Comparison
Both apps support local, on-device transcription. echo99 keeps recording and transcription on your Mac, while MacWhisper also offers optional cloud transcription and AI services. MacWhisper is a broad transcription toolbox, while echo99 records live calls and imports existing recordings into one playback and speaker-memory workflow.
MacWhisper is a well-made native Mac app that can transcribe audio and video locally using Whisper, NVIDIA Parakeet, and Qwen3-ASR models, while also offering optional cloud transcription and AI services. Its local models work offline and do not require an account. It is a broad transcription toolbox: drop in files, paste a YouTube URL, batch a folder, generate subtitles, or dictate system-wide. Newer versions can also record microphone, app, and system audio, auto-detect meetings (automatic meeting recording is in beta), and transcribe live meetings. echo99 also imports audio and video files, but MacWhisper remains the broader choice for subtitles, URLs, folder batches, dictation, and a larger selection of export formats.
| Feature | echo99 | MacWhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Recording live calls and importing existing recordings into a speaker-labeled call history | General-purpose transcription: files, URLs, subtitles, dictation |
| How it records | Captures your mic and your Mac's audio output as two separate tracks, with no bot in the call | Records mic + app / system audio and auto-detects meetings (Pro) |
| Transcription | On-device after the call (NVIDIA Parakeet), in 25 languages; no account; works offline after a one-time model download | Local by default (Whisper; Parakeet / Qwen3-ASR with Pro), with optional cloud transcription and AI services |
| Speaker labels | Me + Them-1, Them-2, … plus on-device speaker recognition that remembers the names you assign across recordings | Speaker recognition within a recording (Pro); you rename speakers in each transcript, with suggestions from your saved names |
| Raw audio | Keeps mic.wav + system.wav as separate tracks you own | Meeting tracks are stored in its library (.whisper files) |
| Account | None | None; buy a license or use the App Store version |
| Price | Free | Free tier (smaller models); Pro is a one-time purchase (about €64), or a subscription on the App Store |
| Platform | macOS 14.4+, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 14+ (Apple silicon recommended, Intel supported); an App Store variant also runs on iPhone and iPad |
| Export & extras | Local WAV + JSON transcripts; Markdown export; on-device summaries | SRT / VTT / TXT / MD / PDF / DOCX, YouTube URLs, batch folders, dictation, automation (Pro) |
Comparison last verified September 2026. Check both products for current details.
Your job needs broad transcription utilities: processing a whole folder of recordings, generating SRT/VTT subtitles for video, transcribing a YouTube link or a podcast, or system-wide dictation. MacWhisper is a versatile, polished transcription tool with many models and export formats, and it’s the better pick when recording the live call isn’t the point.
You want to record a live call as clean, separate WAV tracks, or bring an existing recording into the same library, then play it back, label each speaker, recognize familiar people, re-transcribe it, summarize it on your Mac, and export Markdown. echo99 is purpose-built for that call-memory workflow, and it’s free.
Compare echo99 with other tools: Otter alternative, Fathom alternative, Granola alternative
Related guides: Transcribe audio and video files, Speaker identification, Meeting summaries, Local transcription
Free download. No account. Recording and transcription stay on your Mac.
Free · macOS 14.4+ · Apple silicon & Intel · Notarized by Apple