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A free VoiceInk alternative, open source with nothing to compile

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YapToText is a free VoiceInk alternative for the Mac: both apps are open source under the GPL and transcribe on your Mac, but YapToText is a free download from the Mac App Store with its speech and cleanup models already inside, while VoiceInk sells its ready-built app for a one-time $25 after a 7-day trial. VoiceInk does things I do not, including an iPhone and iPad app in beta, a wide choice of speech models, and transcripts you can edit in its history. I built YapToText, so read this with that in mind. Every VoiceInk fact here comes from tryvoiceink.com and VoiceInk's GitHub repository, read on October 3, 2026.

My hands make typing difficult, so I dictate every day with YapToText, and I wanted anyone in the same spot to get it in one click, with no compiler and no license key. If you searched for VoiceInk vs superwhisper, jump to the VoiceInk vs superwhisper comparison further down.

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: 7 sections
  1. Side by side
  2. What you keep, and what changes
  3. Move over in about ten minutes
    1. Step 1: Install from the App Store
    2. Step 2: Grant the two permissions
    3. Step 3: Quit VoiceInk and dictate once
    4. Step 4: Bring over your vocabulary
  4. VoiceInk vs superwhisper, and where YapToText sits
  5. Where VoiceInk is ahead
  6. The short version
  7. Questions

Side by side

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

YapToTextVoiceInk
PriceFree, no paid tier7-day trial, then one-time $25 for 1 Mac, $39 for 2, $49 for 3, or a $159 Startup license for up to 10 Macs (checked October 5, 2026)
Source codeGPL-3.0, on GitHubGPL v3, on GitHub
Get it fromMac App Store, or Homebrew without the modelstryvoiceink.com, or Homebrew
Models in the downloadWhisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, in the App Store buildDownloaded during setup; Parakeet V3 is the default
Local cleanupPhi-3.5 Mini, for every AI mode and Quick EditVoiceInk Refine: one fixed cleanup task, Apple silicon with 16 GB of memory or more
Cloud optionNoneOptional, with your own API keys
Edits selected text by voiceYes, Quick Edit, on deviceYes, through Ollama or a cloud provider
Mac requirementmacOS 14 or later, Apple siliconApple silicon; macOS 14.4 or later on the pricing page, macOS 15 in the docs and README
Other devicesNoneiPhone and iPad app, free during beta
Edit a transcript in historyNo; Regenerate it insteadYes
Transcribe audio filesYesYes

VoiceInk's own pages disagree about the macOS version, so the table gives both. On the YapToText side, the App Store has 1.5.3, while GitHub and Homebrew are on 1.5.2, and the Homebrew build cannot dictate until you download a speech model, which the install page walks through.

What you keep, and what changes

  • Dictating into any app. Both apps start from a shortcut and put your words at the cursor. VoiceInk takes keyboard or mouse shortcuts, with push to talk. YapToText uses Right Command by default, tapped to start and stop or held while you talk, and any single key can take its place.
  • Speech models. VoiceInk has you download a model during setup, Parakeet V3 by default, or pick Whisper, Apple Speech on macOS 26, or a cloud provider with your own key. YapToText ships Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5), 574 MB, inside the App Store download, and its library adds other Whisper models or your own whisper.cpp file. The AI Models help page lists them.
  • Cleanup. VoiceInk cleans up through a provider you connect, or through VoiceInk Refine, a local model that needs an Apple silicon Mac with at least 16 GB of memory and does one fixed cleanup task. YapToText ships Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, 2.3 GB, which runs every AI mode with no key and no setup.
The AI Models page in YapToText: Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct marked Included, model library below.
Figure 1. Both models come inside the App Store download and show as Included under Your defaults, so there is no model to choose before your first dictation.
  • Editing selected text. Both rewrite a selection when you say how. VoiceInk's docs say Refine cannot use selected text, so that job needs Ollama or a cloud provider. YapToText's Quick Edit runs on the bundled model: select, tap Right Option, say the change.
  • Your words. VoiceInk has custom vocabulary, word replacements and corrections it learns. YapToText's Dictionaries prime the speech model, and fixing the same word twice makes the app offer to remember it.
  • Price. VoiceInk is a 7-day trial, then $25 for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, each with lifetime updates and a 14-day refund. YapToText is free, and tips add no features.
  • Where your voice goes. Both are local by default. VoiceInk's optional cloud transcription sends your audio to the provider you choose, and its AI enhancement sends text only. YapToText has no cloud option at all.

Privacy is a tie by default; the difference is what you set up and what you pay.

Move over in about ten minutes

If you used VoiceInk, you already know the Accessibility switch. It works the same way here.

Step 1: Install from the App Store

  • You: Get YapToText from the Mac App Store and open it.
  • YapToText: Starts a short welcome tour. Both models are inside, so there is no model to choose first.
  • Check: The tour reaches a page titled A couple of permissions.

Step 2: Grant the two permissions

  • You: Press Continue next to Microphone and next to Accessibility.
  • macOS: Asks for the microphone once and opens System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility, where only you can switch YapToText on.
  • Check: Both cards read Granted. If Accessibility keeps turning off, use Show in Finder in the Get set up card on the Home page and drag the app into the list. Until it is on, dictations go to the clipboard.

Step 3: Quit VoiceInk and dictate once

  • You: Finish the tour, quit VoiceInk so two apps are not answering at once, click into any text field, tap Right Command, talk, and tap it again.
  • YapToText: Shows your voice as a wave, finishes the transcript on your Mac and types it at your cursor.
  • Check: The words land where your cursor was. If the wave stays flat, the app is not hearing your microphone yet.
YapToText's floating dictation panel on a Mac: a live waveform, the sentence being typed, and cancel, pause and stop buttons.
Figure 2. What step 3 looks like: the wave is your voice and the line under it is the text forming. If the wave stays flat, the app is not hearing your microphone.

