Meeting Notes
Your mic and the call’s audio record as two tracks on your Mac. Notes and suggested to-dos come when it ends.
Explore Meeting Notes →Compare · Dictation
SwitchDesk vs Superwhisper: Mac dictation apps, compared
Both type what you say into any Mac app. Superwhisper adds offline models and 100+ languages; SwitchDesk adds voice to-dos, meeting notes and screen videos.
Last checked
Pick Superwhisper if you want
Pick SwitchDesk if
you want
TL;DR
- Superwhisper runs offline in 100+ languages. SwitchDesk dictation is English only and needs a connection.
- Superwhisper Pro is $8.49/mo, or pay once for Lifetime. SwitchDesk’s subscription also pays for meeting notes, video share links and sync.
- In SwitchDesk, “add a todo …” files a to-do, and the same app records calls and screen videos.
Try it: press Play.
You said: “we shipped version two point four point one and the file is called release underscore notes dot md”. It typed: “We shipped version 2.4.1, and the file is called release_notes.md.”. Fixes: Technical strings.
Side by side
Superwhisper and SwitchDesk, row by row
| SwitchDesk | Superwhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and license1 | A subscription: Essential $12/mo billed yearly ($15 monthly). Pro $18/mo ($23 monthly). | A free tier; Pro $8.49/mo billed monthly, a yearly plan, or a one-time Lifetime license. |
| On-device models1 | No. Your voice streams to our transcription provider. Apple’s speech engine is the fallback when an offline dictation language is installed. | Yes. Local models work offline (best on Apple silicon), plus cloud models. |
| Languages1 | English. | 100+ languages, with translation into English on Pro. |
| Modes1 | App-aware modes, picked by the app you’re in: exact in Terminal, casual in Messages, tidy in Mail. | Custom modes you build, with tone, formatting rules and prompts, plus presets. |
| Voice commands that act1 | “add a todo …”, “remind me to …”, “start a timer for 5 minutes”, “Chat, …”, “scratch that”. | Its modes shape the text it types. Its homepage lists no to-do or timer commands (Oct 5, 2026). |
| Meetings, video, to-dos1 | Included: meeting notes with suggested to-dos, screen video with share links, and a to-do list. | Meeting recording and transcription on the free tier; audio and video file transcription on Pro. |
| iPhone1 | A to-do companion app, not a keyboard. Coming soon to the App Store. | Apps for iPhone (with a keyboard), Android and Windows. |
Voice commands
Start with “add a todo” and it lands on your list.
Other commands start timers, open Chat, add bullets and take back what you just said.
add a todo <task>files it under the right categoryremind me to <task>does the sameadd todos: X, Y, and Zadds several at oncestart a timer for 5 minutesputs a timer pill on screenscratch thattakes back what you just said
Voice doesn’t set due dates: “Thursday” stays in the title.
Sam holds the Globe key and says “add a todo prep pricing slides for thursday”. The dictation pill shows “Todo Added” with Add to buttons, and the to-do lands under Fernhill. Pressing “Today's Todo” moves it to the top of Today's Todo.
1.Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Today's Todo: Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Book Theo's dentist appointment; List the new glaze mugs. Fernhill: Send Joe the pilot timeline by Thursday; Post the support-lead job listing; Prep pricing slides for Thursday.
Try it: press “Today's Todo” on the pill.
App-aware modes
Exact in Terminal. Casual in Messages. Tidy in Mail.
Turn on “App-aware modes” and the style follows the app you’re in, with no mode to pick. Code & Terminal mode keeps commands and numbers exactly as you said them.
You said
“hey maya can you run npm run build on the one point zero point two branch before friday thanks”
Casual and send-ready — no greetings or sign-offs.
In Terminal
Hey Maya, can you run npm run build on the one point zero point two branch before Friday? Thanks
In Messages
Hey Maya, can you run npm run build on the 1.0.2 branch before Friday? Thanks
In Mail
To: Maya Chen
Hey Maya, Can you run npm run build on the 1.0.2 branch before Friday? Thanks
Try it: pick Terminal, Messages or Mail.
Dictionary
Add your names and phrases to the Dictionary.
