Does MacWhisper also do dictation and meetings?

Yes. Its current product supports both, alongside file transcription. This comparison gives it credit for that overlap.

Can Epilude export subtitles from a recording?

No. Choose a transcription tool such as MacWhisper for audio/video file imports and subtitle exports.

Two Mac apps with dictation and meetings. Different strengths.

Compare Epilude and MacWhisper for dictation, meeting notes and local processing, with file transcription, subtitle exports and reading in view.

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The short answer

MacWhisper handles files, dictation and meetings. Epilude combines writing at the cursor, Notetaker and Narrator. The choice depends on whether your day centers on producing transcripts and subtitles, or moving between writing, meeting notes and listening.

Read the full MacWhisper vs Epilude review

Documentation reviewed September 30, 2026. This is a comparison of documented features, not a hands-on quality benchmark. Plans and availability can change.

Epilude vs MacWhisper

Feature
Live dictation	Cleanup, Tone Match and Vocabulary	Built-in dictation
Meeting capture	Microphone and system audio, without a bot	Meeting recording and transcription
Speech transcription	Local or cloud	Local models and optional cloud routes
AI summaries	Cloud default or optional local summaries	AI integrations and local options; check provider setup
Speaker labels	Your microphone vs other participants; manual labels	Automatic speaker recognition
Audio/video file transcription
Subtitles and batch files
Reading aloud	Narrator	Not established by the sources reviewed
Plans	$12/month billed annually ($144/year). $59 Pay Once for supported local features, with one year of updates.	Free version and one-time Pro purchase; check storefront/currency

Live dictation

Epilude: Cleanup, Tone Match and Vocabulary
MacWhisper: Built-in dictation

Meeting capture

Epilude: Microphone and system audio, without a bot
MacWhisper: Meeting recording and transcription

Speech transcription

Epilude: Local or cloud
MacWhisper: Local models and optional cloud routes

AI summaries

Epilude: Cloud default or optional local summaries
MacWhisper: AI integrations and local options; check provider setup

Speaker labels

Epilude: Your microphone vs other participants; manual labels
MacWhisper: Automatic speaker recognition

Audio/video file transcription

Epilude
MacWhisper

Subtitles and batch files

Epilude
MacWhisper

Reading aloud

Epilude: Narrator
MacWhisper: Not established by the sources reviewed

Plans

Epilude: $12/month billed annually ($144/year). $59 Pay Once for supported local features, with one year of updates.
MacWhisper: Free version and one-time Pro purchase; check storefront/currency

Features checked 2026-09-30. “Not established” means the reviewed sources do not confirm support; it is not a claim that a feature is absent.

Key differences

The overlap is real

MacWhisper is no longer just a file-to-transcript tool. Compare both apps on a meeting and on live dictation before choosing.

Transcript production

MacWhisper has file imports, batch processing and subtitle exports that Epilude does not offer. Those matter for editors, researchers and media work.

Notes and listening

Epilude organizes editable meeting notes with citations, decisions and actions, and reads text aloud through Narrator. Local transcription does not automatically select local summaries.

Where MacWhisper is the better pick

MacWhisper is the better fit for audio and video archives, subtitle exports, batch jobs or automatic speaker recognition. Do not choose Epilude for file transcription that it does not provide.

Choose Epilude if

You want a Mac app for writing, meeting notes and listening
You want note summaries alongside everyday dictation

Choose MacWhisper if

You process audio or video files and need subtitles
You need batch transcription or automatic speaker recognition

Writing, meeting notes and reading in one Mac app

Choose where each step runs

Local Dictation needs Apple Silicon; full local AI Cleanup needs 16GB+. Cloud Actions still sends selected text and instructions. Notetaker defaults to cloud transcription and summaries. To keep both local, choose each separately; local summaries need a 16GB+ Apple Silicon Mac and are slower and less capable. Narrator’s EP-1 voice generates speech locally; cloud voices send text. Fetching links uses the network, and web sharing uploads text and audio.

Data handling Local summary tradeoffs Narration sharing

Try each workflow

The trial includes 1,000 dictation words, 10 meeting notes and 5 minutes of cloud narration, with independent allowances, no card and no time limit. Pro is $12/month billed annually ($144/year), including 60 cloud-voice minutes per calendar month. Pay Once is $59 for supported local features on Apple Silicon and includes one year of updates; ongoing cloud use requires a trial or Pro entitlement. Local voice generation is unmetered.

Compare plans and hardware requirements