5 Apps Compared

Best Dictation Apps for iPhone in 2026: 5 Tested

We compared the built-in iPhone dictation against four third-party keyboards on free tiers, offline support, accuracy, and price. Spokenly takes the top spot; here is the full ranking and why.

Updated June 2026

Get Spokenly for iPhone

Best Overall4.9

Spokenly

Spokenly wins on the things that matter daily on iPhone: a custom keyboard that dictates into every app, an unlimited free tier with local models or your own API keys, on-device privacy, 100+ languages, and one Pro subscription that also covers Mac and Windows.

Get Spokenly for iPhone

The 5 Best Dictation Apps for iPhone

Scores are our editorial ratings against the criteria further down, not App Store ratings. App Store figures are cited separately where relevant.

1. Spokenly · Best Overall for iPhone

4.9

Price: Free, Pro $9.99/moFree tier: Unlimited with local models and BYOKOffline: YesRequires: iOS 17.6

Best for: Anyone who wants unlimited free dictation in every iOS app, with the option of on-device privacy

Pros

+Custom keyboard dictates into any iOS app: Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, Notes, Safari
+Free tier is unlimited with local models or your own API keys
+On-device transcription option keeps audio off the network
+100+ languages with automatic detection
+One Pro subscription covers iPhone, Mac, and Windows

Cons

-Keyboard needs Allow Full Access enabled, like every third-party dictation keyboard

Get Spokenly for iPhone

2. Apple Dictation · Best Built-In Option

3.8

Price: FreeFree tier: UnlimitedOffline: Yes (many languages)Requires: Any modern iOS

Best for: Light users who dictate short messages and do not want to install anything

Pros

+Already on every iPhone, mic button in every keyboard
+On-device processing in many languages, works offline
+Automatic punctuation in supported languages
+Voice text-editing commands in US English on iPhone 12 and later

Cons

-Weaker on jargon, names, and accents than modern engines
-No history, no custom vocabulary, no AI cleanup
-Tends to stop listening during longer pauses

Apple Dictation alternative Apple support guide

3. Wispr Flow · Best Premium AI Cleanup

4.6

Price: $15/mo or $144/yrFree tier: 1,000 words per week on iPhoneOffline: NoRequires: iOS 18.3

Best for: Users who want speech automatically rewritten into polished prose and accept cloud processing

Pros

+AI cleanup removes filler words and formats lists and emails
+Strong iOS App Store rating (4.8 across 10,000+ ratings)
+Same account works on Mac, Windows, and Android
+100+ languages with code-switching

Cons

-Cloud-only, nothing runs on the device
-Highest price in the category at $15/mo
-Free tier caps at 1,000 words per week on iPhone
-Requires iOS 18.3, the strictest requirement here

Spokenly vs Wispr Flow Wispr Flow on the App Store

4. Superwhisper · Best Lifetime License

4.7

Price: $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, $249.99 lifetimeFree tier: Small local modelsOffline: Partial (English)Requires: iOS 18

Best for: Mac users who already own Superwhisper and want the same modes on iPhone

Pros

+Offline Parakeet model on iPhone for English dictation
+Lifetime license at $249.99 covers iOS and desktop
+Push-to-talk keyboard pastes into any app
+Shortcuts integration for automation

Cons

-Offline model is English-only on iOS
-Larger models and cloud engines require Pro
-iPhone app is a companion to the Mac app more than a standalone product

Spokenly vs Superwhisper Superwhisper on the App Store

5. Aqua Voice · Best AI-Polished Prose

4.5

Price: $12.99/mo or $119/yr on iOSFree tier: 1,000 words, lifetime totalOffline: NoRequires: iOS 17

Best for: Writers who want transcripts aggressively rewritten into clean prose

Pros

+Avalon model produces heavily cleaned-up, readable text
+Personal dictionary syncs between iPhone and desktop
+Voice-edit the last transcript by speaking a correction

Cons

-Free tier is 1,000 words total, ever, then it stops
-iOS subscription costs more than buying on the web ($12.99 vs $8 per month)
-Cloud-only, no offline mode
-AI rewriting can drift from what you actually said

Spokenly vs Aqua Voice Aqua Voice on the App Store

Quick Comparison Table

App	Price	Free tier	Offline	Requires
#1 Spokenly	Free, Pro $9.99/mo	Unlimited with local models and BYOK	Yes	iOS 17.6
#2 Apple Dictation	Free	Unlimited	Yes (many languages)	Any modern iOS
#3 Wispr Flow	$15/mo or $144/yr	1,000 words per week on iPhone	No	iOS 18.3
#4 Superwhisper	$8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, $249.99 lifetime	Small local models	Partial (English)	iOS 18
#5 Aqua Voice	$12.99/mo or $119/yr on iOS	1,000 words, lifetime total	No	iOS 17

How We Compared Them

We compared hands-on usage, App Store listings, published pricing, and platform documentation against six iPhone-specific criteria. The bar was practical: an iOS dictation app earns its place on this list only if voice to text on iPhone gets faster, more accurate, or cheaper than the built-in mic button.

