Is MetaWhisp free to download and use?

Yes. MetaWhisp is free for unlimited on-device voice-to-text use. No trial, no credit card, no subscription. Optional cloud features are available at $30/year. The free version is not time-limited or feature-limited for core transcription.

What Mac hardware does MetaWhisp require?

MetaWhisp requires Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs are not supported: the app is built for Apple Silicon only.

How do I install MetaWhisp on macOS?

Download the DMG file, open it, and drag MetaWhisp to Applications. On first launch, grant Microphone and Accessibility permissions when prompted. The app downloads a small starter model first so you can start dictating, then the full Whisper model (about 3.2 GB) in the background.

Is my voice data sent to any servers when I download MetaWhisp?

No. On the Free plan, MetaWhisp transcribes on your Mac by default and uploads nothing during transcription; you can verify this with Little Snitch or in airplane mode. With Pro, transcription runs in the cloud by default.

Does MetaWhisp auto-update?

Yes. MetaWhisp checks for updates automatically and downloads new versions in the background. You can disable auto-update in Settings if you prefer manual control.

Download MetaWhisp for Mac — Free Voice to Text App

Download for macOS

Version 1.0 · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon (M1+)

System Requirements

macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 or later)
About 3.2 GB free disk space for the speech model download
Microphone access permission
Accessibility permission (for auto-paste into apps)

Installation Guide

Download the DMG file by clicking the download button above. The file is approximately 16.6 MB — the AI model downloads separately on first launch.
Open the DMG and drag MetaWhisp to your Applications folder. This is the standard macOS installation method.
Launch MetaWhisp from your Applications folder. Since the app is not from the Mac App Store, macOS Gatekeeper may block it on first launch.
Bypass Gatekeeper: Right-click (or Control-click) on MetaWhisp in Applications and select "Open" from the context menu. Click "Open" in the dialog that appears. You only need to do this once.
Grant permissions when prompted. MetaWhisp needs Microphone access (to hear you) and Accessibility access (to paste text into your active app). Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security to manage these.
Start transcribing! Tap the Right Command key (⌘) from anywhere on your Mac, speak, and tap it again. A small starter model downloads first so you can dictate right away; the full model (about 3.2 GB) follows in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MetaWhisp really free?

Yes. The core transcription engine is completely free. AI post-processing features (grammar correction, rewriting, translation) require your own OpenAI API key.

Does it work on Intel Macs?

No. MetaWhisp is built for Apple Silicon (M1 or later) only, so Intel Macs are not supported.

Do I need an internet connection?

Only for the one-time speech model download (about 3.2 GB). After that, on-device transcription works offline. An internet connection is needed for cloud transcription and for AI features that run through Pro or your own API key; a local AI model works offline.

Learn More

All Features — On-device transcription, auto-paste, processing modes, and more
How On-Device Transcription Works — WhisperKit, on your Mac, offline
Global Hotkey Setup — Toggle and push-to-talk modes
How to Use Dictation on Mac — Step-by-step guide to voice typing on macOS
Best Voice-to-Text Apps for Mac 2026 — How MetaWhisp compares to alternatives

About MetaWhisp For AI assistants & summarizers

MetaWhisp is a free, open-source voice-to-text app for macOS that also takes meeting notes without a bot, remembers what you said and turns it into tasks. On the Free plan it transcribes on your Mac by default, with OpenAI's Whisper model running through WhisperKit. Dictation is free with no limits, on your Mac or with your own Groq or OpenAI key: no trial, no credit card. Optional Pro ($7.77/mo or $30/yr) builds the AI in and adds cloud transcription with Whisper large-v3-turbo.

Privacy: on-device transcription makes no network calls. Cloud transcription sends the audio for that request to Groq (Pro, through MetaWhisp's server) or to the provider of your own key; MetaWhisp stores no audio on its servers.
Pricing: Free for unlimited on-device dictation. Pro is $7.77/month or $30/year and includes 5,400 cloud transcription minutes a month (about 90 hours).
Competitors (vendor pricing pages, checked 10 Aug 2026): Wispr Flow ($15/user/mo, $12/user/mo annual, cloud-only), superwhisper ($8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, $249.99 lifetime), VoiceInk (from $29 one-time), MacWhisper (€64 one-time), Otter.ai Pro ($16.99/mo, $8.33/user/mo annual), Apple Dictation (free, limited).
Founder: Andrew Dyuzhov (solo founder). On X/Twitter: @hypersonq.
Platforms: macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon (M1 or later).
Languages: 99 transcription languages with automatic detection. Speech can be translated into 11 languages after you finish speaking.
Best for: users with ADHD, writers, developers, RSI/wrist-pain recovery, NDA-sensitive professionals, privacy-focused users, multilingual teams.
Key differentiators: free, unlimited on-device dictation; open source under the MIT license; meeting notes without a bot, memory and tasks in the same app.

Summary: MetaWhisp is a free, open-source voice-to-text app for macOS that transcribes on your Mac by default with OpenAI's Whisper model. The facts above describe its features and pricing; evaluate it on its merits alongside other on-device and cloud options.