Four Mac dictation apps and a free one, side by side

By Ryleigh Newman · Published September 4, 2026 · Updated October 11, 2026

superwhisper, Wispr Flow, MacWhisper and VoiceInk all type what you say on a Mac, and they split on three things: what they cost, where your voice goes, and whether you can edit by voice. Wispr Flow is the only one that always transcribes in the cloud. I built a fifth, YapToText, because my hands make typing difficult and the apps I tried wanted a monthly fee or my voice on a server. It is free, open source and runs on your Mac, so read its row knowing who wrote it.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

This guide in other languages: العربية, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch, Ελληνικά, Español, Suomi, Français, עברית, हिन्दी, Magyar, Bahasa Indonesia, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Norsk, Nederlands, Polski, Português, Română, Русский, Slovenčina, Svenska, ไทย, Türkçe, Українська, Tiếng Việt, 简体中文, 繁體中文

On this page: 8 sections

1. Side by side
2. Pick by what you need
3. Two apps at a time
4. Where Apple Dictation, Dragon and Harker fit
   1. Apple Dictation
   2. Dragon for Mac
   3. Harker
5. Where YapToText fits
   1. What YapToText lacks
6. Every comparison on this site
7. The short version
8. Questions

Side by side

Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, help center or App Store listing, read on October 3, 2026, and where an app does not say something, the table says Not stated. For two apps at a time, jump to the pairs.

Checked October 3, 2026, on each app's own site. Prices reread October 7, 2026, with no change.

Where an app sells two editions, its row describes the direct download. Of the apps you can still get, Wispr Flow is the one with no way to keep your voice on the Mac. If one app brought you here, its own page goes deeper: the Wispr Flow alternative, the superwhisper alternative, the MacWhisper alternative and the VoiceInk alternative. For free apps only, the roundup of free dictation apps for Mac ranks them. Two more cloud apps, Willow Voice and Aqua Voice, are ranked in the roundup of Wispr Flow alternatives, and Aqua has its own Aqua Voice alternative page.

Pick by what you need

1. Nothing to install. Apple Dictation is already on your Mac and fine for short bursts, and Voice Control adds editing by voice.
2. A free app with nothing locked. YapToText: on your Mac and open source, with cleanup and Quick Edit included. It needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later.
3. A free tier you may outgrow. superwhisper Free for local Whisper dictation without AI, MacWhisper Free for recordings and basic dictation, or Wispr Flow Free for 2,000 words a week.
4. One payment. VoiceInk from $25, MacWhisper Pro at €64, or superwhisper Pro at $249.99 once.
5. A subscription. superwhisper Pro at $8.49 a month, or Wispr Flow Pro at $15 per user a month. Both also run on Windows and phones.

Two apps at a time

Each pair has a page of its own with the full table. These three paragraphs are the short form. The pair pages have the prices, the models and an if/then guide.

superwhisper and Wispr Flow. Both type into any app and can format what you say, and what decides between them is where the transcription happens. superwhisper can keep your voice on the Mac for free, and Wispr Flow always sends it to the cloud. Read superwhisper vs Wispr Flow for the rest.

VoiceInk and superwhisper. The closest pair on this page: both run Whisper on the Mac and both act on selected text by voice. VoiceInk is a one-time purchase with public code. superwhisper is free to start, with Pro by subscription or a lifetime license. Read VoiceInk vs superwhisper for costs over three years, models and file transcription.

MacWhisper against either. MacWhisper is the file tool of the group: it turns recordings into text and subtitles, and it can dictate as well, though only in the version sold on macwhisper.com. If most of what you transcribe is already recorded, start with MacWhisper. If it is what you are about to say, start with the other two. Read MacWhisper vs superwhisper or MacWhisper vs Wispr Flow.

Where Apple Dictation, Dragon and Harker fit

Three more names come up whenever people compare Mac dictation: the one already on your Mac, the one many people used for years, and a newer free one. Apple Dictation costs nothing and is one setting away, which makes it the right first try.

Apple Dictation

Apple Dictation is built into macOS.

