# The best local dictation app for Mac, compared.

Canonical page: https://flit.fyi/alternatives

> Flit compared with Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, Willow Voice, Raycast, Aside, VoiceInk, Handy, Talkify, and 23 more. Prices from each product's own page, checked at the source.

Flit does one thing completely: you speak, finished text lands at your cursor, and nothing leaves your Mac. 34 comparisons below, each with the prices checked against that product’s own page and a straight answer about where it still has the edge.

Prefer one ranked answer? [The 19 best dictation apps for Mac](https://flit.fyi/best-dictation-app-for-mac), with a best-for label on every entry. Replacing [Wispr Flow](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/wispr-flow)? That is the page to start with: the same instant formatted dictation, without the cloud, the account, or the monthly bill.

## Every tool at a glance

| Tool                                                  | Price                                                                  | Where it runs                                       | Best for                                                                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Flit                                                  | ~~$49~~$19 once                                                        | Your Mac, always                                    | Daily dictation on a Mac, nothing uploaded                                                                          |
| [Wispr Flow](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/wispr-flow)                | Pro $12/user/mo annually, $15 monthly. Growth $18. Free tier is capped | Cloud                                               | you dictate on more than a Mac, need SSO and admin controls, or want a dictionary that follows you between devices  |
| [Superwhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/superwhisper)            | Pro $8.49/mo or $84.99/yr; $249.99 once. Limited free tier             | Your Mac, or cloud models                           | you record meetings, or dictate on Windows or a phone as well as a Mac                                              |
| [SpeakMac](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/speakmac)                    | $29 once (1 Mac), $39 (2 Macs)                                         | Your Mac                                            | you are on an Intel Mac or macOS 13, or you need meeting recordings                                                 |
| [Spokenly](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/spokenly)                    | Free, or $9.99/mo Pro                                                  | Local or cloud, your choice                         | you want free, or you write on more than a Mac                                                                      |
| [VoiceInk](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voiceink)                    | $25 (1 Mac), $39 (2), $49 (3)                                          | Your Mac                                            | auditable source matters most, and you do not need streaming or a codebase index                                    |
| [FluidVoice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/fluidvoice)                | Free, open source (GPLv3)                                              | Your Mac; optional cloud cleanup via OpenAI or Groq | free and open source is the deciding factor, you are on an Intel Mac, or you need multi-hour recordings transcribed |
| [Snaply](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/snaply)                        | Free for individuals                                                   | Your Mac                                            | you want meeting notes and writing help in one free app, or English plus European languages is all you need         |
| [Utter](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/utter)                          | Free, or $5/mo, $59.99/yr                                              | Local free, cloud on Pro                            | you want dictation on your iPhone too, or you also need link and meeting transcription                              |
| [Voibe](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voibe)                          | $7.50/mo, $59/yr, $149 lifetime                                        | On your Mac with M1 or newer, or cloud              | you also write on Windows, or you have an Intel Mac                                                                 |
| [Yaps](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/yaps)                            | $12/mo billed yearly, or $15/mo. Free tier is mobile only              | Your device                                         | you want voice notes, read-aloud and dictation in one subscription, or you dictate on Windows, Linux or a phone     |
| [Typeless](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/typeless)                    | Free 8,000 words/week, or $12/mo billed yearly                         | Their servers                                       | you write on more than a Mac, or you want team controls like SSO and audit logs                                     |
| [Aqua Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/aqua-voice)                | $8/mo Pro, $24/mo Max                                                  | Cloud                                               | you want it on iPhone too, or you want to try it free before deciding                                               |
| [Willow Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/willow-voice)            | Pro $15/user/mo, $12 annually. Business $35. Limited free tier         | Cloud, on US infrastructure                         | you need Windows or an iPhone, or your organization requires SOC 2, HIPAA, SSO and admin controls                   |
| [MacWhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/macwhisper)                | Free tier, about €59 once for Pro                                      | Your Mac                                            | your recordings need speaker labels, watch folders or transcript editing                                            |
| [Apple Dictation](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/apple-dictation)      | Free, built into macOS                                                 | Your Mac, for supported languages                   | you dictate occasionally and do not mind tidying the result                                                         |
