The short answer
There is no Windows version. On the day we checked, the developer's own site presents MacWhisper as a Mac app, and its support site covers the Mac app and an iPhone and iPad version. Neither offers a Windows download, and the App Store listing names only Apple devices.
What to use instead depends on which half of MacWhisper you came for. To turn files and recordings into text on a PC without the cloud, the open source Buzz app and the open source whisper.cpp project both run on Windows and both work on your own machine. Fraze cannot help there: it is live only, and Fraze does not run Whisper.
To caption and translate whatever your PC is playing, as it plays, that is the job Fraze does on Windows 11. Windows 11 also has Live Captions built in. It covers the same-language half for free, and Microsoft's documentation says it translates only on Copilot+ PCs.
Is there a Windows version of MacWhisper?
We read the developer's own pages on the date shown at the top. The site describes MacWhisper as the all-in-one Mac app. Its support site has categories for the Mac app plus one for iOS, with an article called MacWhisper for iOS. Neither offers a Windows version, and the site's own FAQ says MacWhisper operates entirely on your Mac. The site also warns that scam websites pretend to be the official MacWhisper website and may contain malware downloads, and says all purchases go through its Gumroad page or the App Store. So treat any MacWhisper download for Windows with suspicion.
For context: at the time of checking the site listed a free version at 0 euro and MacWhisper Pro at 64 euro per license, paid once, with lifetime updates. The App Store version, sold as Whisper Transcription, has its own in-app prices. Both tiers transcribe audio and video files, and the site says it supports 100 different languages. Its pricing table puts automatic speaker recognition, batch transcription, transcript translation and meeting recording in Zoom, Teams and other apps under Pro. The site says "We use local models to transcribe your files", and its FAQ says no audio or text is sent to outside servers when you use the default local models. Its AI features, such as summaries, connect to outside providers with your own API keys, or to local models through Ollama and LM Studio.
Job one: files and recordings on a Windows PC
- Buzz. Its GitHub page says it transcribes and translates audio offline on your personal computer. For Windows the README points to installation files on SourceForge and warns the app is not signed, so Windows shows a warning you click past. It handles audio and video files and YouTube links, transcribes live from the microphone, identifies speakers, and exports to TXT, SRT and VTT. MIT licensed.
- whisper.cpp. The README lists Windows, in MSVC and MinGW builds, among its supported platforms, and recent build releases carry prebuilt Windows zip files. There is no installer and no window: you run it from a command prompt. The README says its command line tool currently runs only with 16-bit WAV files, so you convert other formats first, for example with ffmpeg. MIT licensed.
This is most of what MacWhisper is for, and Fraze does not do it at all: it listens to live audio and cannot import a file. Two open source projects cover the job on Windows, both working on your own computer.
Job two: live captions for whatever the PC plays
Start with what Windows already gives you. Microsoft's documentation says live captions is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later, that you turn it on with the Windows key plus Ctrl plus L, and that it can include your microphone. Microsoft states that all processing occurs on-device, and that audio, voice data and captions never leave your device.
Translation is where it stops. Microsoft's documentation says the ability to translate is available on Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, version 24H2 and later, and that live captions translates over 40 languages into English and 27 languages into Chinese (Simplified). So even on a Copilot+ PC, English and Simplified Chinese are the only two languages you can read the translation in. On any other Windows 11 PC, Microsoft documents no translation at all.
That gap is the one Fraze fills. It listens to system audio, so a call in any app, a video or a stream, or to your microphone, and shows each line with a translation under it. Both steps run on your computer, so after the first download of language files it works with Wi-Fi off. It needs Windows 11 on x64 with a 4-core AVX2 CPU and 8 GB of RAM. Speech covers 25 European languages and translation about 50 languages to or from English. Lines land about half a second to a second after a speaker pauses, a caption window can float over your call, and transcripts stay on the computer. In some places you have to tell people before you transcribe them.
The options side by side
| Windows | What it handles | Where the work runs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacWhisper | No, Mac and iOS | Files, meetings, dictation, live captions in Pro | On the Mac by default |
| Buzz | Yes, installer | Files, links, microphone | On your PC |
| whisper.cpp | Yes, command line | Audio files | On your PC |
| Windows Live Captions | Windows 11 22H2 and up | Live audio, translation on Copilot+ PCs | On your PC |
| Fraze | Windows 11 on x64 | Live audio, with translation | On your PC |
When one of the others is the better pick
- You also have a Mac. MacWhisper works with files, and its Pro version adds speaker labels and AI summaries with your own key. Fraze does none of that.
- Your audio is already a file or a recording. Use Buzz or whisper.cpp. Fraze will not open it.
- Same-language captions are enough. Windows 11 Live Captions is free and already installed.
- You want summaries, sharing links, a browser version or a phone app. Fraze has none of those. Verli, the cloud sibling from the same company, runs in a browser at verli.app and has them, but the audio goes to the cloud.
If Fraze is the right half: the first 30 minutes are free on every account, with no card, then $29.99 once or $2.99 a month, both unlimited.
Questions
Is there a MacWhisper for Windows?
No. The developer's own site presents MacWhisper as a Mac app, and its support site covers the Mac app and an iPhone and iPad version. Neither offers a Windows version.
Which MacWhisper alternative should I use on Windows?
It depends on the job. For files, Buzz gives you an installer and whisper.cpp a command line tool, both open source and both running on your own machine. For live audio with translation, that is Fraze on Windows 11.
Can Fraze transcribe an audio file on Windows?
No. Fraze is live only. There is no file import, no recording upload and no batch mode. For those, use Buzz or whisper.cpp.
Does Windows have anything like MacWhisper built in?
Partly. Microsoft's documentation says Windows 11, version 22H2 and later includes live captions, with all processing on the device. It captions audio as it plays, and Microsoft says the generated captions are not stored. Its documentation describes no file import, speaker labels or summaries.
Will MacWhisper ever support Windows?
We cannot say. On the day we checked, the developer's site and support docs said nothing about a Windows version either way, so there is nothing to quote.