OffReco “I want meeting notes made entirely on my Mac, without uploading audio to the cloud.” If that’s your starting point, the apps that usually come up are MacWhisper, Superwhisper, vibe, and OffReco. This article compares the four neutrally, based on each vendor’s public information (vendor public information, as of June 2026 — check each official site for the latest).
The short answer first
Here’s the thing: all four can keep audio on-device and process it locally. They run Whisper-style models on your Mac, so you can transcribe without sending audio to an external server. The real deciding factors, then, are not “is it local,” but these three:
- Is it tuned for Japanese (generic Whisper, or a Japanese-oriented model)?
- Is the path from detecting a meeting to transcribing it automated (hand off a file yourself, or fully automatic)?
- Pricing model (free / one-time / subscription / a low barrier to entry)
In short: if you want Japanese meetings turned into notes automatically, without asking each time, OffReco fits. If your need is dictation, free/OSS, or one-time-purchase file transcription, a different app may suit you better.
Comparison table
| Aspect | MacWhisper | Superwhisper | vibe | OffReco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery / pricing | Mostly one-time (free tier; Gumroad Pro €59 one-time. App Store version is subscription/one-time IAP) | Free tier + Pro $8.49/mo or $249.99 one-time | Free, open source | First month free → ¥200/mo / ¥2,000/yr |
| Local processing | Yes | Yes (optional cloud models too) | Yes (fully offline) | Yes |
| Japanese-tuned model | Generic Whisper (100+ languages) | Generic Whisper large | Multilingual | Japanese-tuned Kotoba Whisper |
| Auto-detect meeting → auto transcribe | — | — | — | Yes (auto-detect → 1-click record → auto on end) |
| Main use | General transcription / dictation | Voice input (dictation) + meeting recording | File transcription | Fully automatic Japanese meeting notes |
As you can see, local processing is a “Yes” for all four. Being local is an advantage compared with cloud tools like Notta — it isn’t what separates these four. The differences are Japanese tuning, meeting automation, and pricing.
What makes each one distinct (neutral notes)
MacWhisper (Goodsnooze) — downloads Whisper models to your device and runs inference on-device; it doesn’t upload your audio. Pricing is mostly one-time, and it uses generic Whisper covering 100+ languages. A solid, well-known choice if you want to handle general transcription and dictation broadly.
Superwhisper — on-device by default via whisper.cpp, with optional cloud models. It offers a free tier plus both subscription and one-time pricing. Its strength is voice input (dictation), and it can record meetings too. A good fit if you want day-to-day text entry handled on your Mac.
vibe (OSS, thewh1teagle) — free and open source, fully offline; data never leaves your device. It supports multiple languages, batch processing, and several output formats, with optional speaker separation and summaries (via Claude/Ollama). Great if you want file transcription at no cost, or like assembling your own workflow.
OffReco — uses Japanese-tuned Kotoba Whisper and processes on your Mac without sending audio or transcript text off the machine (transcription works in airplane mode). Its distinctive flow is fully automatic: auto-detect the meeting → record in one click → transcribe automatically on end, with speaker separation (also local). It doesn’t invite a recording bot, so you can capture from your own side even when someone else hosts. Pricing is a low barrier: first month free → ¥200/mo / ¥2,000/yr.
Picks by use case
- Mostly text entry / dictation → Superwhisper. Strong on the voice-input experience.
- You just want free / open source → vibe. Fully offline, zero cost, very flexible.
- One-time purchase for broad file transcription → MacWhisper. The familiar choice, with multilingual generic Whisper.
- Turn Japanese meetings into notes fully automatically → OffReco. Japanese tuning × auto-detection-to-automatic × local speaker separation work well together.
A note on price: competing on “cheapest” isn’t very meaningful here. vibe is free, and one-time versus subscription rest on different assumptions. OffReco’s pricing is best read as a low barrier to entry — first month free, ¥200/month, no upfront one-time payment.
Wrapping up
Local meeting-notes apps for Mac all let you keep audio on-device and process it there. That’s exactly why the choice isn’t “local or not,” but the three points above: Japanese tuning, meeting automation, and pricing. If you want Japanese meetings saved as notes automatically — even when you’re not the host, even without asking — OffReco’s combination of Japanese tuning (Kotoba Whisper) and full meeting automation lines up naturally.
Specs and prices can change, so check each official site before you commit. If you’d like to try OffReco, head to the download page. For choosing a model, see the setup model settings. Related reading: How to transcribe meetings on a Mac without sending audio to the cloud and Transcribing Japanese meetings with Kotoba Whisper.