A free Voicy alternative for Mac that runs on your device
By Ryleigh Newman · Published · Updated
Voicy is not free: its pricing page offers a trial of 30 minutes of recording time, then Pro from $8.49 a month or a lifetime license for $260. Voicy says a free tier is not possible because every transcription is processed in the cloud. YapToText, the app I built, is a free alternative for the Mac that recognizes speech on the Mac itself, so there is no meter to run out.
I built YapToText, so read what I say about Voicy with that in mind. Everything about Voicy here comes from usevoicy.com, read on October 6, 2026. I have not tested Voicy hands-on, so nothing here ranks the two by accuracy or speed.
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.
On this page: 8 sections
Side by side
Checked October 6, 2026, on usevoicy.com.
| Voicy | YapToText | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pro from $8.49 a month, or $260 once | Free, no paid tier |
| Free use | A trial of 30 minutes of recording time | Everything, with no time or word limit |
| Where speech is recognized | Sent to Voicy's servers, then to Groq's hosted Whisper V3 | On your Mac |
| What is kept | Voicy says no audio or text is stored on its servers or Groq's | History stays on your Mac |
| Without internet | Each transcription uses cloud processing | Works |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome, iOS and Android | Apple silicon Macs, macOS 14 or later |
| Languages | More than 50, detected automatically | 29 plus auto-detect |
| Discounts | 20 percent for students, and for disabilities that affect keyboard use | Nothing to discount |
Voicy runs nearly everywhere and bills by the month. YapToText runs only on a Mac and costs nothing.
What Voicy costs
Voicy's pricing page has three ways to pay and one trial. After 30 minutes of recording, Voicy needs a plan.
- The trial. 30 minutes of free recording time with every feature, and no credit card.
- Pro. From $8.49 a month, with unlimited recording time on unlimited personal devices, desktop and mobile. The page shows an annual option at 20 percent off.
- Lifetime. $260 once.
- Teams. $6.79 per user a month, for three users or more.
- Discounts. 20 percent off for students, and 20 percent off for people with disabilities that affect keyboard use. Voicy's security page says it collects no health or disability documentation for it.
- Its pricing rule. Voicy says its price will never be more than 20 percent above its total costs.
For what the other dictation apps charge, see the pricing comparison.
Where your voice goes with Voicy
Voicy publishes the route your audio takes, step by step. With Voicy your audio goes to two companies' servers in the United States, and Voicy says neither keeps it.
- Step one. Audio is recorded on your device and sent, encrypted, to Voicy's servers, which its security page says are hosted on Heroku in the USA.
- Step two. Voicy forwards it to Groq, which hosts the open-source Whisper V3 model, also in the USA.
- Afterward. Voicy says no recordings or transcripts are stored by Voicy or Groq, that everything is deleted right after processing, and that it does not train models on your recordings.
- On your device. Voicy says your transcripts are stored only locally.
Those are Voicy's statements, and I cannot check them. With YapToText the speech model runs on the Mac and the code is public, so there is no route to describe. The private dictation guide shows how to check any app.
Where Voicy is ahead
Voicy covers ground YapToText does not. If you dictate on Windows, Linux, a phone or inside Chrome, Voicy is there and YapToText is not.
- Platforms. Mac, Windows, Linux, a Chrome extension, iOS and Android, on one Pro plan across your personal devices.
- Languages. Voicy lists more than 50, detected automatically, and says you can switch language mid-sentence.
- Rewriting. Its Mac page advertises AI rewriting for professional emails.
- Its accuracy claim. Voicy advertises an accuracy figure on its pages. I do not repeat accuracy numbers on this site, and I have not tested Voicy or seen how the figure was measured.
Where YapToText is different
YapToText is narrower and has no meter. It is free with no trial clock, and nothing you say leaves the Mac.
- Free. No plan, no trial, no recording-time allowance. Tips are optional and unlock nothing.
- On device. Whisper Large v3 Turbo and the cleanup model are in the App Store download, so it works without a connection.
- No account. Nothing to sign in to.
- Open source. The code is public under GPL-3.0.
- Cleanup and editing. Auto mode shapes each dictation on the Mac, and Quick Edit changes selected text by voice.
- What it lacks. Windows, Linux, phones, a browser extension, Intel Macs, and some of the languages on Voicy's list of more than 50.
YapToText is free on the Mac App Store, and its source is on GitHub.
Voicy vs Wispr Flow and superwhisper
People compare Voicy with the two best-known Mac dictation apps. Voicy and superwhisper list the same $8.49 a month, and Voicy is the only one of the three with nothing free beyond a trial.
Voicy checked October 6, 2026. Wispr Flow and superwhisper from their pricing pages, reread October 6, 2026.
| Voicy | Wispr Flow | superwhisper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free use | A 30 minute trial | 2,000 words a week on desktop | Local Whisper models, free on the Mac |
| Paid | From $8.49 a month; $260 lifetime | $15 a month or $144 a year | Pro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once |
| Where speech is recognized | Cloud | Cloud | On the Mac, or cloud models on Pro |
The Wispr Flow and superwhisper alternative pages compare each with YapToText.
The short version
- Need Windows, Linux, Chrome or a phone. Voicy runs on all of them, from $8.49 a month after a 30 minute trial.
- On a Mac and want it free. Use YapToText: there is no trial clock and no account, and speech is recognized on the Mac.
- Care where audio goes. Voicy sends it to servers and says nothing is kept. YapToText never sends it.
Voicy is cloud dictation at a fair price. YapToText is the free one that stays on your Mac. If Voicy has changed something this page says, tell me 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.
Related
Sources
- https://usevoicy.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://usevoicy.com/speech-to-text-mac-app/ (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://usevoicy.com/legal-pages/security/ (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://usevoicy.com/start-download/ (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://usevoicy.com/llms.txt (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://wisprflow.ai/pricing (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://superwhisper.com/docs/billing/plans (checked 2026-10-06)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-03)
Questions
Is Voicy free?
Only for a trial. Voicy's pricing page gives 30 minutes of free recording time with no credit card, then plans start at $8.49 a month, or $260 for a lifetime license. Voicy says it cannot offer a free tier because each transcription is processed in the cloud.
How much does Voicy cost?
Pro starts at $8.49 a month, a lifetime license is $260, and teams of three or more pay $6.79 per user a month, per usevoicy.com on October 6, 2026. Students and people with disabilities that affect keyboard use get 20 percent off.
Does Voicy work offline?
Voicy's own pages say each transcription uses AI cloud processing: audio goes to its servers and on to Groq's hosted Whisper V3 model. They describe no offline mode.
Voicy vs Wispr Flow: what is the difference?
Both are cloud dictation. Voicy has a 30 minute trial and plans from $8.49 a month, with a Linux app and a $260 lifetime option. Wispr Flow is free up to 2,000 words a week on desktop and $15 a month for Pro. I have not tested either.
Voicy vs superwhisper: what is the difference?
superwhisper can transcribe on the Mac, and its local Whisper models are free there. Pro is $8.49 a month. Voicy processes every transcription in the cloud and needs a plan after its 30 minute trial, but also runs on Windows, Linux and Chrome.
Is there a free alternative to Voicy?
On a Mac, YapToText is free with no trial or recording limit and recognizes speech on the device. It runs only on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later. Apple Dictation, built into macOS, is free too.