Dictation apps for Mac, compared
Seven apps, the same questions: what it costs, whether it works offline, how much it cleans up, and what else it does. We make one of them, so every fact links to its source.
At a glance
List prices from each maker’s site. Ours are in rupees, including GST. “—” means we couldn’t confirm it.
| Wisper Back | Wispr Flow | Superwhisper | macOS Dictation | Aqua Voice | Willow | VoiceInk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price125789 | Free to start; first week of Pro free | Free; Pro $15/mo ($12 yearly) | Free; Pro $8.49/mo or $84.99/yr; lifetime licence | Free | Free; Pro $10/mo ($8 yearly) | Free; Pro $15/mo ($12 yearly) | $25, $39 or $49, once |
| Free plan257810 | Unlimited dictation | 2,000 words a week | Unlimited with local models | Unlimited | 1,000 words in total | Unlimited on a lighter model | Paid; the code is open source |
| Works offline469 | Yes (English) | No | Yes | Can, on your device | — | — | Yes |
| Cleans up fillers and formatting | Yes | Yes | Through modes | Punctuation and voice commands | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Your vocabulary | Learns fixes and names on screen | Dictionary and snippets | Vocabulary and replacements | Not documented | Dictionary | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Mac (Apple silicon) | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, Windows, iOS | Mac, Windows, iOS | Mac, iOS |
| Reads text aloud | Yes | No | No | Separate feature | No | No | No |
| Meeting notes3 | Yes | Yes (Mac, Windows) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Best for…
- Free and nothing to install: the dictation built into macOS. No time limit, and it can run on your device.
- Paying once: VoiceInk. Open source, offline, from $25.
- Every device you own: Wispr Flow or Superwhisper, with Windows, iPhone and Android apps.
- Configuring everything: Superwhisper, with modes and custom prompts.
- Dictation plus read-aloud and coding agents on a Mac: Wisper Back.
Wispr Flow vs Superwhisper
Both clean up as you speak and run on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Superwhisper runs local models and works offline, costs less per month ($8.49 vs $15) and sells a lifetime licence. Wispr Flow is cloud-only, with a bigger free weekly allowance, shared dictionaries for teams, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, and HIPAA on its Growth plan.
How we compared
Prices and features come from each maker’s pricing page and help docs, checked on 4 October 2026. We didn’t benchmark accuracy: there isn’t a fair way to do that across seven apps and everyone’s voice. Try two or three on your own speech; most have a free tier.
Questions
What is the best free dictation app for Mac?
For most people, the one already on your Mac: macOS Dictation is free with no time limit. If you want fillers removed and lists formatted, Wisper Back, Superwhisper and Willow all have free plans.
Which Mac dictation apps work offline?
Superwhisper and VoiceInk run on your Mac, and Wisper Back keeps dictating in English when you’re offline. macOS Dictation can run on your device. Wispr Flow needs the internet.
Which one reads text aloud too?
Of these, only Wisper Back does both directions in one app. macOS has Speak Selection as a separate, free feature.
Sources
Competitor facts checked 4 October 2026 from their own sites where possible. Prices change; tell us at support@composer1.com if one is out of date.
Nothing listens
until you hold fn.
Hold it. That’s the only way the mic turns on.
- The microphone opens only while you talk or record a meeting.
- Your history stays on your Mac.
- What you send to be read aloud isn’t kept.
Free to start. Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later.