Guides

The best free speech to text and voice to text apps for Mac in October 2026

By Ryleigh Newman · Published September 14, 2026 · Updated October 6, 2026

The best free speech to text and voice to text apps for Mac in October 2026 are YapToText, Apple Dictation, the free plans of superwhisper and Spokenly, Harker, Handy and OpenWhispr, with VoiceInk free only if you build it yourself and MacWhisper free for transcribing files. Free here means you can use it every day with no trial clock, and every fact about another app was read on its own site on October 3, 2026. I built YapToText, and it is first on this list, so weigh my pick with that in mind.

Checked October 3, 2026. Prices change, so check before you switch.

App	What is free	Paid	Where your voice goes	Types into any app	Edits by voice	Open source
YapToText	Everything, no account, no cap	None; tips are optional	Stays on the Mac	Yes	Yes, Quick Edit	Yes, GPL-3.0
Apple Dictation	Everything, built into macOS	None	On the Mac for supported languages on Apple silicon; otherwise Apple	Yes	No; Voice Control can	No
superwhisper	Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to two modes without AI	Pro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once	Stays on the device with local models; cloud models are Pro	Yes	Pro only	Not stated
Spokenly	Local Whisper and Parakeet models, no usage limits, no account	Pro $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year	Stays on the Mac with local models	Yes	Not stated	No; its site says its code is proprietary
Harker	Unlimited local transcription, auto-paste anywhere	Premium from $5.75 a month	Stays on the Mac; Premium text features use the cloud	Yes	Not stated	Not stated
Handy	Everything	None; donations welcome	Stays on your computer	Yes, pastes into the focused field	Not stated	Yes, MIT
OpenWhispr	Unlimited local dictation, plus 2,000 words a week on its cloud	Pro $8 a month or $80 a year	Stays on your computer with local models	Yes	Yes, with its voice agent key	Yes, MIT
VoiceInk	A 7-day trial; the source, if you build it	$25, $39 or $49 once, by number of Macs	Stays on the Mac by default; optional cloud transcription sends audio, and AI enhancement sends text	Yes	Yes	Yes, GPL-3.0
MacWhisper	File transcription and basic system-wide dictation	Pro €64 once	Stays on the Mac with local models	Only in the copy sold on macwhisper.com	Not stated	Not stated
whisper.cpp	Everything	None	Stays on your computer	No, a command line tool	No	Yes, MIT
Google Docs voice typing	Comes with Google Docs and Slides	Not stated	Your browser's speech service	No, Docs and Slides only	Yes, inside Docs	No
Yap by Frigade	Everything	None	Stays on the Mac, through Apple's Speech framework	Yes, pastes into the focused field	Not stated	Yes, MIT
ToolPiper	Dictation, with no account and no caps	Pro $10, Studio $29, Max $49 a month, for the rest of the tool	Stays on the Mac	Yes	Not stated	Not stated
Voibe	A 7-day trial	$7.50 a month, $75 a year or $149 once	On device on Apple silicon, or its zero-retention cloud mode	Yes	Not stated	No; its own review page says it is closed source
SpeakMac	A trial of unstated length	$29 once for one Mac, $39 for two	Stays on the Mac	Yes	Not stated	Not stated

Most pages that rank for a free speech to text Mac app are written by a company that sells one of the apps on them. So is this one, which is why the order comes from five questions instead of from my preference, and why it matters that YapToText has no paid tier for me to upsell you into. I dictate everything, because my hands make typing difficult, and I tried most of these before I built my own.

Download for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

On this page: 17 sections

1. What free means on this page
2. How I ranked them
3. 1. YapToText: free with nothing held back, on device, edits by voice
4. 2. Apple Dictation: nothing to install
5. 3. superwhisper: a free plan that does not expire
6. 4. Spokenly: free local models with an offline switch
7. 5. Harker: unlimited free local dictation, formatting for sale
8. 6. Handy: the simplest open-source tool
9. 7. OpenWhispr: open source, local dictation free
10. 8. VoiceInk: voice editing for a one-time price, free if you build it
11. 9. MacWhisper: free for files, and for basic dictation
12. Free, with a narrower job
    1. 10. whisper.cpp: the engine, not an app
    2. 11. Google Docs voice typing: free inside one web app
    3. 12. Yap by Frigade: a small open-source paste tool for macOS 26
    4. 13. ToolPiper: dictation inside a much larger tool
13. Trial only: Voibe and SpeakMac
14. Which one I would pick
15. What I did not test
16. The short version
17. Questions

What free means on this page

Free is the most stretched word on these lists, so here is the rule I used. An app is ranked only if you can use it every day without paying and without a clock running out. Stated feature limits are fine; trials are not.

