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The best AI dictation apps for Mac in October 2026, ranked by where the AI runs

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The best AI dictation apps for Mac in October 2026 are YapToText if you want the speech model and the cleanup model both on your Mac for free, VoiceInk to pay once for local AI with open code, superwhisper for free local dictation with its AI on Pro, and Spokenly for free local models with cleanup through Apple Intelligence or your own key. Voibe and Monologue can also transcribe on the Mac, and Typeless, Willow Voice, Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice do the AI in the cloud. I built YapToText, so it is first on my list for the reasons below, and you should weigh that.

AI in a dictation app means two jobs. A speech model turns your voice into words, and a language model tidies them: it drops the ums, fixes grammar, formats for the app you are in, or rewrites text you select when you say how. What separates these ten apps is where each job runs and what it costs. I read every fact about another app on its maker's own site on October 3 or October 5, 2026. For what the cleanup in YapToText does, and what it is told never to do, the AI dictation on a Mac page goes deeper.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

On this page: 16 sections
  1. How I ranked these AI dictation apps
  2. At a glance
  3. 1. YapToText: both models on the Mac, free
  4. 2. VoiceInk: local AI, paid once, open code
  5. 3. superwhisper: free local dictation, AI on Pro
  6. 4. Spokenly: free local models, bring your own AI
  7. 5. Voibe: on device on Apple silicon, paid
  8. 6. Monologue: its own model, across Apple devices
  9. 7. Typeless: the biggest free cloud allowance
  10. 8. Willow Voice: Scribe, and a free weaker model
  11. 9. Wispr Flow: the best-known name, always in the cloud
  12. 10. Aqua Voice: its own model, a short free start
  13. Which one I would pick
  14. What I did not test
  15. The short version
  16. Questions

How I ranked these AI dictation apps

I make YapToText, one of the ten apps here, and it sits first. Check my facts against the sources at the end. Every outside fact here comes from the maker's own site, read on October 3 or October 5, 2026.

The order comes from three questions, most important first:

  • Where the AI runs. An app that hears you and cleans up on the Mac ranks above one that hears you on the Mac and cleans up in the cloud, which ranks above one that does both in the cloud.
  • Whether the AI is included. Cleanup and editing by voice in the free version rank above AI held for a paid plan, a trial, or your own API key.
  • Price after the free part. Once, by the month or by the year.

Within the four cloud apps, the order follows how much you can use before you pay. My hands make typing difficult, so I dictate every day, and keeping my voice on my own Mac without a bill comes first for me. If you need Windows, a phone or more than 100 languages, read the list from the bottom up.

App Store poster headed I created this because my hands don't work, with accessibility icons and the YapToText capybara.
Figure 1. The lens for this ranking. I built YapToText as an accessibility tool because I needed one, so the order follows what typing by voice all day demands.

Apple Dictation is not ranked, because it does no AI cleanup: it types what it hears and adds punctuation in supported languages. Apple lists improved accuracy in Dictation from a new on-device model in macOS 27 Golden Gate, on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, in English. Apple Intelligence and dictation has the details.

At a glance

Checked October 3, 2026, on each maker's own site, and October 5, 2026, for Monologue, Typeless and Voibe. Prices change, so check before you pay.

AppWhat the AI doesWhere it hears youWhere it cleans upWhat is freePaidRuns on
YapToTextCleanup, and Quick Edit on a selectionOn the MacOn the MacEverythingNone; tips are optionalMac, Apple silicon
VoiceInkCleanup, and rewriting a selectionOn the Mac by defaultRefine on the Mac, or a provider you connectA 7-day trial$25 to $49 onceMac, Apple silicon; iPhone and iPad in beta
superwhisperAI modes, on ProOn the Mac; cloud models on ProOn Pro, mostly hostedLocal Whisper, without AI$8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 onceMac, Windows, iPhone, Android
SpokenlyAI InstructionsCloud by default; on the Mac with a local modelApple Intelligence or your own keyLocal models, no limits$9.99 a month or $99.99 a yearMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone
VoibeSmart FormattingOn the Mac with Apple silicon; its cloud on Intel and WindowsAn optional zero-retention cloud stepA 7-day trial$7.50 a month, $75 a year or $149 onceMac, Windows
MonologueFormatting by app, its own mono-1 modelIts AI providers; an optional local modelOnline onlyA 1,000-word trial$15 a month or $144 a yearMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
TypelessTone per app, Ask Anything, TranslateCloudCloud8,000 words a week$12 a month billed yearly, or $30 monthlyMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
Willow VoiceFormatting and ScribeCloudCloudA weaker model, 20 Scribe uses a week$15 a month, or $12 billed yearlyMac, Windows, iPhone
Wispr FlowContext Awareness, Command Mode on paid plansCloud, alwaysCloud2,000 words a week on desktop$15 a month, or $12 billed yearlyMac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Aqua VoiceIts own Avalon model, Edit ModeCloudCloud1,000 words$10 a month, or $8 billed yearlyMac, Windows, iPhone

Read the two middle columns first: they say where your words go before anything else does.

