Dragon remains a viable option for users with established workflows and domain-specific vocabularies. However, the lack of GPU acceleration, limited language support, and uncertain product roadmap make newer Whisper-based tools more future-proof.
How to Choose the Right Offline Speech Recognition Tool
Selecting the best offline speech recognition software depends on three factors: your platform, your budget, and your privacy requirements.
By Platform
- macOS only: All six options work on Mac. Voibe and Apple Dictation are the simplest to start with; Weesper and Superwhisper offer the most professional features.
- Windows only: Weesper Neon Flow, Dragon Professional, and whisper.cpp (with setup) are your options. Weesper is the most polished dedicated dictation tool on Windows.
- Cross-platform (Mac + Windows): Weesper Neon Flow is the clear winner for users who work across both operating systems with a consistent experience.
By Budget
- Free: Apple Dictation (Mac/iOS) and whisper.cpp (all platforms) cost nothing.
- Under 10 USD/month: Weesper Neon Flow (5 EUR/mo) and Voibe (4.90 USD/mo) deliver professional features at accessible prices. See our comparison of affordable voice dictation tools for more options.
- One-time purchase: Voibe (99 USD lifetime) offers the most affordable perpetual licence. Superwhisper (849 USD lifetime) is the premium option.
By Privacy Requirements
Every tool in this comparison processes audio locally. However, the degree of privacy varies:
- Strictest privacy: Weesper Neon Flow, Voibe, and whisper.cpp never send any data anywhere — period.
- Mostly private: Superwhisper is fully offline on Apple Silicon but may use cloud models on Intel Macs.
- Conditional privacy: Apple Dictation processes locally by default, but users who opt in to “Improve Siri and Dictation” will have audio samples sent to Apple.
For environments governed by HIPAA, GDPR, or strict NDAs, our guide to HIPAA-compliant voice dictation provides additional compliance considerations.
What Makes Whisper-Based Tools Different in 2026
Four of the six tools in this comparison (Weesper, Superwhisper, Voibe, whisper.cpp) are built on the Whisper architecture originally developed by OpenAI. This matters because:
- Multilingual by design: Whisper was trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual data, supporting 99 languages natively
- Open-source foundation: The MIT-licensed whisper.cpp implementation means any developer can build on it, driving rapid innovation
- Hardware-accelerated: Metal (Apple), CUDA (NVIDIA), and Vulkan (cross-vendor) acceleration make large models practical on consumer hardware
- Continuously improving: The community regularly releases quantised and optimised model variants that improve speed without sacrificing accuracy
This shared foundation explains why accuracy across Whisper-based tools is remarkably similar. The differences lie in the user experience, platform support, custom features, and pricing — which is exactly what this comparison helps you evaluate.
Getting Started With Offline Speech Recognition
If you have never used offline speech recognition before, here is a practical path:
- Try Apple Dictation first (Mac users) — it is free and gives you a baseline for what on-device speech recognition feels like
- Test a professional tool — download Weesper Neon Flow for a free 15-day trial on Mac or Windows, or try Voibe’s free plan on Mac
- Evaluate accuracy for your specific vocabulary — technical, legal, or medical terms may perform differently across tools
- Check our Help Centre for setup guides and tips on getting the most from your dictation workflow
The shift from cloud to local speech recognition is not a compromise in 2026 — it is an upgrade. You get the same accuracy, better privacy, and zero dependency on internet connectivity. The only question is which tool fits your workflow best.
Ready to try offline speech recognition? Start your free 15-day trial of Weesper Neon Flow — no credit card, no cloud, no compromises.