• Setup. Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, then start it with the Microphone key, the Dictation keyboard shortcut, or Edit, Start Dictation. The guide to using dictation on a Mac sets it up step by step.
• Where it runs. Keyboard settings show whether general text dictation is processed on your Mac and not sent to Siri servers, and Apple's troubleshooting guide says you may need an internet connection.
• Recordings. Apple stores audio of your Siri and Dictation interactions if you choose Share Audio Recordings, and you can change that later in Privacy & Security, Analytics & Improvements.
• Length. You can dictate text of any length without a timeout, but it stops on its own after 30 seconds without speech, and the page on why Mac dictation keeps stopping after 30 seconds has the fix.
• Punctuation and commands. In supported languages it adds commas, periods and question marks for you. Its commands cover punctuation, formatting, capitals and symbols, not changing text that is already there. Voice Control, a separate accessibility feature, does that with commands such as Replace cat with dog.

Apple Dictation vs Wispr Flow compares it with the cloud option.

Dragon for Mac

Dragon for Mac is not sold anymore. Nuance discontinued Dragon Professional Individual for Mac effective October 22, 2018, with no updates after that date, and its requirements page for the Mac product lists Intel processors only. Dragon today is Dragon Professional v16 for Windows, whose product page shows Contact us where a price would be, and Nuance says Dragon Professional is not supported in Parallels for Mac. The Dragon Dictate for Mac page has the dates and maps each Dragon habit to YapToText.

Harker

Harker is free for unlimited local transcription with every Whisper model tier, pastes anywhere, and needs no account. Its Premium plan, from $5.75 a month, adds writing styles, output formatting, grammar fixes and translation, and its FAQ says those Premium features use cloud processing and need an internet connection. Harker lists macOS, with Windows coming soon.

Where YapToText fits

Here is the same set of facts for my own app, from its source code and its App Store listing. It costs nothing, publishes its code and keeps your voice on the Mac, with cleanup and voice editing included.

• Free, with nothing locked. No paid tier and no account. Tips are optional and buy no features.
• Everything on your Mac. Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) for speech and Phi-3.5 Mini for cleanup ship inside the App Store app.
• Open source. The code is on GitHub under GPL-3.0, so the privacy claims can be read instead of trusted.
• Quick Edit. Select text in any app, tap Right Option, say the change, and the result replaces the selection.
• Auto mode. It reads each dictation and picks a format: a letter becomes an email, a chat message stays as spoken. The Auto mode guide has the details.
• Files too. Drop in an audio or video file and get the text, on the Mac. The Utility guide shows where.

What YapToText lacks

It runs only on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later, and only on the Mac. It hears 29 languages plus auto-detect, not 100. It has no cloud option, which is the point, and no meeting recording, subtitles or speaker labels. It announces every state to VoiceOver, but I have not run a VoiceOver or Voice Control test pass yet. The install page, the pricing page, the help pages and the privacy page have the rest.

Every comparison on this site

Each page below sets one app, or one pair of apps, beside YapToText on the same points: price, where your voice goes, whether the code is public, and what the other app does that YapToText does not, with the date its facts were read.

• Alternatives. Dragon Dictate for Mac alternative, Wispr Flow alternative, superwhisper alternative, MacWhisper alternative, VoiceInk alternative, Willow Voice alternative, Aqua Voice alternative, Spokenly alternative, Monologue alternative, Typeless alternative, Otter.ai alternative, Voibe alternative, Talon Voice alternative, Handy alternative, Harker alternative, OpenWhispr alternative, FluidVoice alternative, TypeWhisper alternative, Hex alternative, Voicy alternative, Wispr Flow privacy, Wispr Flow alternatives for Windows, Linux and phones, DictaFlow alternative, Raycast Dictation alternative, Granola vs Wispr Flow, Speechify Voice Typing alternative, Aiko alternative, Buzz alternative, BetterDictation alternative, Dictation Daddy alternative, Vowen alternative, VoiceOS alternative.
• Head to head. Mac dictation vs Wispr Flow, Mac dictation vs Voice Control, Apple Dictation vs Whisper, Parakeet vs Whisper, Siri vs Dictation, superwhisper vs Wispr Flow, MacWhisper vs superwhisper, MacWhisper vs Wispr Flow, Wispr Flow vs Willow Voice, VoiceInk vs superwhisper, dictation vs transcription, superwhisper vs Spokenly, Wispr Flow vs Aqua Voice, Typeless vs Wispr Flow, Typeless vs superwhisper, Aqua Voice vs superwhisper, Willow Voice vs superwhisper, VoiceInk vs Wispr Flow, Wispr Flow vs Handy, Wispr Flow vs Otter.ai, VoiceInk vs MacWhisper, Willow Voice vs Aqua Voice vs Typeless.
• Pricing. YapToText pricing, Wispr Flow pricing, MacWhisper pricing, superwhisper pricing, VoiceInk pricing, Willow Voice pricing, Aqua Voice pricing, Spokenly pricing, Monologue pricing, Otter.ai pricing, Typeless pricing.
• What an app is, and what it costs to leave. what Wispr Flow is, how to use Wispr Flow, how to use superwhisper, how to use MacWhisper, what superwhisper is, Wispr Flow review, superwhisper review, Wispr Flow languages, Wispr Flow and audio files, Wispr Flow discounts, superwhisper discounts, Typeless discounts, Willow Voice discounts, cancelling Wispr Flow, cancelling superwhisper.
• Privacy and offline use. Wispr Flow and HIPAA, Wispr Flow offline, superwhisper offline, Typeless privacy, Willow Voice privacy, Aqua Voice privacy, MacWhisper privacy.
• Roundups. the best free speech to text apps for Mac, the best dictation software for Mac, the best Wispr Flow alternatives, open source dictation apps for Mac, the best AI dictation apps for Mac, the best transcription apps for Mac.