Step 4: Bring over your vocabulary

  • You: On the Dictionaries page, add each of your VoiceInk words as a substitution: what it gets heard as, then the spelling you want. For a name that keeps coming out wrong, press Generate variations on it.
  • YapToText: Asks the on-device model for likely mishearings, never plurals or real words, maps them to your spelling, and uses your words to prime the speech model.
  • Check: Dictate a sentence with one of those names. It comes out spelled your way.
YapToText's Dictionaries page: suggested fixes such as thursday to Thursday, and the General dictionary with iPhone and Wi-Fi.
Figure 3. The Dictionaries page: each entry maps what was heard to the spelling you want, and Generate variations adds the ways a name gets misheard.

The Dictionaries help page covers folders, case and whole-word matching.

VoiceInk vs superwhisper, and where YapToText sits

VoiceInk vs superwhisper comes down to how you want to pay and where you dictate. VoiceInk is a one-time license from $25 for Apple silicon Macs, with a 7-day trial. The free plan from superwhisper does not expire, and its Pro plan is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, with one license for every device you own.

VoiceInksuperwhisper
Price7-day trial, then $25, $39 or $49 once, for 1, 2 or 3 MacsFree plan; Pro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once
Free useThe trial, or a build from sourceUnlimited dictation with local Whisper models and up to two modes without AI
Source codePublic, GPL v3Not stated
PlatformsApple silicon Macs, plus an iPhone and iPad app in betaMac, Windows, iPhone and Android
One license covers1 to 10 Macs, depending on the license, not iPhonesEvery Mac and Windows PC you own, plus your phone
Local modelsParakeet, Whisper, Apple Speech and othersWhisper on the free plan; Pro adds Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe
AI cleanupYour own provider key, or Refine on Macs with 16 GB or morePro: cloud and local AI models, or your own keys
Intel MacsApple silicon only, per the pricing pageCloud models recommended

Where YapToText sits: free like the superwhisper free plan, but with AI cleanup and editing by voice included instead of held for Pro, and open source like VoiceInk. Unlike both, it runs only on the Mac. The free superwhisper alternative page goes deeper on that side, and the full comparison adds Wispr Flow, MacWhisper and Apple Dictation.

App Store poster headed Edit anything by voice: the Quick Edit card listening, applying the edit, and done.
Figure 4. Editing by voice, included instead of held for Pro: select text, tap the Quick Edit key, say the change, and the card listens, applies it and says Done.

Pay once for one to ten Macs with VoiceInk, or pick superwhisper for Windows, Android or one license everywhere.

Where VoiceInk is ahead

  • It is open source too. Its code is public under the GPL, like mine, so either app's privacy claims can be checked line by line.
  • iPhone and iPad. A companion app, free during its beta, with a one-time purchase after. YapToText has no iPhone version.
  • More model choices. Parakeet, Whisper, Apple Speech and other local models, plus cloud providers if you want them.
  • A history you can edit. You can edit a transcription in VoiceInk's history, export it as CSV, and have history delete itself on a schedule, from right after each dictation up to 7 days. YapToText cannot hand-edit an entry; you regenerate it instead.
  • Workflows. Modes that switch by app, website or a spoken trigger phrase, an Assistant Mode for questions, and an output that passes your words to a shell command.

Both apps are GPL, so you can read every line of either one. I would bring a snack. If you want an iPhone app or a shelf of models to choose from, VoiceInk is the better fit.

The short version

  • The same promise. Both are GPL and local by default, so your voice can stay on your Mac with either one.
  • The difference. YapToText is free from the App Store with both models inside. VoiceInk is $25 to $49 once after a 7-day trial, or a build from source.
  • The case for VoiceInk. An iPhone app, many models, cloud options or a history you can edit.
  • VoiceInk vs superwhisper. VoiceInk to pay once for Macs; superwhisper for Windows, Android or one license on every device.

If Willow Voice is on your list too, the Willow Voice comparison weighs it the same way.

If you liked VoiceInk because it is open source and local, YapToText keeps both and costs nothing. If anything here is out of date, 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

Is there a free alternative to VoiceInk?

Yes. YapToText is free on the Mac App Store, open source under GPL-3.0 like VoiceInk, and ships with its speech and cleanup models inside, so there is nothing to compile and no license key.

Is VoiceInk free?

Not as a ready-built app. VoiceInk has a 7-day trial, then a one-time license of $25 for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, checked October 3, 2026. Its source is public under the GPL, so you can also build it yourself with Xcode.

Is VoiceInk open source?

Yes. Its source is on GitHub under the GNU General Public License v3, according to its README, which also says the paid, compiled version adds automatic updates and priority support.

Does VoiceInk work offline?

Yes, by default. Its privacy policy says transcription happens on your device with local models unless you turn on optional cloud services. YapToText also works offline, and its App Store download already includes its models.

What is the best model for VoiceInk?

Parakeet V3, as a starting point: VoiceInk's own docs suggest it for local dictation on Apple silicon, and setup uses it, with Parakeet V2 or Parakeet Unified for English only. YapToText ships Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) inside the app instead.

VoiceInk vs superwhisper: which should I choose?

VoiceInk if you want to pay once for a Mac and be able to read the source, and superwhisper if you want a free plan or Windows and Android. VoiceInk is $25 once for one Apple silicon Mac after a 7-day trial. The Pro plan from superwhisper is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.