MurmelaMurmela or Superwhisper?
Superwhisper is a dictation app for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android in which each mode can use a local or a cloud model. Murmela is a dictation, translation and transcription app that runs only on your Mac, with no cloud model anywhere. The two overlap more than most pairs on this site, so the differences are worth stating precisely.
Choose Superwhisper if…
You want the widest choice of models and workflows, and you are happy to decide, mode by mode, what stays on your Mac. Superwhisper's free plan includes unlimited local dictation with the Whisper models and two modes. Pro adds local Cohere Transcribe and Parakeet models, file transcription, modes with per-app rules, and an optional language model for formatting that can be local or cloud. Their best accuracy (their S1-Voice model), realtime transcription and their best speaker separation run in their cloud, and their docs say which features run where. It runs on four platforms. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 for a lifetime license, with a 30-day refund.
If you want AI formatting, a catalog of models to explore, Windows or an iPhone, Superwhisper is the better choice.
Choose Murmela if…
You would rather have nothing to police. Every Murmela feature runs on your Mac, including the most accurate speech models, translation in nine languages in both directions, and file transcription with speaker labels. There is no cloud mode, no settings sync through anyone's servers and no account; a Pro license is activated once and never checked again. The privacy policy is dated October 2026 and lists every connection the app can make. Free has every speech model with no cap; Pro is $19 once with a year of updates, Lifetime $49 for the first 500 founders and $99 after that, for three Macs.
The honest trade: no AI formatting, no meeting recorder, no Windows or iPhone, and the most accurate engines take a second or two after you let go.
Where the two differ.
What each product's own pages say, in October 2026. No row is a score; several of them are reasons to pick Superwhisper.
| Murmela | Superwhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your speech is processed | On your Mac, for every feature and every model. There is no cloud mode. | Your choice per mode. Local Whisper models are free; their best accuracy, realtime transcription and best speaker separation run in their cloud. |
| What a cloud mode sends | Nothing, because there is none. The app works with Wi‑Fi off. | Their docs say audio and text go to their hosted models or to Anthropic, OpenAI, Deepgram and Groq under zero-retention agreements, and that vocabulary hints travel with the audio. |
| Account and usage data | No account. No usage data; the update check can be switched off. A Pro key is activated once and never re-checked. | License key, with a customer portal and settings sync that run through their servers. Their privacy policy, dated June 2024, says no usage data is collected. |
| Speech models | All free: the Whisper family, Qwen3-ASR, a live engine that shows words while you speak, and VibeVoice for long files. | The Whisper family free; Cohere Transcribe and Parakeet locally with Pro; their S1-Voice model in the cloud. |
| Rewriting | None. Punctuation is handled; nothing else is changed. | An optional language model per mode, local or cloud. |
| Translation | Nine languages, in both directions, offline. As you dictate, for pasted text, and for whole documents with Pro. | Into English only, with the free Whisper models. |
| Files, speaker labels and meetings | Audio and video up to six hours, free. Speaker labels with Pro, on your Mac. No meeting recorder. | File transcription with Pro; their best speaker separation runs in the cloud. A meeting recorder is listed; which plan includes it is not stated consistently on their site. |
| Platforms | Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 11 or later. | Mac (macOS 14 or later), Windows, iPhone and Android. |
| Price | Free, with every speech model and no word cap. Pro $19 once with a year of updates; Lifetime $49 for the first 500 founders, then $99; three Macs; 30-day refund. | Free: unlimited local Whisper, two modes, no AI processing, no file transcription. Pro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 lifetime; 30-day refund. |
Checked on October 14, 2026 on Superwhisper's homepage, privacy policy, refund page and docs. Plans and features change. If something here is wrong or out of date, write to hello@murmela.com and it will be corrected.
Try Murmela. It's free.
Apple silicon · macOS 11 or later · about 230 MB
Signed and notarized by Apple. Automatic updates, which you can switch off.
Memory: 8 GB runs dictation and the compact translation model. 16 GB runs the best translation model. 18 GB or more runs VibeVoice, the most accurate engine for files.
Pro $19 once · Lifetime $49 $99 for the first 500 · 30-day refund