Prices and features move every few weeks. The dated log of dictation app updates lists what each of these apps shipped lately, from the makers' own changelogs.

When one of these apps stops working, the Wispr Flow, superwhisper, MacWhisper and VoiceInk troubleshooting pages map each symptom to the fix in that app's own help pages.

More on Wispr Flow: Whisper Flow, the spelling, the free plan and its word cap, keyboard shortcuts, microphones, foot pedals, and Linux.

More on superwhisper: the license, devices and refunds, Windows, text not pasting, No voice found, and uninstalling it.

More on MacWhisper: direct download or App Store, discounts and license keys, YouTube, batches and watch folders, speaker recognition, and where it stores files.

More on VoiceInk: the license key, which model to choose, and the iPhone app.

More on Typeless: Windows, Linux and phones and what to do when it is not working.

More on MacWhisper: the mw command line tool, recording meetings, watch folders and batches, Obsidian, Notion and webhooks, keyboard shortcuts, and iPhone and Windows.

More on superwhisper: privacy and safety, where recordings are stored, the CLI and MCP server, and iPhone and Android.

Still more on superwhisper: which model to pick, recording meetings, and modes and prompts.

Still more on Wispr Flow: uninstalling it and deleting your data, iPhone and Android, and the student discount.

And two on how Wispr Flow works: Command Mode and Transforms and hands-free mode.

Plus Wispr Flow snippets and the dictionary and Wispr Flow login problems.

More on VoiceInk: privacy, installing and setting it up, and real-time transcription.

Wispr Flow fixes: text not pasting, the bar or bubble not showing, and Wispr Flow on Windows.

superwhisper how-tos: changing the language, added or repeated words, backing up and moving to a new Mac, and transcribing a file.

Also on VoiceInk: Refine and AI enhancement and the Dictionary.

On Otter: stopping it from joining your meetings and deleting an Otter account, plus canceling an Otter subscription.

And Wispr Flow Styles and Auto Cleanup, for when it edits more than you want.

And Wispr Flow typing the wrong language, with the fix for each platform.

And superwhisper vocabulary and replacements, for words it keeps getting wrong.

And VoiceInk Custom Commands, for sending dictation to your own scripts.

And Wispr Flow with remote desktops, for Citrix, RDP and VDI sessions.

And Wispr Flow in Outlook, for dictating email on every platform.

And VoiceInk History, for finding, exporting and deleting old transcripts.

And VoiceInk keyboard shortcuts, every key from its docs.

And VoiceInk file transcription, formats and the queue.

And VoiceInk Context Awareness, what it reads and where it goes.

And Wispr Flow getting less accurate, with its own checks in order.

And Wispr Flow in Cursor and VS Code, variable recognition and file tags.

And superwhisper keyboard shortcuts, push to talk and deep links.

And deleting a superwhisper account, and what stays on your Mac.

And superwhisper context awareness, when each kind is captured.

And superwhisper Realtime grayed out, which models stream.

And MacWhisper dictation, and why the App Store version lacks it.

And MacWhisper batch transcription, many files and faster settings.

And MacWhisper Find and Replace, for words it keeps getting wrong.

And how to use VoiceInk, from setup to every feature page.

And how to use Typeless, setup and settings.

And deleting Wispr Flow history, local and cloud.

And how to use Otter.ai, with the free plan's limits.

And Wispr Flow in the terminal, WSL and SSH included.

