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2026 Guide

Free Spanish Speech to Text: 7 Best Apps for 2026

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States, with more than 40 million speakers, yet most dictation roundups only test English. This guide ranks the best Spanish speech to text apps for Mac, iPhone, and Windows, starting with Spokenly, which is free with local models or your own API keys.

Spokenly app icon, best Spanish speech to text pick for 2026
Best Overall4.9

Spokenly

Spokenly is the top pick for Spanish because it is free with modern cloud models or local Parakeet V3 and Whisper, transcribes Spanish offline when a local model is selected, and keeps Spanish and English together in one sentence. It runs across Mac, iPhone, and Windows. The tradeoff is that local Parakeet needs Apple Silicon and there is no Android app yet.

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The 7 Best Spanish Speech to Text Apps

Spokenly app icon: Best Overall for Spanish

1. Spokenly · Best Overall for Spanish

4.9
Price: Free with local models, Pro $9.99/moPlatforms: macOS, iOS, Windows

Best for: Spanish and bilingual users who want free, private dictation that also handles Spanglish code-switching

Pros

  • +Free with modern cloud models, or local Parakeet V3 and Whisper for offline Spanish
  • +Handles Spanish-English code-switching in one pass, not just one language at a time
  • +Custom word replacements for names, places, and regional terms
  • +Works system-wide on Mac, iPhone, and Windows
  • +Bring your own OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq key for free cloud transcription

Cons

  • -Local Parakeet needs Apple Silicon
  • -No Linux or Android app yet
Apple Dictation app icon: Best Free Built-In (Mac and iPhone)

2. Apple Dictation · Best Free Built-In (Mac and iPhone)

4.0
Price: Free, built-inPlatforms: macOS, iOS

Best for: Casual Spanish dictation in Messages and Notes without installing anything

Pros

  • +Free and built into every Mac and iPhone
  • +Supports Spanish for Spain, Mexico, the US, and more
  • +Runs on-device for short dictations on recent hardware

Cons

  • -Trails modern AI models on long dictation and technical Spanish terms
  • -Limited custom vocabulary
  • -Locks to one language at a time, so code-switching breaks down
Google Docs Voice Typing app icon: Best Free Browser Option

3. Google Docs Voice Typing · Best Free Browser Option

4.1
Price: FreePlatforms: Chrome (Google Docs)

Best for: Writing Spanish documents directly inside Google Docs

Pros

  • +Free with any Google account
  • +Supports many Spanish dialects
  • +No install, runs in the Chrome browser

Cons

  • -Only works inside Google Docs and Chrome
  • -No offline mode
  • -Cannot dictate system-wide in other apps
Wispr Flow app icon: Polished Cloud Pick for Spanglish

4. Wispr Flow · Polished Cloud Pick for Spanglish

4.6
Price: $15/mo or $144/yr, free tier 2,000 words/weekPlatforms: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Best for: Bilingual users who switch between Spanish and English mid-sentence

Pros

  • +100+ languages with code-switching
  • +Native apps on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android
  • +Auto-formats and trims filler words

Cons

  • -Cloud-only, no offline mode
  • -Recordings are processed on Wispr Flow servers
  • -No bring-your-own-key option
SuperWhisper app icon: Mac-Native Offline Pick

5. SuperWhisper · Mac-Native Offline Pick

4.7
Price: $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, lifetime availablePlatforms: macOS, Windows, iOS

Best for: Mac users who want local Whisper Spanish transcription that runs offline

Pros

  • +Runs Whisper and Parakeet locally for offline Spanish
  • +Lifetime license option for a one-time payment
  • +Per-app modes that apply the right model and formatting automatically

Cons

  • -BYOK requires the paid plan
  • -Setting up modes and local models takes some tuning
  • -Free tier excludes the larger local models
Aqua Voice app icon: Best for AI-Polished Prose

6. Aqua Voice · Best for AI-Polished Prose

4.4
Price: $12.99/mo or $119/yrPlatforms: macOS, Windows, iOS

Best for: Writers who want Spanish voice input cleaned into tidy prose

Pros

  • +Supports 49 languages including Spanish
  • +Aggressive AI rewriting reorganizes spoken thoughts
  • +Cross-platform across Mac, Windows, and iOS

Cons

  • -Cloud-only, no offline mode
  • -AI rewriting can change the meaning
  • -No bring-your-own-key option
Windows Voice Typing app icon: Best Free Built-In for Windows

7. Windows Voice Typing · Best Free Built-In for Windows

3.8
Price: Free, built-inPlatforms: Windows 10, 11

Best for: Windows users who want quick Spanish voice typing without installing apps

Pros

  • +Free and built into Windows 10 and 11
  • +Supports Spanish
  • +Win plus H shortcut works in most text fields

Cons

  • -Accuracy lags behind today's neural models
  • -Cloud-based voice typing in recent builds
  • -Limited customization for names and terms

Quick Comparison Table

AppPricePlatformsOfflineCode-switching
#1 SpokenlyFree with local models, Pro $9.99/momacOS, iOS, WindowsYesYes
#2 Apple DictationFree, built-inmacOS, iOSYesLimited
#3 Google Docs Voice TypingFreeChrome (Google Docs)NoLimited
#4 Wispr Flow$15/mo or $144/yr, free tier 2,000 words/weekmacOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidNoYes
#5 SuperWhisper$8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, lifetime availablemacOS, Windows, iOSYesYes
#6 Aqua Voice$12.99/mo or $119/yrmacOS, Windows, iOSNoLimited
#7 Windows Voice TypingFree, built-inWindows 10, 11NoLimited

Apple Dictation runs on-device for short Spanish dictations but switches to one language at a time, so code-switching is marked Limited.

