Free and paid dictation apps for Mac compared
Updated
Apple Dictation, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, Aqua Voice and Scribe offer ways to turn speech into text on a Mac. Their free options, processing choices and platform support differ; the comparison below uses each vendor’s own pages as of October 2026.
Try the same passage in any apps you are considering and include correction time in your comparison. Prices and plan terms can change, so check the linked pages before purchasing. The sections describe features and differences without ranking the apps.
What does Apple Dictation include?
Dictation is built into macOS. Apple’s help page describes enabling it under System Settings › Keyboard. To finish, press Escape, the Microphone key or the Dictation shortcut. It also stops after 30 seconds without speech.
Apple says to check the text beneath Dictation in Keyboard settings to see whether general text dictation is processed on the device without being sent to Siri servers. Its wording excludes search-box dictation from that example. Sharing audio recordings with Apple is a separate choice. Availability varies by language and region. The current help page covers macOS 27, so wording may differ on macOS 26.
This is an option if you want to enter text by voice without installing another app.
What is free in Superwhisper?
Superwhisper’s plans page lists unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, custom vocabulary, text replacements and up to two modes without AI processing on Free. New users receive 3,000 words of access to Pro features.
Pro is listed at $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. These are Pro billing options with the same features; they are not the terms of the Free plan. Pro adds cloud models, file transcription and AI processing, among other features.
The plans page lists Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Its offline transcription page describes downloaded models running locally and a choice of model sizes. Superwhisper offers more model choices and platforms than Scribe, including Windows and Android. Cloud processing is an option on Pro; local transcription does not mean every Pro workflow is offline.
What does MacWhisper offer?
MacWhisper’s site lists a free version at €0 and Pro at €64 per licence, paid once with lifetime updates. It describes file transcription, dictation and recording online meetings.
Local models can process files on the Mac. The site also describes connecting to AI providers using your own API keys, alongside local integrations with Ollama and LM Studio. Choose the processing path deliberately rather than assuming all features use local models.
MacWhisper’s feature list includes video transcription, subtitle export and batch processing. Check its Free/Pro comparison for which edition includes the tools you need. Scribe also transcribes audio files, with a smaller documented set of model options. MacWhisper’s broader provider integrations may matter if you already use another model service.
What does Aqua Voice offer?
Aqua Voice’s site lists macOS, Windows, iPhone and Android. Its Free offer includes 1,000 words. Pro includes unlimited words and a personal dictionary; Business lists team billing, single sign-on and shared dictionaries. These team features and Windows and Android support go beyond Scribe’s documented features.
The site says Privacy Mode prevents storage on Aqua’s servers. That is a statement about storage, not evidence that transcription works offline. The linked page does not establish an offline processing path, so this comparison makes no offline claim for Aqua. Exact paid prices are omitted here because they could not be verified from the pricing page during review.
What does Scribe offer on Mac?
Scribe needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon. There is no account or subscription. Speech recognition and rewriting run on the Mac, and audio and text are not uploaded. The privacy documentation describes storage and network use, including optional update checks on Mac.
Scribe includes dictation at the cursor, hands-free mode, spoken snippets, Dictionary replacements and editing selected text by voice. Refine rewrites dictation in a chosen tone, with per-app tone rules on Mac. Dictate on Mac explains the controls and what happens when a rewrite fails.
Scribe uses Apple’s on-device speech, with optional Parakeet recognition for languages Apple does not handle on-device. Apple Intelligence is the default Refine engine; Gemma 4 is an optional download. Optional models lists their sizes and roles. Scribe is also free on iPhone. Other apps in this comparison already list more platforms and a wider choice of model services.
Try it
Download Scribe for Mac and dictate the same paragraph you tested elsewhere. Read Privacy and permissions for processing and storage, and Optional models for the downloads available.