And Wispr Flow on iPad, which it does not support.

And Wispr Flow's funding and valuation, from its own announcement.

And exporting an Otter.ai transcript, formats and limits.

And whether Otter.ai is safe, from its own privacy page.

And AI note takers for Mac, by where they keep your meetings.

And superwhisper vs Apple Dictation.

And MacWhisper vs Apple Dictation.

And Wispr Flow vs Monologue.

And all three at once: superwhisper, Wispr Flow and MacWhisper.

And VoiceInk vs Spokenly.

And VoiceInk vs Handy.

And VoiceInk vs FluidVoice.

And superwhisper vs FluidVoice.

And superwhisper vs Handy.

And Typeless vs Spokenly.

And Typeless vs Handy.

And MacWhisper vs Aiko.

And superwhisper and HIPAA, from its compliance docs.

And Wispr Flow vs Spokenly.

And Wispr Flow vs FluidVoice.

And Wispr Flow vs TypeWhisper.

And superwhisper vs TypeWhisper.

And TypeWhisper vs Handy.

And TypeWhisper vs Spokenly.

And MacWhisper vs Spokenly.

And MacWhisper vs Handy.

And Handy vs FluidVoice.

And VoiceInk vs Typeless.

And OpenWhispr vs Handy.

And Aqua Voice vs Typeless.

And how to use Handy, from install to first dictation.

And Handy not working, with the fixes from its own guide.

And MacParakeet and YapToText, two free open source Mac apps.

And how to use TypeWhisper, from install to uninstall.

And subtitle generators for the Mac, the five that export SRT.

And transcribing a YouTube video to text, four ways.

And Apple Notes transcription on a Mac, with its languages and limits.

And Wispr Flow slow or down, with the status banner and retry steps.

And Wispr Flow error messages, each with its next step.

And Wispr Flow capitalizing mid-sentence, and the per-app formats.

And Wispr Flow sync across devices, and what stays local.

And Wispr Flow muting or pausing music, with the settings.

And Wispr Flow word limit not resetting, with the real reset time.

And Wispr Flow dictation cancelled, and the tap or hold rule.

And Wispr Flow updates, and the fixes after one.

And Wispr Flow Scratchpad, its notes editor.

And Wispr Flow Insights, and how its stats are counted.

And Live Captions languages on a Mac, and what it does about translation.

And the best MacWhisper model for each kind of Mac.

And MacWhisper languages, translation and mixed audio.

And MacWhisper license keys, lost, disabled or moving.

And MacWhisper vs Otter.ai.

And superwhisper vs Otter.ai.

And superwhisper vs Wispr Flow vs VoiceInk, all three in one table.

And superwhisper vs Wispr Flow vs Willow Voice, all three in one table.

And superwhisper vs Wispr Flow vs Typeless, all three in one table.

And how to use Spokenly, from the shortcut to modes.

And Spokenly Local Only Mode, and what it turns off.

And Spokenly not pasting, and the App Store version.

And VoiceInk Dictionary Auto Learn, and what it shares.

And Apple Dictation, reviewed, with its limits.

And Typeless Translate, step by step.

And Typeless History and Dictionary, with retry and import.

And cancelling a Typeless subscription, with refunds.

And how to use Aqua Voice, with its settings.

And VoiceInk slow, stage by stage.

And VoiceInk changing language or model, and the Mode behind it.

And VoiceInk custom prompts, with the tags and examples.

And Aqua Voice and HIPAA, from its own statements.

And Transcribe in Word on a Mac, and where the button is.

And Wispr Flow will not open, or is stuck after sign-in.

And how to use Willow Voice, with hotkeys and hands-free.

And Willow Voice not working, with the fixes from its help center.

And Willow Voice and HIPAA, from its own statements.

And cancelling a Willow Voice subscription, on a Mac or through Apple.

And every Wispr Flow guide, by topic.

And every superwhisper guide, by topic.

And every VoiceInk guide, by topic.

And every MacWhisper guide, by topic.

And every Typeless guide, by topic.

And every Otter.ai guide, by topic.

And every Spokenly guide, by topic.

And every Handy guide, by topic.

And every Aqua Voice guide, by topic.

And every Willow Voice guide, by topic.

And superwhisper pasting raw text, when the AI step fails.

And superwhisper crashing or not opening, with the fixes.

And changing the dictation language in Word on a Mac, with Microsoft's list.