• Free outright. YapToText, Apple Dictation, Handy, whisper.cpp and Yap by Frigade ask for nothing.
• Free plans with a paid tier. superwhisper, Spokenly, Harker, OpenWhispr and ToolPiper keep some features, such as cloud models or formatting, for paying customers.
• Free if you build it. VoiceInk's source is GPL-3.0; its ready-made app is a paid download after a trial.
• Free in one place. MacWhisper's free version is mostly a file transcriber, and Google Docs voice typing works only inside Google Docs and Slides.
• Not ranked. Wispr Flow's free plan caps desktop dictation at 2,000 words a week and always transcribes in the cloud. Voibe and SpeakMac are trials.

OpenWhispr's 2,000-word weekly limit applies only to its own cloud. No ranked app states a cap on dictating with its local models; the limits are on features.

How I ranked them

The order below comes from five questions, asked in this order. Is it free with no cap and no clock. Does the audio stay on the Mac. Does it type into any app, not just one. Can it change text you have already written, by voice. Can you read the code. An app that answers yes to all five goes above one that does not, and inside each group I put the one I would hand to a friend first.

Speed is the one thing I will not quote for any app here, mine included: your Mac, your microphone and the length of what you say all change it. YapToText's History shows the stop-to-text time for every dictation, split into transcription, AI cleanup and delivery, so you can measure it on your own Mac. A speed figure from my Mac would only describe my Mac.

I did not benchmark the other apps, and I will not pretend to, which is why nothing on this page says tested. Every other number here is what the maker publishes, with the date I read it. If you find one that has changed, the sources list at the bottom tells you which page to check.

1. YapToText: free with nothing held back, on device, edits by voice

Free with no paid tier, open source under GPL-3.0, and everything runs on the Mac: the speech model and the cleanup model ship inside the App Store version, so it works offline from the first launch. Press one key, Right Command by default, talk, press it again, and the words are typed where your cursor is, in whatever app you were in. Any key can be the trigger, as a tap to start and stop or as hold to talk.

Three things I have not found together anywhere else. Intelligent Insert reads the words around your cursor before the text lands, so dictating into the middle of a sentence gets the spacing and the capital right. Auto mode formats an email as an email and a chat message as a message, without being told. Quick Edit changes text you have already written: select it in any app, tap the Quick Edit key, say the change. It also transcribes audio and video files, including Voice Memos, on the Utility page, and it was built to work alongside VoiceOver and Voice Control, because I needed that.

• Free tier: Everything, no account, no cap.
• Paid: None; tips are optional and change nothing.
• Where your voice goes: Nowhere; both models run on the Mac.
• Watch out for: Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later only. The Homebrew build ships without the models and needs a speech model download first.

Install it from the Mac App Store; the story of why it is free is its own page.

2. Apple Dictation: nothing to install

Try this before you install anything. It is already on your Mac, it works anywhere you can type, Apple's guide says you can dictate text of any length without a timeout, and on an Apple silicon Mac it processes supported languages on the device. Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, press the shortcut and talk. It stops when it hears no speech for 30 seconds, and on Apple silicon you can keep typing while you speak.

Where it stops: it adds commas, periods and question marks on its own but does not format for the destination, its commands cover punctuation and formatting but not editing what you already wrote, and Apple's Sonoma guide says an Intel Mac or an unsupported language sends your words to Apple. Older Apple guides mention Enhanced Dictation and a 40-second suggestion; the current guide has neither. When Voice Control is on, Apple's guide says you dictate with Voice Control instead.

• Free tier: Everything, built into macOS.
• Paid: None.
• Where your voice goes: On the Mac for supported languages on Apple silicon; otherwise to Apple.
• Watch out for: The 30-second silence cutoff, explained on the 30-second limit page.

3. superwhisper: a free plan that does not expire

The free plan gives unlimited dictation with any local Whisper model, custom vocabulary, text replacements and up to two modes without AI processing, and superwhisper says nothing you dictate on it leaves your device. New users get 3,000 words of Pro to try first. Pro adds cloud models, the Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe local models, file transcription, your own API keys and the AI modes, including Super Mode, which reads the active app, your selection and the clipboard. It is not on this list as open source, because its site does not say it is.

• Free tier: Unlimited local Whisper dictation, up to two modes without AI.
• Paid: Pro at $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, with a 30-day refund.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on the device with local models; cloud models are a Pro choice.
• Watch out for: Its site says offline models only run really well on Apple silicon. The superwhisper alternative page compares it with YapToText in detail.

