Comparison
Both apps support local, on-device transcription. echo99 keeps its recording and transcription workflow local; 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 and NVIDIA Parakeet 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 and auto-detect 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.
| 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 as two separate tracks — botless, built for calls | Can record mic / app / system audio and auto-detect meetings (Pro); not kept as separate mic + system tracks |
| Transcription | On-device (Parakeet); no account; works offline | Local by default (Whisper / Parakeet), with optional cloud transcription and AI services; larger local models are Pro |
| Speaker labels | Me + Them-1, Them-2, …, and speaker identification that names people across recordings | Within-recording speaker diarization (beta, Pro); does not name the same person across recordings |
| Raw audio | Keeps mic.wav + system.wav as separate tracks you own | Oriented to file-in → transcript-out; no separate mic / system source tracks |
| 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+ | macOS (Apple silicon + Intel); an App Store variant also runs on iOS |
| Export & extras | Local WAV + JSON transcripts; Markdown export | SRT / VTT / TXT / MD / PDF / DOCX, YouTube URLs, batch folders, dictation, automation (Pro) |
Comparison last verified July 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, 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
Free download. No account. Recording and transcription stay on your Mac.
Free · macOS 14.4+ · Notarized by Apple