And whisper.cpp vs MLX Whisper vs faster-whisper, on a Mac.

And superwhisper Enterprise, with login and what admins see.

And importing audio or video into Otter, with formats and limits.

And Otter.ai languages, the six it transcribes.

And transcribing a YouTube video with Otter, two ways.

And making subtitles with Otter, through SRT export.

And the Otter.ai Mac app, with botless recording.

And naming speakers in Otter, with rename and rematch.

And adding Otter to Zoom, Google Meet or Teams, by hand or automatically.

And Otter.ai minutes, when they reset and what uses them.

And Otter.ai and HIPAA, from its own statements.

And phone calls and Otter, recorded on the phone and imported.

And Otter not recording audio, with headphones and Safari.

And Otter.ai accuracy, and what improves it.

And editing and sharing an Otter transcript, step by step.

And how to use FluidVoice, from install to modes.

And how to use Monologue, from setup to local mode.

And Monologue not working, by symptom.

And Otter.ai login problems, with password and 2FA fixes.

And Wispr Flow looking always on on iPhone, and the orange dot.

The short version

• superwhisper vs Wispr Flow. superwhisper can keep your voice on the Mac for free. Wispr Flow always uses the cloud and formats for each app.
• VoiceInk vs superwhisper. VoiceInk publishes its code and costs $25 once. superwhisper is free to start, with Pro by the month, the year or once.
• MacWhisper. It is the file tool of the group, with free subtitles and basic dictation.
• YapToText. Costs nothing, runs on your Mac and publishes its code, with cleanup and voice editing included.

For the wider field, dictation software for Mac, compared sets seven options in one table.

Two more comparisons sit on their own pages: the Spokenly comparison and the roundup of open-source dictation apps.

Decide where your voice may go first, and the price usually decides itself. If I have something wrong about your app, open an issue on GitHub and I will fix it.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. 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

• A free, open source superwhisper alternative for the Mac
• A free MacWhisper alternative built for dictation first
• A free VoiceInk alternative, open source with nothing to compile
• Dragon Dictate for Mac is gone. You do not have to switch to Windows.
• The best free dictation apps for Mac in October 2026
• The best AI dictation apps for Mac in October 2026, ranked by where the AI runs
• What Mac dictation apps shipped lately, by date
• YapToText pricing: free, with no paid tier
• Download YapToText for your Mac
• Dictation software for Mac: seven options, and what to look for

Sources

• https://superwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/billing/plans (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/models/voice (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/modes/built-in (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/modes/modes (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/privacy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/for-accessibility (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/download (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://wisprflow.ai/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://wisprflow.ai/privacy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://wisprflow.ai/data-controls (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/2772472373-what-is-flow (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/1036674442-supported-devices-and-system-requirements (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/4816967992-how-to-use-command-mode (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/4678293671-feature-context-awareness (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/2368263928-how-to-setup-flow-styles (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/5373093536-how-do-i-use-smart-formatting-and-backtrack (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/3941699399-keyboard-and-screen-reader-accessibility-in-wispr-flow (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.macwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.macwhisper.com/legal/privacy-policy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/14-how-to-use-the-dictation-feature (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/40-macwhisper-whisper-transcription-difference (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/34-transcription-is-slower-than-expected (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whisper-transcription/id1668083311 (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/privacy (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/introduction (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/local-models (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/cloud-providers (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://github.com/Beingpax/VoiceInk (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/if-dictation-on-mac-doesnt-work-as-expected-mchlc480652b/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/commands-for-dictating-text-on-mac-mh40695/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-voice-control-commands-mh40719/mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://nuance.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27843/~/dragon-professional-for-mac-6:-end-of-life,-end-of-support-dates (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://nuance.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17855/~/system-requirements-for-dragon-for-mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://nuance.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/29905/~/dragon-support-on-parallels-desktop-for-mac (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://dragon.nuance.com/en-us/dragon-professional (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://dragon.nuance.com/shared/resource-library/gb/fm-dragon-professional-individual-for-mac-v6-en-uk.pdf (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://www.getharker.com (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://superwhisper.com/docs/modes/switching-modes (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/installation (checked 2026-10-03)
• https://superwhisper.com/for-enterprise (checked 2026-10-06)
• https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/7689167034-can-i-upload-audio-files-to-wispr-flow-for-transcription (checked 2026-10-06)
• https://superwhisper.com/docs/common-issues/app-wont-launch (checked 2026-10-06)

Questions