1. YapToText: both models on the Mac, free

This is the one I built and use all day. Two models do the AI, and both ship inside the App Store download: Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) turns your voice into words, and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct turns those words into finished text when a mode asks. Auto mode, on by default, decides how much: a letter with a greeting and a sign-off becomes an email, a quick chat line stays as you said it, and everything else gets a careful pass that fixes what was misheard and rewrites nothing. Select text in any app, tap Right Option and say the change, and Quick Edit rewrites it.

  • The AI: Whisper for speech and Phi-3.5 Mini for cleanup, both on the Mac
  • Free: Everything, with no account and no word cap
  • Paid: None; tips are optional and add nothing
  • Runs on: Mac only, Apple silicon with macOS 14 or later, in 29 languages plus auto-detect
  • Suits: Anyone whose dictation lives on one Apple silicon Mac and should stay there
App Store poster headed Nothing leaves your Mac, over YapToText's AI Models page with both models marked Included.
Figure 2. Both models show as Included on the AI Models page of the App Store version, which is why the speech and the cleanup never need a server.

The download is about 2.9 GB, because both models are inside it.

2. VoiceInk: local AI, paid once, open code

VoiceInk transcribes on the Mac by default, with Parakeet V3 unless you pick Whisper, Apple Speech on macOS 26 or a cloud provider with your own key. The AI cleanup is your choice: connect a provider, or use VoiceInk Refine, a local model that needs an Apple silicon Mac with at least 16 GB of memory and does one fixed cleanup task. It rewrites a selection when you say how, though its docs say Refine cannot use selected text, so that job needs Ollama or a cloud provider. Its code is public under the GPL v3.

  • The AI: Local speech models; cleanup through Refine, Ollama or a provider you connect
  • Free: A 7-day trial, or building it yourself from the source
  • Paid: $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three
  • Runs on: Apple silicon Macs, plus an iPhone and iPad app in beta
  • Suits: Paying once, reading the code and choosing your own models

The VoiceInk alternative page puts it next to YapToText, which is also GPL.

3. superwhisper: free local dictation, AI on Pro

superwhisper's free plan is unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, and superwhisper says nothing you dictate on it leaves your device. The AI is Pro: the free plan allows up to two modes without AI processing. Its documentation lists cloud language models that run on hosted servers and one local model, S1-mini, which it says is English only and works only in its Message and Mail modes, and it marks every language model as Pro. Super Mode formats a selection, and its guide says it does not work well for rewriting one.

  • The AI: Local Whisper for speech; AI modes and cloud speech models from superwhisper, Deepgram and ElevenLabs on Pro
  • Free: Unlimited local Whisper dictation and two modes without AI
  • Paid: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once
  • Runs on: Mac with macOS 13.3 or later, Windows, iPhone and Android; its FAQ points Intel Macs to cloud models
  • Suits: Free local dictation now, with AI and other devices when you are ready to pay

The superwhisper alternative page compares it with YapToText feature by feature.

4. Spokenly: free local models, bring your own AI

Spokenly's local Whisper and Parakeet models are free with no usage limits and no account, though its own summary says it uses cloud models by default, so download a local model first. Its AI Instructions strip filler words, fix grammar and format text for the app you are in, using Apple Intelligence or your own model key on the free plans. Its privacy policy adds that a mode with AI Instructions may send your transcript to an AI service even when transcription runs locally.

  • The AI: Local or cloud speech models; AI Instructions through Apple Intelligence, your key, or Pro
  • Free: Local models with no limits, and your own API keys at no fee
  • Paid: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, for managed cloud models
  • Runs on: Mac with macOS 13.3 or later, Windows, Linux and iPhone
  • Suits: Choosing your models and switching the network off on purpose

Editing a selection by voice is not stated on its site. The Spokenly alternative page has the rest.

