Akova vs Superwhisper for coding agents on a Mac
If you only dictate on a Mac, mostly into Claude Code, Cursor or Codex, and you want one payment and prompts cleaned up on your Mac, pick Akova. If you need Windows, iPhone or Android, more than 16 languages, meeting transcription, or a plugin that lets you approve your agent’s tool calls by voice, pick Superwhisper. Both type at your cursor in any app, both work offline, and both have a free tier, so the real question is which of those differences you feel every day.
We make Akova, so read this with that in mind. Every Superwhisper fact below comes from superwhisper.com and its docs, read on 7 October 2026 and checked again on 8 October 2026. Where we could not confirm something on their own site, we left it out.
What both apps do
The core loop is the same in both. You hold a hotkey, talk, release, and text appears where your cursor is: the Claude Code input in your terminal, the Cursor agent panel, a Codex prompt, a chat box. Neither app cares which tool you type into.
Both also go past raw transcription:
- Modes. Akova has Clean up, Paragraphs, Bullet points and your raw words in the free tier, plus Prompt, Fix grammar, Rephrase, Fix mis-hears and Custom modes in Lifetime. Superwhisper has built in modes (Super, Message, Mail, Note, Meeting), a plain Voice to Text mode, and Custom modes where you write your own AI instructions.
- Custom vocabulary. Both let you teach the app your repo names, APIs and odd library names so they come out spelled right.
- Offline transcription. Superwhisper’s site says it works offline with local voice models. Akova transcribes on your Mac with WhisperKit.
So this is not a “one of them can’t do it” comparison. The differences are in platforms, price model, how prompts get cleaned up, and how deep each one goes into your coding agent.
Where the two apps differ
| Akova | Superwhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS only | Mac, Windows, iOS and Android |
| Mac requirements | macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple Silicon | Not stated; its FAQ says Intel Macs work best with cloud models |
| Languages | 16, plus automatic detection | 100+ languages and dialects |
| Free tier | Clean up, Paragraphs, Bullet points, raw words, custom vocabulary, audio file transcription | Its pricing page lists voice to text in any app, meeting recording and transcription, unlimited Whisper models and custom prompt control; its docs say free modes have no AI processing |
| Pro trial | 7 days of every Pro feature, no card, no account | 3,000 words of Pro features |
| Paid price | €40 once, Lifetime (list price) | Pro from $8.49 a month; also yearly and lifetime billing |
| Devices per licence | Up to 3 Macs | All your devices |
| Refund | 14 days | 30 days |
| Prompt clean up offline | Yes: Apple Intelligence on macOS 26, a local Ollama model on macOS 14 and 15 | Its docs list one local language model, S1-mini (Pro, English only, Message and Mail modes); the others are cloud models |
| Cloud models | Opt in, with your own provider key | Pro includes unlimited cloud and local models, or your own API keys |
| File transcription | Free | Pro |
| Coding agent plugins | Voice for Agents (beta), in Lifetime | Plugins for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode and others, macOS only |
For the same comparison across Wispr Flow, MacWhisper, VoiceInk and TypeWhisper, see the full Mac dictation app comparison. If you are leaving Superwhisper and want a wider list, read Superwhisper alternatives on Mac.
Where Superwhisper is the better pick
We would rather you pick the right tool than the one we sell. Superwhisper wins clearly in these cases.
You work on more than a Mac. Superwhisper runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, and one licence covers all your devices. Akova is a Mac app only.
You dictate in many languages. Superwhisper lists 100+ languages and dialects. Akova has 16 in its picker. If yours is not Greek, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic or Hindi, the choice is made.
You want your agent to talk back. Superwhisper’s coding agent docs describe plugins that install into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode and others. When the agent asks a question, Superwhisper pops up and you dictate the reply. It can show the agent’s final message when a turn finishes, and you can approve or deny permission gated tool calls by voice. That is a deeper hook into the agent than typing at the cursor.
You record meetings. Superwhisper’s pricing page lists meeting recording and transcription in its free plan, and its docs list speaker separation and system audio recording under Pro. Akova transcribes audio files, but it is built for live dictation, not meetings.
You are on an Intel Mac. Akova needs Apple Silicon. Superwhisper’s FAQ says Intel Macs work best with its cloud models, which at least gives you a path.
You want frontier cloud models. Superwhisper Pro lets you pick from several hosted language models for formatting. Akova keeps clean up on your Mac and only uses the cloud if you opt in with your own key.
Where Akova is the better pick
Akova is narrower on purpose. It is built for one job: turning a rambling spoken task into a prompt your coding agent can act on.
You pay once. Akova Lifetime is €40, once, with all future updates and up to 3 Macs. No monthly line on your card. The free tier never expires and needs no account. See pricing for exactly what each tier includes.
Prompt mode is free for 7 days, then part of Lifetime. The mode that turns your rambling into a structured prompt is a Lifetime feature. Clean up, custom vocabulary and audio file transcription stay free, so you can use Akova for real work without paying.
Prompt clean up stays on your Mac. Transcription is local in both apps. The difference is the second step. In Akova, Prompt mode and the other clean up modes run locally: Apple Intelligence on macOS 26, or a local Ollama model on macOS 14 and 15. Superwhisper’s docs list one local language model, S1-mini, which is English only and works only in Message and Mail modes. Its other language models run in the cloud. If you work on a plane, or on code you would rather not send anywhere, that matters. Akova runs on your Mac, and your audio stays there by default.
It is tuned for prompts, not messages. Superwhisper’s built in modes are named for messages, mail, notes and meetings, and you can write a custom mode for prompts yourself. Akova starts from the prompt. You talk through the task the way you would to a colleague, and it comes out with the goal, the files and the constraints in an order the agent can follow.
How to decide in ten minutes
Both apps have a free tier and a Pro trial, so you do not have to trust either of us. Run the same test in both.
- Install both. Set a hotkey in each that you can hold without looking.
- Add the same five words from your current repo to each app’s vocabulary.
- Click into Claude Code, Cursor or Codex, hold the hotkey, and say a real task out loud, messy, the way you would say it at your desk. Something like this:
okay so in the upload handler, no wait, the retry part, it gives up after
one failure, I want it to retry three times with backoff, don't touch the
progress bar, and run the tests when you're done- Read what lands at your cursor. Did it spell your words right? Did it keep the goal, the constraint and the check? Would you press Enter without editing?
- Turn off Wi-Fi and do it again.
Whichever one you would press Enter on more often is your answer. If you want the full setup for the Akova side, our guide to dictating prompts into Claude Code on a Mac walks through it step by step, and on-device vs cloud dictation covers the privacy trade off in more depth.
Which should you pick
- Pick Superwhisper if you need Windows, iPhone or Android, more than 16 languages, meeting transcription, an Intel Mac, hosted cloud models, or plugins that let you answer and approve your agent by voice.
- Pick Akova if you work on an Apple Silicon Mac, your dictation mostly goes into Claude Code, Cursor or Codex, you want prompt clean up that runs offline, and you would rather pay €40 once than monthly.
If that second list sounds like you, Akova is free to try, with 7 days of every Pro feature and no account. Download it, add five words from your repo to custom vocabulary, and dictate the next prompt you were about to type.
About this comparison
Facts about Superwhisper were read on its website and docs, last checked on 8 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check its site before you buy. Akova’s price above is its list price; see pricing for any current offer.
Superwhisper, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, Apple and macOS are trademarks of their respective owners. Akova is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.