Roundhand and Superwhisper

Roundhand recognises speech on your computer. After the speech model has downloaded once, dictation and the built-in cleanup keep working with Wi-Fi off, on a plane or behind a strict network. Dictation audio is never uploaded or saved to disk. Superwhisper says it works offline, so you can transcribe anytime (superwhisper.com), and its Pro plan includes unlimited use of cloud and local AI models (superwhisper.com). With Roundhand there is no cloud speech model to pick: speech is recognised on your computer every time, and only cloud cleanup, if you turn it on, sends text.

Roundhand keeps your dictation history, and the meetings you record, in a database on your computer, where you choose how long it is kept or clear it. Roundhand's own servers hold your account, never audio or transcript text. If you turn on cloud cleanup, the text of each dictation (never the audio) goes to the cleanup provider to be tidied. Superwhisper's privacy policy says your data is not retained on its servers, is only stored locally on your machine, and is not used for training AI models (superwhisper.com/privacy).

Roundhand looks at the app your cursor is in and picks one of four writing styles. Chat apps such as Slack get short, casual messages. Mail, Notes, Pages and Google Docs get full sentences, which cloud cleanup can also split into paragraphs. Visual Studio Code, Cursor, Xcode, Windsurf and Zed get the IDE and AI chat style, and terminals get a single line with commands and paths left as you said them. You can change the style for any app, or switch Roundhand off for one. Superwhisper uses modes, such as Message and Email, that set tone, structure and formatting, and Custom Mode lets you set formatting rules and prompts for different tasks (superwhisper.com). Superwhisper also records meetings with automatic notes and transcribes uploaded audio and video files (superwhisper.com). Roundhand records meetings too, and imports an audio or video recording as one, transcribed on your computer with each speaker labelled.

Roundhand is a Mac app for Apple silicon, running macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. Roundhand for Windows installs from the Microsoft Store. Superwhisper lists availability on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android (superwhisper.com). If you want dictation on your phone, Superwhisper covers that today.

Roundhand is free to download, and dictation with the offline cleanup stays free with no end date. A new account gets a 30-day trial of cloud cleanup. After it, Pro includes a monthly allowance of managed cloud cleanup, and Power lets you use your own API key, with your provider billing you directly. Both are billed monthly or yearly. Superwhisper has a free tier, lets you try Pro features for 3,000 words, and offers Pro monthly, yearly or as a lifetime purchase, with Enterprise on custom pricing (superwhisper.com). Current Roundhand prices are on the pricing page.

Do both apps work offline?

Superwhisper says it works offline, so you can transcribe anytime (superwhisper.com, checked on 2026-09-27). Roundhand recognises speech on your computer, so once its speech model has downloaded, dictation and the built-in cleanup work without an internet connection. Cloud cleanup, sign-in and checkout still need one.

Can I move my Superwhisper vocabulary to Roundhand?

Roundhand has no import from Superwhisper, so you add your words to Roundhand's Dictionary yourself. Each entry sets how a word you say is written, such as a name or product spelled your way.

Is Roundhand available on Windows or iPhone?

Roundhand runs on Macs with Apple silicon, and Roundhand for Windows installs from the Microsoft Store. There is no phone app.

Does Roundhand record meetings or transcribe audio files?

Roundhand records meetings: it offers to record when a call starts, transcribes the meeting on your computer with each speaker labelled and, with cloud cleanup on, writes a summary and action items. You can also import an audio or video recording and get the same note.