Download AI Transcription for Mac

In the edit

AI Transcription is a Mac app that turns audio and video files into text without sending your data anywhere.

1. Pick a file from your library or drag one onto the window.
2. The app uses Apple Speech Recognition or OpenAI Whisper to transcribe it entirely on your Mac.
3. Choose how the transcript is split — by words, sentences, or a set duration.
4. Export as plain text, CSV, SRT, or WEBVTT and drop it straight into your edit.

Because everything runs offline, there is no upload wait and no privacy concern. AI Transcription handles a variety of source formats and keeps your work inside your machine. It is a practical tool for journalists, editors, or anyone who regularly turns spoken material into written notes.

How AI Transcription fits alongside similar apps on Mac

There are a handful of transcription apps for macOS, and each takes a slightly different approach. AI Transcription sits somewhere in the middle — it doesn't try to be a full editing suite, but it does more than a bare-bones speech-to-text utility.

One common alternative is MacWhisper, which also uses OpenAI Whisper models and runs locally. Where AI Transcription differs is in its export flexibility: you get CSV, SRT, and WEBVTT alongside plain text, which matters if you need subtitles or structured data rather than a raw transcript. MacWhisper leans into model selection and customisation, while AI Transcription keeps things simpler with fewer choices up front.

Another option is Otter.ai, but that requires an internet connection and stores your files on remote servers. For anyone working with sensitive interviews or confidential material, that alone rules it out. AI Transcription keeps everything on the Mac, which is the whole point.

Then there is Apple's own Dictation, built into macOS. It works fine for short notes but isn't designed for long audio files or batch work. AI Transcription handles full-length recordings and lets you export in multiple formats, which Dictation simply cannot do.

So the real distinction is this: AI Transcription gives you offline processing, multiple export formats, and a straightforward drag-and-drop interface without forcing you to manage model files or tweak settings you do not need.

Maria's workflow for turning interview footage into text

Maria edits short documentaries for a production company in Manchester. She regularly receives interview footage shot on location — sometimes in MP4, sometimes as M4A voice memos from the sound recordist. Before she can start cutting, she needs a written transcript to share with the director for review.

With AI Transcription, she drags the interview files onto the app window, picks sentence-level splitting, and exports an SRT file. That goes straight into her editing timeline as subtitles, which the director can read while watching the rough cut. For the producer, she exports a plain text transcript and drops it into a shared folder. The whole process takes a few minutes, and nothing leaves her Mac, which is a requirement for the production company's data policy.

She also keeps a CSV export for herself, with timestamps, so she can quickly jump to specific sections during the edit. It is not a feature she expected to use much, but it saves her from scrubbing through hours of footage.

Creating timed subtitles from a 45-minute interview

This is the task I see most often: you have a 45-minute interview in MP4 format and you need timed subtitles for a video project. Here is how it works with AI Transcription.

1. Open the app and drag the MP4 file onto the window. The app accepts it without conversion.
2. Select Whisper as the transcription engine. It tends to handle varied accents and background noise better for this kind of footage.
3. Set the split option to "by sentence". This gives you readable subtitle lines rather than single words or arbitrary chunks.
4. Start the transcription. The app processes the file locally, so you can leave it running while you do other work.
5. When it finishes, review the transcript for any obvious errors. Whisper is good, but it is not perfect — especially with names or technical terms.
6. Export as SRT. That file is ready to import into your video editor or upload to a platform that supports subtitles.
7. If you also need a plain text version for notes or a show rundown, export that too. The app keeps both formats available until you close the project.

The same workflow works for WEBVTT if your platform prefers that format. Just pick it at the export step instead.

Why Whisper beats Apple Speech Recognition on long recordings

AI Transcription does not shout about its details, but a few things stand out after regular use.

The app supports both Apple Speech Recognition and OpenAI Whisper. That matters because Whisper tends to be more accurate with longer recordings and multiple speakers, while Apple Speech Recognition is faster for short, clear audio. Having both means you can choose the right tool for each file without switching apps.

Export formats include CSV and WEBVTT alongside the more obvious plain text and SRT. CSV is handy if you want to pull the transcript into a spreadsheet or database, and WEBVTT is the standard format for HTML5 video subtitles. Not every transcription app covers both.

The split options — by words, sentences, or duration — give you control over how the transcript is structured. Sentence splitting is the most useful for general work, but duration-based splitting is better when you need consistent subtitle timing.

Input format support covers MP3, WAV, CAF, AIFC, M4A, and MP4. That range means you rarely need to convert a file before dropping it in. CAF and AIFC are less common formats, but they appear in professional audio workflows, so their inclusion is appreciated.

And the interface is available in nine languages, including Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. For a team with non-English speakers, that removes a small barrier to getting started.

Mac it needs

• macOS 14.6 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon Mac