How to Dictate in Spanish on Mac

Spokenly adds free, system-wide Spanish dictation to any Mac app. For the built-in route, see the Mac dictation guide.

  1. 1Download Spokenly and open Settings. Spokenly is free with local models, so no account or card is needed to start.
  2. 2Choose a multilingual model: local Parakeet V3 or Whisper Large V3 both transcribe Spanish offline on Apple Silicon. On Intel Macs, use Whisper or a BYOK cloud model.
  3. 3Set the transcription language to Spanish, or leave auto-detect on if you mix Spanish and English.
  4. 4Pick a dictation shortcut such as Right Option. Press it and start speaking; the Spanish text appears in any Mac app, from Notes to the browser.
  5. 5Add frequent names, places, and regional terms to Word Replacements so Spokenly spells them consistently.

How to Dictate in Spanish on iPhone

The Spokenly keyboard brings Spanish dictation to every iOS app. More detail lives in the iPhone dictation guide.

  1. 1Install Spokenly from the App Store and open it once to sign in with the account you use on your Mac.
  2. 2Enable the Spokenly keyboard in iOS Settings and turn on Allow Full Access so dictation works in every app.
  3. 3Switch to the Spokenly keyboard, tap the microphone, and speak in Spanish. The text appears wherever you are typing, from Messages and Mail to WhatsApp.
  4. 4For short notes, the built-in Apple keyboard microphone also handles Spanish once a Spanish keyboard is added in Settings.

Spanish Dialects and Code-Switching

Spanish is not one language in practice. Castilian Spanish from Spain, Mexican Spanish, Caribbean Spanish from Puerto Rico and Cuba, and US Spanish all differ in vocabulary, rhythm, and accent. Modern multilingual models, including OpenAI Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet V3, were trained on a broad mix of these dialects, so they transcribe most of them well without manual switching.

Code-switching, sometimes called Spanglish, is the harder test. Bilingual speakers often say a phrase like "te mando el link después del meeting" in one breath. Single-language engines lock onto Spanish or English and garble the words in the other language. Spokenly, SuperWhisper, and Wispr Flow keep both languages intact in one sentence, which is why they lead on code-switching, even though the free built-in tools rank well overall for casual use.

How These Apps Were Compared

Each app was weighed on Spanish dictation quality, published product details, pricing, platform support, and privacy across five criteria.

Spanish accuracy and dialects

Each app was rated on how well it transcribed Spanish from Spain, Latin America, and the US, including numbers, accented words, and proper nouns. Apps built on modern multilingual models scored highest.

Spanglish code-switching

Many bilingual users mix Spanish and English in one sentence. Apps that transcribe mixed speech without collapsing it to one language scored higher.

Privacy and offline mode

Local-first apps where Spanish audio never leaves the device ranked higher than cloud-only services. Local Only Mode availability was scored as a privacy plus.

Price and BYOK

Free tiers, built-in tools, and bring-your-own-key options were weighted above cloud-only subscriptions, since good dictation should not require a recurring bill.

Platform coverage

Coverage across Mac, iPhone, and Windows was weighted, because many people dictate on a phone and edit on a laptop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best app for Spanish speech to text?

Spokenly is the best Spanish speech to text app overall in 2026. It is free with local models or your own API keys, uses modern cloud models for top accuracy, transcribes Spanish offline when a local model is selected, and keeps Spanish and English together in one sentence. Apple Dictation and Google Docs Voice Typing are solid free built-in options for casual use.

Does Apple Dictation support Spanish?

Yes. Apple Dictation supports Spanish for several regions, including Spain, Mexico, and the US, on both Mac and iPhone. It is free and built in, but it picks one language at a time, so it is weaker for Spanglish and for long or technical dictation than modern AI models.

Is there free Spanish speech to text?

Yes. Spokenly is free for unlimited Spanish dictation with local Parakeet and Whisper models. Apple Dictation, Google Docs Voice Typing, and Windows Voice Typing are also free built-in tools. Spokenly adds offline privacy, custom vocabulary, and code-switching that the built-in tools lack.

Can Whisper transcribe Spanish accurately?

Yes. OpenAI Whisper supports 99 languages, and Spanish is one of its strongest. Spokenly runs Whisper Large V3 and NVIDIA Parakeet V3 locally, both of which handle Spanish dialects well. Accuracy improves further with custom word replacements for names and specialty terms.

How do I dictate in Spanish on iPhone?

Install Spokenly, enable its keyboard with Allow Full Access, then tap the microphone and speak Spanish in any app. The built-in Apple keyboard microphone also works once a Spanish keyboard is added in iOS Settings, though it is more limited for longer text.

Does Spanish speech to text work with Spanglish or code-switching?

Modern multilingual models handle code-switching far better than single-language engines. Spokenly, SuperWhisper, and Wispr Flow can transcribe sentences that mix Spanish and English without forcing one language, which built-in tools like Apple Dictation cannot do reliably.

Ready to try Spokenly?

Free to use with local models. No account required.

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For Mac & iPhone
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Works offline

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Spokenly publishes this guide and updates it as these apps change. Pricing reflects publicly available information at the time of writing.