Keyboard integration

On iPhone, a third-party dictation app is only as good as its custom keyboard. We checked how each app types into Messages, Mail, Safari, and WhatsApp, and how many taps a dictation takes.

Free tier limits

Weekly caps, lifetime caps, and what unlimited actually means. Apps that stay useful without a subscription scored higher.

Offline and privacy

Whether audio can stay on the phone. On-device transcription matters on flights, on bad cellular, and for confidential notes.

Accuracy on real speech

Names, technical terms, and casual speech with hesitations, compared against what each engine produced.

Language coverage

Total languages, automatic detection, and whether non-English dictation works offline.

Price per month of real use

App Store subscription prices, annual discounts, student rates, and the cost gap between web and in-app billing.

How to Choose a Dictation App for iPhone

Decide whether built-in dictation is enough

Apple Dictation handles short messages well and costs nothing. The reasons to install a third-party app are accuracy on names and jargon, custom vocabulary, longer dictations, AI cleanup, and history. If none of those matter to you, stop at the built-in mic button.

Check the free tier fine print

Free means different things here. Spokenly's free tier is unlimited with local models or your own API keys. Wispr Flow resets 1,000 words weekly on iPhone. Aqua Voice gives 1,000 words once, for the lifetime of the account.

Know how iOS dictation keyboards work

Every third-party dictation app on iPhone works as a custom keyboard that you enable in Settings and switch to with the globe key. The keyboard needs Allow Full Access to send audio for transcription and type results. This is an iOS platform rule, not an app choice.

Match offline support to your life

If you dictate on planes, in the subway, or anywhere cellular is weak, cloud-only apps (Wispr Flow, Aqua Voice) stop working. Spokenly transcribes on-device, and Superwhisper covers offline English.

Compare web and App Store prices before subscribing

Some apps charge more through Apple's in-app purchase than on their own site. Aqua Voice is $12.99/mo in-app versus $8/mo billed annually on the web. Check both before tapping subscribe.

If built-in dictation is misbehaving rather than missing features, the iPhone dictation not working guide walks through the fixes, and the voice to text on iPhone tutorial covers the built-in workflow step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dictation app for iPhone?

Spokenly is the best dictation app for iPhone in 2026. The custom keyboard dictates into any iOS app, the free tier is unlimited with local models or bring-your-own-key cloud transcription, it supports 100+ languages, and one Pro subscription covers iPhone, Mac, and Windows. Wispr Flow is the strongest premium alternative if you want built-in AI cleanup and accept cloud-only processing.

What is the best free dictation app for iPhone?

Spokenly has the most generous free tier: unlimited dictation with on-device models or your own API keys, with no weekly or lifetime word caps. Apple's built-in dictation is also free and unlimited but less accurate on names and technical terms. Wispr Flow's free tier caps at 1,000 words per week on iPhone, and Aqua Voice stops after 1,000 words total.

Is the iPhone's built-in dictation any good?

For short messages, yes. Apple Dictation processes speech on-device in many languages, works offline, and adds punctuation automatically. It falls behind third-party apps on proper nouns, technical vocabulary, accents, and longer dictations, and it has no custom vocabulary, history, or AI cleanup.

Which iPhone dictation apps work offline?

Spokenly transcribes on-device with local models, so it works in airplane mode. Apple's built-in dictation is on-device in many languages. Superwhisper offers an offline English model on iPhone. Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice are cloud-only and require a connection.

Why do dictation keyboards ask for Full Access?

iOS requires any custom keyboard that talks to a transcription engine, local or cloud, to have Allow Full Access enabled. Without it, the keyboard cannot process audio or insert transcribed text. Apple imposes this on every app in this list, so it is not a warning sign about any single one.

What is the best medical dictation app for iPhone?

For clinical note-taking on iPhone, prioritize custom vocabulary for drug names and on-device processing for patient privacy. Spokenly covers both with a custom dictionary and local transcription that keeps audio on the phone. Purpose-built clinical platforms add EHR integration and formal compliance paperwork at a much higher price; the medical dictation software guide covers those trade-offs.

Can I dictate into WhatsApp, Messages, and Mail with these apps?

Yes. Spokenly, Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, and Aqua Voice all install as custom keyboards, so they type into any app that shows a keyboard, including WhatsApp, Messages, Mail, Notes, and Safari. Apple Dictation is built into the system keyboard and works everywhere by default.

Ready to try Spokenly?

Free to use with local models. No account required.

Download for macOS

For Mac & iPhone

Free local models

Works offline