| [Otter.ai](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/otter-ai)                    | Freemium subscription                                                  | Cloud                                               | you need a record of conversations with other people                                                                |
| [AudioPen](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/audiopen)                    | $99/year, or $33 for 3 months                                          | In AudioPen, to copy out                            | you want to capture spoken thoughts on any device and have them rewritten into polished prose                       |
| [Talon Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/talon)                    | Free, with paid supporter tiers                                        | Your Mac                                            | you need to control your computer without a keyboard, or you want to code by voice properly                         |
| [Whisper (do it yourself)](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/whisper-diy) | Free, plus your time                                                   | Your Mac                                            | you want total control, or the building is the point                                                                |
| [Voiskey](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voiskey)                      | Free to start. Premium $29.99/mo or $129.99/yr                         | Cloud, with Google and other AI partners            | you dictate on Windows, iPhone or Android as well as a Mac, and a cloud service is acceptable                       |
| [EmberType](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/embertype)                  | One-time purchase                                                      | Your Mac, or cloud engines with your API key        | you want the option to use a cloud engine with your own API key                                                     |
| [DictaFlow](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/dictaflow)                  | Free 2,000 words/mo. Pro $7/mo or $69/yr                               | Your device, on Pro                                 | you dictate on Windows, a phone, or inside Citrix and remote desktops                                               |
| [Aside](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/aside)                          | $8/mo with their AI, or $79 once with your own                         | Your Mac, for meetings and dictation                | your meetings need to become notes you own, or you want one app covering the call and the cursor                    |
| [Raycast](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/raycast)                      | Pro only: $10/mo, or $8/mo billed annually                             | Cloud, via their speech-to-text partner             | you already pay for Raycast Pro, dictate in bursts, and want one less app on the machine                            |
| [Talkify](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/talkify)                      | Free, MIT licensed                                                     | Your Mac, via Apple’s system speech engine          | you want free, open source and fastest on a macOS 26 Mac, and you speak one of its ten languages                    |
| [Handy](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/handy)                          | Free, MIT licensed, donations accepted                                 | Your machine, entirely offline                      | you want a free tool you can read, fork and keep, or you dictate on Windows or Linux as well                        |
| [Muesli](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/muesli)                        | Free, MIT licensed                                                     | Your Mac, with an optional hosted route             | you want one free, open-source app for meetings and dictation, an iPhone app, or your pick of model                 |
| [TypeWhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/typewhisper)              | Free under GPLv3; commercial from €5/mo or €99 once                    | Local-first, with providers you can add             | you want a free GPLv3 app, you dictate on Windows or iOS too, or you need commercial terms and an invoice           |
| [Verba](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/verba)                          | Free for raw dictation; Pro $9.99/mo, $84/yr, or $149 once             | Your Mac, or online if you choose                   | you want your voice to act across your apps, or you want free unlimited raw dictation                               |
| [stilltype](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/stilltype)                  | Not published: “pay once, no subscription”                             | Your Mac, on the neural engine                      | you want to follow a build in public and do not need dictation working this week                                    |
| [Monologue](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/monologue)                  | $15/mo, or $144/yr. Free trial is 1,000 words                          | Their service by default; local model optional      | you dictate on an iPhone or iPad as well, or you want meeting notes that sync and share                             |
| [Alter](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/alter)                          | Free with your own keys · Local+ $29/yr · Pro $240/yr · $720 lifetime  | Your Mac with local models, or the cloud            | you want one assistant running your Mac, you are on an Intel Mac or macOS 13, or you already run local models       |
| [Speechify](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/speechify)                  | Premium $29/mo or $139/yr. Free tier is limited                        | Cloud                                               | you want text read aloud, in any voice, on any device, or reading is the part that is slow for you                  |
| [Tyll](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/tyll)                            | $69 once, one active Mac, transferred by you                           | Your Mac                                            | you want dictation and meeting notes in one local, buy-once app, and you can wait for it to ship                    |

Prices come from each product's own pricing page and change over time. Confirm before you buy, and tell us if we have one wrong.