4. Spokenly: free local models with an offline switch

Local Whisper and Parakeet models are free forever, with no usage limits and no account, and you can bring your own API keys at no charge. Its Local Only Mode blocks all network activity except local model downloads, and its modes can switch on by themselves for a specific app or website, the closest thing on this list to Auto mode. Pro adds high-accuracy cloud models and sync across devices. It needs macOS 13.3 or later.

• Free tier: Local Whisper and Parakeet models, no usage limits, no account.
• Paid: Pro at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on the Mac with local models; Local Only Mode blocks the network.
• Watch out for: Whether it edits selected text by voice is not stated.

5. Harker: unlimited free local dictation, formatting for sale

The free tier is unlimited local transcription with every Whisper model size, a global shortcut with hold to listen, and auto-paste anywhere, with no account. Premium, from $5.75 a month with a 7-day free trial, is where the writing styles, email and notes formatting, grammar fixes, translation and custom instructions live, and Harker says those use cloud processing while your voice stays on the device. Its download page lists macOS 12 or later and about 50 MB.

If what you want is plain speech to text with no formatting step, the free tier does that with no cap. The formatting and cleanup that YapToText includes for free are the things Harker sells.

• Free tier: Unlimited local transcription, all model sizes, auto-paste.
• Paid: Premium from $5.75 a month.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on the Mac; Premium text features use the cloud.
• Watch out for: Whether it edits a selection by voice is not stated.

6. Handy: the simplest open-source tool

Free, MIT licensed, funded by donations, and completely offline. Press a shortcut, speak, release, and it pastes what you said into the field you were in. It runs Whisper and Parakeet models, has an optional post-processing toggle, and ships for macOS, Windows and Linux, with a build for Intel Macs. If you want the simplest open-source dictation with no opinions, this is it.

• Free tier: Everything.
• Paid: None; donations are welcome.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on your computer.
• Watch out for: It does not state formatting for the app you are in, or editing a selection by voice.

7. OpenWhispr: open source, local dictation free

An MIT-licensed dictation app whose site says it runs local speech to text models offline, or cloud models through your own API keys, both free from the app itself. Unlimited local dictation is free for everyone. Its own cloud is free for 2,000 words a week, and Pro, at $8 a month or $80 a year, makes that unlimited and adds meeting hours, sync and its iPhone and iPad app. The free plan runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and the GitHub repository had 8,992 stars on October 3, 2026.

• Free tier: Unlimited local dictation; 2,000 words a week on its cloud.
• Paid: Pro at $8 a month or $80 a year; Business at $16 a user a month.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on your computer with local models; it leaves only if you turn on a cloud model.
• Watch out for: Whether it formats for the app you are in is not stated. Its voice agent key rewrites a highlighted sentence in place, per its own site.

8. VoiceInk: voice editing for a one-time price, free if you build it

Its source is on GitHub under GPL-3.0, so it is free if you build it, and the ready-made app is a one-time license after a free trial. Transcription runs on the Mac by default; optional cloud transcription sends your audio to a provider you connect, and optional AI enhancement sends only text. It types into any app, rewrites a selected passage when you say how it should change, and its modes can switch on by app or website. Of everything here, it is the closest to YapToText in what it does, with a price on the download.

• Free tier: A 7-day trial; the GPL-3.0 source is free to build.
• Paid: $25 for one Mac, $39 for two, $49 for three, once, with a 14-day refund.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on the Mac by default; optional cloud transcription sends audio, and AI enhancement sends text.
• Watch out for: It needs Apple silicon, and macOS 14.4 or later by its pricing page or macOS 15 by its install guide. The VoiceInk alternative page compares the two in detail.

9. MacWhisper: free for files, and for basic dictation

The free version is a file transcriber first: drop mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, opus, mov or mp4 and it transcribes on the Mac with local models, exporting text and .srt or .vtt subtitles. Its free column also lists system-wide dictation; higher quality dictation, speaker recognition, batch transcription and meeting recording are in Pro, a one-time €64 license. Dictation is only in the copy sold on macwhisper.com, not the App Store edition.

• Free tier: File transcription, subtitles and basic system-wide dictation.
• Paid: Pro at €64 once.
• Where your voice goes: Stays on the Mac with local models.
• Watch out for: Dictation is missing from the App Store edition. The MacWhisper alternative page splits file transcription from live dictation.

Free, with a narrower job

These four are free and worth knowing, but each does a narrower job than the apps above.

10. whisper.cpp: the engine, not an app

The MIT-licensed engine underneath most of the local apps on this list, YapToText included. It is a library and a command line tool, built with cmake; its whisper-cli example reads 16-bit WAV files, and its stream example transcribes a live microphone. It does not type into other apps. If you are comfortable in Terminal and want to see what the models do with nothing in the way, start here; for Whisper with a window and a key, the Whisper Mac app page covers the options.

