Comparison
VibeWhisper vs Dragon Dictation
Dragon Professional was the gold standard for dictation. But it's expensive, Windows-focused, and hasn't kept up with modern AI. VibeWhisper brings OpenAI Whisper to macOS for $19.
A different era of voice recognition
Dragon was pioneering, but the speech recognition landscape has changed. Here's how VibeWhisper compares.
Feature
| Feature | VibeWhisper | Dragon Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | macOS native (menu bar app) | Windows primary (Mac version discontinued) |
| Price | $19 one-time + API costs (~$3–5/month) | $200–500+ per license |
| AI model | OpenAI Whisper (680,000+ hours training data) | Proprietary Dragon NaturallySpeaking |
| Setup time | 2 minutes (download, add API key, go) | Voice profile training required (30+ min) |
| Language support | 99+ languages via OpenAI Whisper | ~15 languages depending on version |
| Input method | Push-to-talk global shortcut | Always-on listening or push-to-talk |
| Text injection | macOS Accessibility API (any text field) | Custom integration, app-specific support |
| Subscription required | No — one-time purchase | Some versions require annual subscription |
Choose VibeWhisper if you want
- A lightweight macOS-native dictation tool that's ready in 2 minutes
- Modern AI transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper
- A $19 one-time purchase instead of hundreds per license
- Push-to-talk that works in any application via Accessibility API
Dragon may still fit if you need
- Voice commands and macros for specific Windows applications
- Enterprise-grade dictation with compliance features
- Custom vocabulary training for specialized terminology
- Fully on-premise processing with no cloud dependency
FAQ
Is Dragon still available for macOS?
Nuance discontinued Dragon Professional Individual for Mac. There is no current macOS version. VibeWhisper is built specifically for macOS.
Is VibeWhisper as accurate as Dragon?
OpenAI Whisper, which powers VibeWhisper, was trained on 680,000+ hours of multilingual data. It handles technical vocabulary, accents, and background noise very well.
Can VibeWhisper handle medical or legal dictation?
VibeWhisper uses general-purpose OpenAI Whisper. It handles technical terms well but doesn't have specialized medical/legal vocabularies like Dragon Professional.
Modern dictation for macOS
No training period, no expensive licenses, no Windows required. Just push-to-talk with OpenAI Whisper.