5. Voibe: on device on Apple silicon, paid

On an Apple silicon Mac, Voibe can transcribe fully on device; Intel Macs and Windows use its private cloud mode, which runs open-source models on Voibe's own infrastructure with zero data retention. Smart Formatting handles punctuation, capitals and filler words, and Voibe says it does not paraphrase. A separate AI text formatting step is optional, and when it is on, it sends the finished transcript to a zero-retention cloud model even if the audio stayed on the Mac.

  • The AI: On-device or private-cloud speech, Smart Formatting, and an optional cloud formatting step
  • Free: A 7-day trial with no credit card
  • Paid: $7.50 a seat a month, $75 a year or $149 once
  • Runs on: Mac with macOS 13 or later, Intel in cloud mode, and Windows
  • Suits: Windows or an Intel Mac, and coders who want file names heard right

Its own review page says it is not open source, and editing a selection by voice is not stated. The Voibe alternative page compares it with YapToText.

6. Monologue: its own model, across Apple devices

Monologue, from Every, has its own dictation model, mono-1, formats text for the app you are in. Deep Context can use what is on screen. Monologue says mono-1 needed about 55% fewer estimated edits than its previous API-based pipeline; that is its own measurement, and I have not repeated it. Dictation goes to its AI providers with zero data retention, and an optional local model transcribes on Apple silicon Macs, but smart formatting needs a connection, so offline you get the raw transcript.

  • The AI: mono-1 and network-backed formatting, with optional local transcription
  • Free: A trial of 1,000 dictation words and 10 recorded notes
  • Paid: Pro $15 a month or $144 a year, included with an Every subscription
  • Runs on: Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; Windows and Android by waitlist
  • Suits: People on several Apple devices who want bot-free meeting notes too

The Monologue alternative page has the full comparison.

7. Typeless: the biggest free cloud allowance

Typeless adapts tone to the app you are in, Ask Anything rewrites selected text by spoken command or summarizes, explains or translates a paragraph, and Translate converts your speech into another language as you dictate. Its privacy policy says audio is processed in real time on cloud servers and discarded once the result is returned. Its FAQ says every feature needs an internet connection.

  • The AI: Cloud speech and rewriting, in more than 100 languages
  • Free: 8,000 words a week, at standard accuracy
  • Paid: Pro $12 per member a month billed yearly, or $30 billed monthly
  • Runs on: Mac on Apple silicon or Intel, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android
  • Suits: Live translation and the largest weekly free plan of the cloud apps here

The Typeless alternative page covers it next to Wispr Flow.

8. Willow Voice: Scribe, and a free weaker model

Willow uses cloud-based AI models. It is context-aware, so in an email app it formats the greeting, the body and the closing, and Scribe writes a message from a rough description or rewrites text you select. The free Basic plan runs Frontier Mini, the model Willow itself calls weaker, which its pricing page lists as unlimited, with 20 Scribe uses a week and 5-minute dictations. Its help center lists offline dictation as part of Pro.

  • The AI: Cloud models, Frontier Mini on Basic and Frontier Pro on Pro, plus Scribe
  • Free: Frontier Mini and 20 Scribe uses a week
  • Paid: Pro $15 per user a month, or $12 billed yearly
  • Runs on: Mac, Windows and iPhone; Android coming soon
  • Suits: Having a message drafted from what you describe

A plan chart in its help center shows 2,000 words a week on the free plan, which the pricing page does not, so check before you count on it. The Willow Voice alternative page has the rest.

9. Wispr Flow: the best-known name, always in the cloud

Wispr Flow's privacy page says transcription always happens in the cloud. Backtrack removes filler words, false starts and self-corrections, Context Awareness reads the app you are in and the text near your cursor, and Flow Styles set capitals and punctuation for each kind of app, in English only. Command Mode edits selected text from a spoken instruction, but it is experimental, off by default, and only for paid plans and trials. Wispr says it keeps zero-data-retention agreements with its third-party AI providers.

  • The AI: Cloud transcription and formatting, with Command Mode on paid plans
  • Free: 2,000 words a week on desktop and 1,000 on mobile
  • Paid: Pro $15 per user a month, or $12 billed yearly
  • Runs on: Mac on Apple silicon or Intel, Windows, iPhone and Android
  • Suits: Dictating on every device, and teams that need admin controls

It sits ninth because its free plan is smaller than Typeless's and Willow's and its editing by voice is paid. The Wispr Flow alternative page and the Wispr Flow pricing page go deeper.

