Express Scribe vs Superwhisper

Express Scribe is an audio player designed to support transcription on Linux, macOS and Windows. Its free edition can be used without a time limit and handles common audio formats; timestamps are supported. Playback can vary speed without changing pitch, control multiple channels and play video. Users can operate playback through keyboard hotkeys or supported professional USB foot pedals, and the software works with Microsoft Word and other major word processors. It can receive dictations from FTP, email or a local network, then send completed transcriptions to clients. Speech recognition software can convert audio to text, including SAPI-compliant tools. Express Scribe can also receive encrypted dictation files from Express Dictate or Pocket Dictate. Proprietary recorder formats require the professional version, and the listed professional features include video playback. Paid plans include Professional Quarterly at $26.49 a month, billed quarterly; Basic Annual at $79.99 a year; and Professional Annual at $99 a year. The maker provides tutorials, format and file help, controller guidance, FAQs and technical support contact details.

Superwhisper turns speech into formatted text for use across applications. Its Super Mode reads the screen and adjusts dictated text to the current app, for example treating email as a message or coding prompts technically. It supports more than 100 languages, automatic language detection, and translation between languages. On-device speech models process audio locally, work without internet, and keep audio off the device's outbound path. With cloud models, audio and text pass through the Superwhisper proxy to the provider; the product says they are not retained for training. It works wherever text can be entered and names Slack, Cursor, and Notion, with coding plugins for Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, and Pi. A CLI can search and export transcripts, report recording statistics, and start a local MCP server. Free includes voice-to-text, meeting recording and transcription, and email support. Pro costs $8.49 per month or $84.99 per year and adds audio and video transcription, cloud and local models, custom API keys, and priority support. Pro features can be tried for 3,000 words before free-tier features remain available.