
1. Spokenly
Free local dictation on desktop and iPhone
Price: Free with no word cap on local models; Local+ $29 one-time; Pro $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone
On-device transcription: Yes: Parakeet and Whisper
Code: Closed source
An optional free model removes filler words and fixes punctuation on the computer, best in English. Cloud models work with your own OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq key. Local+ adds settings sync and priority support; Pro adds managed cloud transcription and hosted AI.
Downside: No Android app, and sync needs Local+ or Pro.

2. Superwhisper
Lifetime license option
Price: Free with no word cap on local Whisper; Pro $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, or $249.99 lifetime
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
On-device transcription: Yes: Whisper free; Parakeet and Cohere Transcribe with Pro
Code: Closed source
One Pro license works on every platform.
Downside: AI cleanup, cloud models, your own API keys, and file transcription need Pro.

3. Handy
Free and open source, local only
Price: Free with no word cap
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux
On-device transcription: Yes: Whisper, Parakeet, Moonshine, and others
Code: Open source (MIT)
Handy offers push-to-talk dictation that keeps audio on the computer. Optional AI cleanup works with your own API key.
Downside: No phone app, and limited Wayland support on Linux.

4. VoiceInk
One-time purchase for Apple Silicon Macs
Price: $25 one-time for 1 Mac ($39 for 2, $49 for 3) after a 7-day trial; free to build from source
Platforms: Mac (Apple Silicon); iPhone and iPad (beta)
On-device transcription: Yes: Whisper, Parakeet, Cohere Transcribe, and others
Code: Open source (GPLv3)
VoiceInk pairs dictation with a queue for transcribing audio files, and optional cloud models work with your own API keys.
Downside: No Intel Mac or Windows version.

5. OpenWhispr
Open source with an optional cloud plan
Price: Free; Pro $8/mo or $80/yr
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux; iPhone on paid plans
On-device transcription: Yes: Whisper, Parakeet, Cohere Transcribe
Code: Open source (MIT)
The free plan includes unlimited local dictation, unlimited cloud dictation with your own keys, and 2,000 words a week on OpenWhispr Cloud. The app also creates meeting notes.
Downside: Sync, the iPhone app, agent mode, and MCP need Pro.

6. Typeless
Dictation on five platforms
Price: Free with a weekly word limit; Pro $12/mo billed yearly or $30 monthly
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
On-device transcription: No, cloud only
Code: Closed source
Typeless removes filler words, adjusts tone, and translates while you dictate.
Downside: Typeless does not publish its free weekly limit.

7. Aqua Voice
Cloud dictation on desktop and phones
Price: First 1,000 words free; Pro $8/mo billed yearly or $10 monthly
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
On-device transcription: No, cloud by default
Code: Closed source
Aqua Voice uses its own Avalon speech model and supports 49 languages.
Downside: No Linux app.

8. Willow Voice
Free plan without a word cap
Price: Free on the Frontier Mini model; Pro $12/mo billed yearly or $15 monthly
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone
On-device transcription: Yes, in an offline mode
Code: Closed source
The free Basic plan uses the smaller Frontier Mini model and includes 20 uses a week of the Scribe writing assistant.
Downside: No Android app, and the larger model needs Pro.

9. FreeFlow
Free open source Mac app with your own key
Price: Free; your speech provider may charge for usage
Platforms: Mac (macOS 13 or later)
On-device transcription: Partly: through local OpenAI-compatible servers
Code: Open source (MIT)
Hold the Fn key to dictate. By default, the app sends audio to Groq with your own Groq API key, and Groq transcribes and cleans up the text.
Downside: Audio goes to the provider unless you run a local server.