ThreadRecap vs MacWhisper
MacWhisper transcribes audio and video files on your Mac, and the files stay there. ThreadRecap reads a WhatsApp export and writes out every voice message in the place it was sent.
- Photos & videos stay on your device. Audio sent for transcription only if you opt in. If you select a video, your browser extracts and sends only its audio track for transcription; the video and its visual content stay on your device.
Files on a Mac vs a Conversation
MacWhisper answers: "What does this recording say?" You add a file to a Mac app, and a local model transcribes it without the audio leaving the machine. The free version reads OPUS and OGG, supports 100 languages and exports .txt. Pro, a one-time €64 license as of September 2026, adds batch transcription, more export formats, speaker recognition and subtitles.
ThreadRecap answers: "What was said across this WhatsApp chat?" You upload the export once, from a web browser. Every voice message is transcribed where it was sent, beside the written messages, with the sender and the time, and the whole conversation downloads as one file.
The difference is the chat around the audio. With a file transcriber you unzip the export, find recordings named like PTT-20260712-WA0031, and get one transcript per file, with no sender, no order and none of the written messages in between.
Feature Comparison
Swipe to compare every tool.
| Criteria | MacWhisper | ThreadRecap |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Audio and video files on your Mac | The WhatsApp export .zip, opened as one conversation |
| Where it runs | A Mac app; transcription runs on your Mac | A web browser; the export is read in the browser and the audio is transcribed on our servers |
| Voice messages from a WhatsApp chat | Read as OPUS or OGG files you take out of the export | Found in the export and transcribed automatically |
| Many recordings at once | Batch transcription in Pro | Every voice message from one upload |
| Conversation context | None — every file gets its own transcript | Kept — transcripts in order, with sender and time |
| Typed messages in the chat | Not part of the input | Kept beside the transcripts, in the order they were sent |
| Export formats | Free: .txt. Pro: .md, .pdf, .html, .docx and more | One file of the whole chat: .txt, web page or PDF |
| Who said it | Automatic speaker recognition in Pro | Each message carries the WhatsApp name of its sender |
| Subtitle files | Yes, in Pro | No |
| Where the audio goes | Stays on your Mac | Sent encrypted for transcription and stored with your conversation until you delete it |
| Free tier | Yes — local transcription and .txt export | A free sample of your first conversation, and the full price before you pay |
| Pricing | Pro: €64 once, with lifetime updates (as of September 2026) | Free sample of up to 500 messages and 5 minutes of audio; unlock by conversation size |
When to Use Each
Choose MacWhisper when:
- You work on a Mac and want recordings transcribed without uploading them
- Your audio is interviews, lectures, meetings or podcasts, not a chat
- You need subtitles or speaker labels for a single recording
- You transcribe often enough that a one-time license pays for itself
Choose ThreadRecap when:
- The recordings are WhatsApp voice messages inside a chat export
- You want them all transcribed from one upload, without unzipping anything
- You need the written messages and the transcripts on one timeline, with senders
- You are not on a Mac, or you want to work from any browser
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
MacWhisper is a strong choice for recordings on a Mac, and keeping the audio on your own machine is a real advantage. It transcribes files, though, not conversations. For a WhatsApp chat full of voice messages, ThreadRecap reads the export in one upload, keeps every transcript in its place beside the written messages, and gives you the whole conversation as one file.