11. Google Docs voice typing: free inside one web app

It types and edits by voice inside Google Docs and in Slides speaker notes and captions, in Chrome, Edge or Safari, and nowhere else on your Mac. Google says your browser controls the speech to text service and decides how your speech is processed. Punctuation comes from spoken commands, its voice commands work only in English, and Google says anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs.

12. Yap by Frigade: a small open-source paste tool for macOS 26

A small MIT-licensed menu bar app that uses Apple's own Speech framework instead of Whisper, so there is no model to download. Press a shortcut, talk, press it again, and it pastes into the field you were using. It requires macOS 26 on an Apple silicon Mac, and Intel Macs are not supported. It shares a word with my app's name and nothing else; if you search for YapToText, you may land on it.

13. ToolPiper: dictation inside a much larger tool

Push-to-talk dictation on Right Option is in the free tier, on the Mac, with no account and no caps. It is one corner of a large local AI tool, and the paid tiers, $10, $29 and $49 a month, are for the rest of it. It needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon and 16 GB of memory or more, and its site does not say it is open source.

Trial only: Voibe and SpeakMac

Both show up on other lists as free, and neither is. Voibe is a 7-day trial, then $7.50 a month, $75 a year or $149 once; on the Mac it runs on device on Apple silicon, or in its zero-retention cloud mode. SpeakMac is a free trial of unstated length, then $29 once for one Mac or $39 for two, with 12 months of updates, and it runs on the Mac. Both are paid apps, and they are here so you know that before you install them.

Which one I would pick

Pick by what you need, smallest commitment first:

1. Install nothing. Apple Dictation, for a day.
2. Free, on the Mac, with editing by voice. YapToText.
3. A free plan from a company with a paid one behind it. superwhisper, Spokenly or Harker.
4. Open source, also on Windows and Linux. Handy or OpenWhispr.
5. Pay once for voice editing. VoiceInk.
6. Files instead of typing. MacWhisper's free version, or YapToText's file transcription.

If you live in Google Docs, its own voice typing may be all you need. The offline dictation page lists which of these work with Wi-Fi off, and if you are pricing a paid app, the Wispr Flow pricing page has the numbers.

What I did not test

• Accuracy. I have not run a word error test across these apps, so none of this is an accuracy ranking.
• Features a maker does not state. Where a site does not say whether its app edits by voice or is open source, the table says Not stated.
• Prices tomorrow. Every price was read on October 3, 2026. The sources list says which page to check.

The short version

• Free, on the Mac, edits by voice. YapToText.
• Nothing to install. Apple Dictation.
• Free plans from paid apps. superwhisper, Spokenly, Harker.
• Open source. Handy, OpenWhispr, and VoiceInk if you build it.

If you want the case for one app instead of a list, dictation software for Mac that costs nothing and uploads nothing is that page.

Free should mean free every day, not free for a week. If a fact here has changed before I catch it, tell me on GitHub. Every issue gets read.

Download 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.

Related

• The best dictation software and apps for Mac in October 2026
• superwhisper vs Wispr Flow vs MacWhisper vs VoiceInk, plus a free one
• I cannot type, so I built a free, open-source dictation app for the Mac
• Transcribe audio to text on a Mac, free, without uploading it
• The best transcription apps for Mac in October 2026, ranked for audio and video files

Sources

• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/14.0/mac/14.0 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/11.0/mac/11.0 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/dictate-your-messages-and-documents-on-mac-mh40584/10.14/mac/10.14 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/commands-for-dictating-text-on-mac-mh40695/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/billing/plans (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/modes/built-in (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://spokenly.app/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://spokenly.app/download (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://spokenly.app/docs/local-only-mode (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://spokenly.app/docs/modes (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.getharker.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.getharker.com/download (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://handy.computer (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/cjpais/Handy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://openwhispr.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://openwhispr.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/OpenWhispr/openwhispr (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/ (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/modes (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/Beingpax/VoiceInk (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://macwhisper.com/ (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/14-how-to-use-the-dictation-feature (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://workspace.google.com/products/docs/ (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/FrigadeHQ/yap (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://modelpiper.com/toolpiper (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://modelpiper.com/download (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.getvoibe.com/ (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://speakmac.app/ (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://wisprflow.ai/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://wisprflow.ai/privacy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/privacy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/installation (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/cloud-providers (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.openwhispr.com/ (checked 2026-10-05)
• https://spokenly.app/open-source (checked 2026-10-05)
• https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/voibe-review/ (checked 2026-10-05)

Questions