Is Superwhisper private?

It can be. Superwhisper's own documentation says its local voice models run on your device, audio never leaves it and no connection is needed, while cloud models send audio or requests through Superwhisper's proxy. So it depends on the models you pick. Loquen has one default: in Private mode, nothing you say leaves the Mac.

Why pick Loquen over Superwhisper?

Loquen ships twelve medical vocabulary packs, 5,862 terms built around drug names, and keeps everything on the Mac by default. It also has Privacy Mode, which replaces common identifiers before pasting and shows you every change. It costs $19 once.

How do the prices compare?

At September 2026 list prices, Superwhisper Pro is $85 a year or $250 lifetime, and it has a free plan. Loquen is $19 once, with no word limits, every pack and updates included, and a 7-day free trial.

Does Loquen work on iPhone or Windows?

Not yet. Loquen needs an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) on macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built and has a waitlist. Superwhisper lists Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.

How many languages does Loquen support?

Twenty-eight, detected from the sound, so you can switch mid-sentence with no extra download. The vocabulary packs are English only so far. Superwhisper lists 100 or more with its Whisper models.

Alternatives / Superwhisper

A Superwhisper alternative for the Mac

Superwhisper and Loquen can both turn speech into text on your own Mac, so the choice comes down to price, defaults and vocabulary. Loquen is $19 once, private by default, with twelve medical packs in the box; Superwhisper is $85 a year or $250 lifetime, runs on more platforms and lets you pick from many local and cloud models.

Superwhisper is a capable app with a lot of choice in it. Loquen makes more of the choices for you: one key, one on-device pipeline, and vocabulary built for clinical work. Neither approach is wrong. This page sets out the differences so you can pick the one that suits how you work.

How each handles privacy

Superwhisper's own documentation says its local voice models run on your Mac, PC or iPhone, that audio never leaves the device and that no internet connection is needed. It also offers cloud models: for cloud transcription, audio goes through Superwhisper's proxy to be transcribed, and cloud language-model requests run through the same proxy. With a fully local setup, Superwhisper says no audio or text leaves your machine. So the privacy you get depends on the models you choose.

Loquen has one default. In Private mode, speech to text and AI cleanup both run on the Mac, and nothing you say (no audio, no text) leaves it. Enhanced mode is opt-in: it sends the text of a dictation, never the audio, to a cloud model you choose with your own API key, and any app can be kept in Private mode. The initial approximately 2.2 GB model download carries no dictation. After setup, licence validation and update checks can use the network and carry no audio or text.

Superwhisper and Loquen side by side

	Loquen	Superwhisper
Price over a year	$19 once. No word limits, every pack and updates included	Pro $85 a year or $250 lifetime. Free plan with local Whisper models
Where speech is processed	On the Mac's own chip. Cloud only if you opt into Enhanced mode, and then text only	Your choice: local models on the device, or cloud models through Superwhisper's proxy
Works offline	Yes	Yes, with local models
Languages	28, detected from the sound, so you can switch mid-sentence	100+ with its Whisper models; counts vary by model
Specialty vocabulary	Twelve medical packs, 5,862 terms, in the box; write your own as one JSON file	Custom vocabulary you enter; its model list includes an English-only medical model
Platforms	Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built	Mac, Windows, iOS and Android

List prices, September 2026. Superwhisper details from superwhisper.com, checked October 2026.

When Loquen is the better fit

You want medical words to land right without setup. Medical core alone has 2,307 terms, built around drug names, generic and brand. "A torva statin" becomes atorvastatin and "met foreman" becomes metformin, and the AI is told not to "correct" pack terms.
You would rather not choose models. One on-device pipeline processes speech and cleanup locally, without requiring you to choose models.
You want private to be the default, not a setting. Nothing you say leaves the Mac unless you turn on Enhanced mode, and then only text.
You paste text that names people. Privacy Mode replaces common identifiers before pasting and marks every replacement for you to check. It is a tool, not a compliance programme; review every result.
You would rather pay once, and little. $19, and one key works on two of your own Macs.

When Superwhisper is the better fit

You like to choose your models, local or cloud, and set custom modes and prompts for each kind of writing.
You need it on Windows, iPhone or Android. Loquen is Mac only for now.
You dictate in a language Loquen does not cover, or want translation into English, which Superwhisper's Pro plan includes.
You want meeting recording in the same app; Superwhisper lists it on its free plan.
You have an Intel Mac. Loquen needs an M1 or later; Superwhisper suggests its cloud models for Intel Macs.

Day to day

Hold Globe/fn (or right Option or right Command), talk, and let go. Clean, punctuated text is pasted at the cursor in any app with a text field. Double-tap for hands-free; Esc cancels with nothing pasted. Per-app tone keeps chat casual, Mail formal and the terminal in code, and Phrases paste a named block of text whole, untouched by the AI.

Questions

Is Superwhisper private?: It can be. Superwhisper's own documentation says its local voice models run on your device, audio never leaves it and no connection is needed, while cloud models send audio or requests through Superwhisper's proxy. So it depends on the models you pick. Loquen has one default: in Private mode, nothing you say leaves the Mac.
Why pick Loquen over Superwhisper?: Loquen ships twelve medical vocabulary packs, 5,862 terms built around drug names, and keeps everything on the Mac by default. It also has Privacy Mode, which replaces common identifiers before pasting and shows you every change. It costs $19 once.
How do the prices compare?: At September 2026 list prices, Superwhisper Pro is $85 a year or $250 lifetime, and it has a free plan. Loquen is $19 once, with no word limits, every pack and updates included, and a 7-day free trial.
Does Loquen work on iPhone or Windows?: Not yet. Loquen needs an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) on macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built and has a waitlist. Superwhisper lists Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.
How many languages does Loquen support?: Twenty-eight, detected from the sound, so you can switch mid-sentence with no extra download. The vocabulary packs are English only so far. Superwhisper lists 100 or more with its Whisper models.

Sources

Competitor details are from each company's own pages, checked October 2026. Prices are list prices, September 2026. Products change; check the source before you decide.

Loquen is coming soon. $19 once, no subscription, 7-day free trial.

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