Dicty vs. Superwhisper
Why we built Dicty, how it compares to Superwhisper, and when you should use which.
Dicty vs. Superwhisper
We frequently get asked how Dicty compares to Superwhisper. In fact, Superwhisper was a massive inspiration for us! We love its deep native macOS integration, beautiful UI, and its demonstration of how powerful global voice dictation can be.
However, we built Dicty because we needed something distinctly different: a completely free, infinitely flexible engine tailored heavily toward engineers and power users, while also remaining a powerhouse for general-purpose transcription.
Here is a breakdown of why we built Dicty and how it compares.
Quick Comparison#
| Feature | Dicty | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | 100% Free core features | Freemium ($8–$15/mo for Pro) |
| Local Offline Models | Yes (Whisper + Ollama models) | Yes (local Whisper models) |
| Audio & Video Files | Yes (drop MP3/MP4 with diarization) | No (live mic dictation only) |
| Codebase & Git Sync | Yes (PRs, Git branches & docs) | No (standard text replacement) |
| Multi-Language Translation | Yes (on-the-fly cross-language routing) | Limited / model-dependent |
| Custom AI Prompts & LLMs | Full control (Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic) | Locked behind Pro subscription |
| Target Audience | Software engineers & power users | General writers & casual users |
1. 100% Free Core Features#
We believe voice-to-text should be an essential, everyday tool on your machine.
While Superwhisper locks many advanced features (like Pro models, custom prompts, and unlimited usage) behind a monthly subscription, Dicty is completely free for most functionality. You can use local LLMs (via Ollama) or Cloud LLMs to structure, refine, and format your text at absolutely zero cost from us.
2. General-Purpose Audio & Video Transcription#
Dicty isn't just for live dictation.
Have a 2-hour meeting recording, a downloaded podcast, or an MP4 video? You can drag and drop audio and video files directly into Dicty. It will transcribe them locally, apply speaker diarization, and format the output. Superwhisper is designed almost exclusively for real-time live dictation.
3. Translation Engine#
Dicty supports native translation routing. You can speak in Russian, German, or Spanish, and have Dicty instantly output perfectly formatted English. Or you can transcribe an English video file and output Spanish text. This makes it an incredibly powerful tool for international teams and content consumption.
4. Built for Engineers & Context#
This is Dicty's true superpower. Superwhisper is a brilliant general text replacement tool. But engineers don't just write raw text—they write text about code.
Dicty is context-aware. It natively hooks into Git, Jira, Linear, and your local filesystem. When you speak architectural changes, Dicty looks up the related PRs, branches, and code files to ensure your resulting documentation is perfectly grounded in reality. It reconciles new notes into your existing Markdown architecture files rather than just appending raw text to the screen.
Summary#
Use Superwhisper if:
- You want a highly polished, simple, consumer-friendly dictation app for emails and casual writing.
- You are happy to pay a subscription for convenience.
Use Dicty if:
- You are an engineer who needs your voice notes to automatically reconcile with Git branches, PRs, and complex Markdown documentation architecture.
- You want to translate between languages on the fly.
- You need to transcribe external audio or video files.
- You want a free, powerful Superwhisper alternative.