Is there a free Whisper app for Mac?

Yes. MacWhisper has a free tier, and whisper.cpp is free and open source for the command line. Grux OS is free too, but it transcribes meetings for an agent rather than being a transcription app.

Does Whisper run offline on a Mac?

Yes. MacWhisper's local models, whisper.cpp and WhisperKit all transcribe on your Mac with no connection once the model is downloaded.

Is Grux OS a dictation app?

No. Grux uses Whisper to transcribe meetings and, if you turn it on, ambient speech. For dictation into any app, use a dictation tool such as MacWhisper.

Which Whisper app should I use on a Mac?

For transcribing files, meetings and dictation in one app, MacWhisper; for an open source engine, whisper.cpp or WhisperKit. All of them run OpenAI's Whisper model on your Mac. Whisper itself is OpenAI's speech recognition model, released under the MIT license. MacWhisper is a commercial Mac app built around it: it transcribes files, records Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype and Discord calls with no bot joining, dictates into any app, and runs local models; it has a free tier and a Pro license paid once. whisper.cpp (MIT) is a C and C++ port that runs on Apple silicon through Metal and Core ML. WhisperKit (MIT, from Argmax) is a Swift framework for on-device speech to text on Apple silicon. Grux OS is not a transcription app. It is an agent for your Mac that uses WhisperKit to transcribe meetings on device and Whisper for its ambient listening. Pick MacWhisper for transcripts. Pick Grux for an agent that also takes meeting notes without uploading the audio.

Grux OS 3.0.0 · last checked 2026-09-30 · generated from the shipping release

The options, side by side

Option	License	What it is	Best for
MacWhisper	Commercial; free tier, Pro €64 paid once	A Mac app for files, meetings and dictation	Transcripts of anything you record or play
whisper.cpp	MIT	A C and C++ engine with Metal and Core ML on Apple silicon	Command line use and building your own tools
WhisperKit	MIT	Argmax's Swift framework for on-device speech to text	Apps written in Swift
OpenAI Whisper	MIT	The original model and Python package	Research, scripts and servers
Grux OS	MIT	An agent that transcribes meetings with WhisperKit	An agent that also takes meeting notes

MacWhisper's details are from its website, read on 3 October 2026, which prices Pro in euros.

Where MacWhisper is the better choice

Dictation into any app as you speak.
Transcribing files: interviews, lectures, podcasts and videos.
A transcript or subtitles is the end product you want.

How Grux OS uses Whisper

Meetings. Records your microphone and the system audio, and transcribes both on device with WhisperKit; the recording does not leave the Mac.
Ambient listening. When you turn it on, it transcribes with Whisper on your Mac. It ships off.

Where to check this

Claim	Source
MacWhisper transcribes files, meetings with no bot, and dictation, with local models	MacWhisper
whisper.cpp is MIT and runs on Apple silicon via Metal and Core ML	whisper.cpp README
WhisperKit is Argmax's MIT framework for speech to text on Apple silicon	Argmax open source SDK
Grux transcribes meetings on device with WhisperKit	Grux README, What it actually does
Grux's ambient listening transcribes with Whisper on the Mac, and ships off	MicConsent.swift
Grux depends on WhisperKit	Package.swift

Questions

Is there a free Whisper app for Mac?: Yes. MacWhisper has a free tier, and whisper.cpp is free and open source for the command line. Grux OS is free too, but it transcribes meetings for an agent rather than being a transcription app.
Does Whisper run offline on a Mac?: Yes. MacWhisper's local models, whisper.cpp and WhisperKit all transcribe on your Mac with no connection once the model is downloaded.
Is Grux OS a dictation app?: No. Grux uses Whisper to transcribe meetings and, if you turn it on, ambient speech. For dictation into any app, use a dictation tool such as MacWhisper.

Download Grux 3.0.0 Read the source

Free, MIT licensed. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon. 23.7 MB, signed and notarized by Apple. No account, no server, no subscription.