BetterWisprDictate into Mac apps with local speech recognition and saved transcription history.
Free and open source. Local models use your Mac; no account or API key needed. Optional cloud services may cost extra.
Voice & transcription
VoiceInk (source build)
Free optionOpen sourceLocal
Dictate into Mac apps using local speech recognition.
What you can use it for
Dictate into Mac apps using local speech recognition.
- Official build instructions describe creating the application with make local.
Workflow coverage and comparison notes
Offline system-wide speech-to-text voice dictation using local Whisper models instead of Dragon Professional software licenses.
Before you switch
Requires macOS 15+ and Apple Silicon hardware for local Whisper inference. Building from source or local model management required.
Alternatives to these paid apps
Each comparison covers the workflow described above, rather than every paid feature.
More for the same workflow
See alternatives →BetterWispr
whisper.cppTranscribe recorded audio into text on your own computer.
Free software. Your hardware + a downloaded model.
HandyDictate and paste text into other apps using local speech models.
Free open-source dictation · your computer and downloaded models.