10. Aqua Voice: its own model, a short free start

Aqua runs Avalon, its own speech model, in the cloud, formats what you say for the app you are using, and its Edit Mode rewrites a selection on every plan. Aqua publishes its own benchmark, AISpeak, built from AI and technical vocabulary, and says its Avalon model beats Whisper Large v3 on it by a wide margin; that is Aqua's test, and I have not repeated it. Its Mac page says audio is processed in the cloud and that there is no offline mode.

  • The AI: Avalon in the cloud, formatting for the app, and Edit Mode
  • Free: 1,000 free words, which Aqua puts at about 7 minutes of talking
  • Paid: Pro $8 a month billed yearly or $10 month to month
  • Runs on: Mac on Apple silicon or Intel, Windows and iPhone, in 49 languages
  • Suits: Lots of technical vocabulary, and the cheapest cloud Pro plan here

It sits last because its free plan is a test drive. The Aqua Voice alternative page covers where Aqua is ahead.

Which one I would pick

Pick by what you need, smallest commitment first:

  1. AI on the Mac, free. YapToText. It is what I use all day.
  2. One payment, open code. VoiceInk, from $25.
  3. Free local dictation, AI later. superwhisper, or Spokenly if you want to bring your own key or use Apple Intelligence.
  4. Windows or an Intel Mac, audio local when it can be. Voibe.
  5. Several Apple devices and meeting notes. Monologue.
  6. The cloud is fine. Typeless for translation and the biggest free plan, Willow for Scribe, Wispr Flow for every device, Aqua for technical words.

If you are after the best AI transcription app for Mac, meaning recordings rather than typing, the field changes. YapToText transcribes audio and video files as plain text for free, VoiceInk and Spokenly transcribe files too, with speaker labels and subtitles in Spokenly, and file transcription is Pro in superwhisper. The guide to transcribing audio on a Mac for free covers that job. Decide where your words may go, then let the price choose between what is left.

What I did not test

  • Accuracy. I have not run a word error test across these apps, so nothing here ranks them by accuracy. The numbers from Monologue and Aqua are their own.
  • Prices tomorrow. Every price was read on October 3 or October 5, 2026, and prices move. The sources at the end say which page to check.
  • Every Mac. Intel support and macOS versions are as each maker states them.

To test any of them, turn Wi-Fi off and dictate; the offline dictation page shows how.

The short version

  • AI on the Mac, free. YapToText.
  • AI on the Mac, paid once. VoiceInk.
  • Local speech, AI on a plan or your key. superwhisper, Spokenly, Voibe or Monologue.
  • All in the cloud. Typeless, Willow Voice, Wispr Flow or Aqua Voice.

For apps without a price tag, the free dictation app roundup and the Wispr Flow alternatives roundup rank more.

Ask every AI dictation app where it cleans up your words, then decide. If a fact here has changed, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

What is the best AI dictation app for Mac?

YapToText, if you want both the speech model and the cleanup model on your Mac for free; I built it, so weigh that. VoiceInk is the pick to pay once for local AI, and superwhisper and Spokenly have free local dictation with AI on a plan or your own key.

Which AI dictation apps are free?

YapToText is free with nothing locked. superwhisper, Spokenly, Typeless, Willow Voice and Wispr Flow have free plans with limits or with the AI held back, while VoiceInk, Voibe, Monologue and Aqua Voice start with a trial or a small free allowance.

Which AI dictation apps run on device?

YapToText runs speech and cleanup on the Mac. VoiceInk, superwhisper and Spokenly transcribe locally, with cleanup local or through a service you choose, and Voibe and Monologue can transcribe on Apple silicon. Typeless, Willow Voice, Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice process in the cloud.

What is the best AI voice typing app for Mac and Windows?

Of these, Wispr Flow, superwhisper, Spokenly, Typeless, Willow Voice, Aqua Voice and Voibe run on both. superwhisper and Spokenly have free local models, and Typeless has the largest free cloud plan, 8,000 words a week. YapToText is Mac only.

Which AI dictation app can edit text by voice?

YapToText does it free with Quick Edit. VoiceInk, Typeless with Ask Anything, Willow with Scribe and Aqua with Edit Mode rewrite a selection too, superwhisper formats one with Super Mode on Pro, and Wispr Flow's Command Mode is experimental and paid.