A replacement swaps a phrase for exact text: say “fern hill”, get Fernhill. A commonly used word, like Lumora, helps the engine hear it.
Dictionary
Synced across devices when signed in.
Replacements
Swap a source phrase for an exact replacement. Case-insensitive, word-boundary-aware.
No replacements yet.
- fern hillFernhill
Commonly used words
Tell the engine about words you use often (names, jargon).
No words yet.
- Lumora
- “fern hill” → Fernhill
- “Lumora” is a hint, not a replacement: it helps the engine hear the name, so nothing here changes.
Illustration.
Illustration · Try it: press Run it.
Honest trade-offs
Where Superwhisper is better
If these matter most, Superwhisper is the better pick. Facts from Superwhisper’s own site, read on Oct 5, 2026.
- Offline, on-device models. Local models transcribe with no connection (best on Apple silicon).1
- Languages. 100+ languages, with translation into English on Pro.1
- File transcription. Upload audio and video files for a transcript on Pro.1
- A Lifetime license and a free tier. Pay once instead of a subscription, or stay on the free tier after a 3,000-word Pro trial.1
- More platforms. Windows and Android apps, and an iPhone keyboard.1
Price and switching
What it costs, and how to move over
Prices as listed
| Plan | Price | Billing basis |
|---|---|---|
| Superwhisper Free | $0 | free forever, after a 3,000-word Pro trial |
| Superwhisper Pro | $8.49/mo | billed monthly; yearly (“2 months free”) and a one-time Lifetime license are also offered; 40% off for students |
| SwitchDesk Essential | $12/mo | billed yearly, or $15 billed monthly |
| SwitchDesk Pro | $18/mo | billed yearly, or $23 billed monthly |
Source: superwhisper.com, read . Prices change; check the page before you buy.
Switching from Superwhisper
Install SwitchDesk.
It lives in your menu bar. Onboarding asks for the microphone and Accessibility, so it can type where your cursor is.
Set the Globe key.
In System Settings → Keyboard, set “Press 🌐 key to” Do Nothing. Onboarding walks you through it; then hold Globe to talk.
Add your words to the Dictionary.
Replacements swap a phrase for exact text; Commonly used words help the engine hear names. Settings → Dictation
Turn on “App-aware modes”.
Terminal stays exact, Messages casual and Mail tidy, without picking a mode each time.
Superwhisper’s price covers dictation. SwitchDesk’s also covers meeting notes, screen videos with share links and your to-do list.
Shown in the Apricot theme
Meeting notes, screen videos and a to-do list, in the same app.
The same Globe key adds to-dos; your calls suggest more; a walkthrough video ends in a link you can paste.
Create Video
Pick Screen, Window or Area, talk with your camera on, and the link is on your clipboard at Stop.
Explore Create Video →SwitchDesk to-do window, Apricot theme: Today's Todo: Prep pricing slides for Thursday; Book Theo's dentist appointment (done).
To-Do List
To-dos from your voice and your calls land in one list, filed under the right category.
Explore the To-Do List →Switching from Superwhisper: questions
More in Help →Does SwitchDesk work offline?
Not fully. Dictation needs a connection. If Siri & Dictation is on and an offline dictation language is installed, Apple’s speech engine takes over.
Which languages does it support?
English. Other languages aren’t supported today.
Will AI Polish change what I said?
No. It removes fillers, repeats and take-backs and formats numbers; words that carry meaning stay. If a cleanup doesn’t read as a tidy copy of what you said, your words are pasted as they were. Turn “AI Polish” off for the raw transcript.
Is there a one-time purchase?
No. SwitchDesk is a subscription; it also pays for meeting notes, video share links and sync. Essential is $12/mo billed yearly.
Can I bring my Superwhisper modes or vocabulary?
Not automatically; there’s no importer. Add your words in the Dictionary and turn on “App-aware modes”.
Does it run on Windows?
No. SwitchDesk is a Mac app for macOS 14.6 or later.
Sources · each read on
- Superwhisper — Homepage, plans and FAQ (superwhisper.com) · accessed Oct 5, 2026
Competitor facts come from each company’s own pages on the date shown. We re-check every 90 days.