## Dictation apps, the direct comparison

Same job as Flit: you talk, text appears in the app you are using.

- [Flit vs Wispr Flow](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/wispr-flow): Flit keeps every word on your Mac, and you pay once.
- [Flit vs Superwhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/superwhisper): Flit types while you are still speaking, and you pay once.
- [Flit vs Willow Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/willow-voice): Flit never sends your words anywhere, so there is nothing to certify.
- [Flit vs Monologue](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/monologue): Flit formats on your Mac as well, so nothing is uploaded at any step.
- [Flit vs Raycast](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/raycast): Flit keeps your audio on your Mac, with no 20-minute limit on a dictation.
- [Flit vs Aside](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/aside): Flit dictates finished text in about 0.7 seconds, with no AI to set up.
- [Flit vs Alter](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/alter): Flit makes fast dictation the core product, ready the moment you install it.
- [Flit vs SpeakMac](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/speakmac): Flit speaks more than 1,600 languages and spells your project’s file names right.
- [Flit vs Spokenly](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/spokenly): Flit types as you speak and writes each app in its own tone.
- [Flit vs VoiceInk](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voiceink): Flit types as you speak and spells your code names right.
- [Flit vs Talkify](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/talkify): Flit writes finished text in more than 1,600 languages, from macOS 14 up.
- [Flit vs Handy](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/handy): Flit types as you speak and finishes the text for you.
- [Flit vs Muesli](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/muesli): Flit has no hosted route, and its formatting follows fixed rules.
- [Flit vs TypeWhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/typewhisper): Flit knows your project’s file names and writes each app in its own tone.
- [Flit vs FluidVoice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/fluidvoice): Flit has no cloud path at all, and every command is a fixed rule.
- [Flit vs Snaply](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/snaply): Flit covers more than 1,600 languages, with more than 60 commands resolved by rule.
- [Flit vs Utter](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/utter): Flit is local by design, not as a free tier, and paid for once.
- [Flit vs Voibe](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voibe): Flit needs no account and has no cloud setting to switch on.
- [Flit vs Verba](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/verba): Flit writes finished text and nothing else, with no account.
- [Flit vs Voiskey](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/voiskey): Flit needs no account and uploads nothing, and you pay once.
- [Flit vs EmberType](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/embertype): Flit types as you speak and has no cloud path at all.
- [Flit vs DictaFlow](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/dictaflow): Flit formats on your Mac too, so nothing is sent or counted.
- [Flit vs Yaps](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/yaps): Flit types as you speak, needs no account, and is paid for once.
- [Flit vs Typeless](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/typeless): Flit sends nothing and counts nothing, and works with no internet.
- [Flit vs Aqua Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/aqua-voice): Flit can read the thread too, on your Mac, and never uploads it.
- [Flit vs Tyll](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/tyll): Flit is on sale today, in more than 1,600 languages, for up to 2 Macs.
- [Flit vs stilltype](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/stilltype): Flit is on sale today, with the price on the page.

## Adjacent tools that solve a different problem

People compare these with Flit, but they answer a different question. Often the right answer is to own both.

- [Flit vs MacWhisper](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/macwhisper): Flit types at your cursor in any app, while you speak.
- [Flit vs Otter.ai](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/otter-ai): Flit turns your own words into text in any app, and records nothing.
- [Flit vs AudioPen](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/audiopen): Flit puts your words at your cursor, in the app you are already using.
- [Flit vs Speechify](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/speechify): Flit is for writing, not reading: your words typed, nothing uploaded.
- [Flit vs Talon Voice](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/talon): Flit writes finished prose from speech, with nothing to set up.
- [Flit vs Apple Dictation](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/apple-dictation): Flit writes finished text, not a transcript you have to tidy.
- [Flit vs Whisper (do it yourself)](https://flit.fyi/alternatives/whisper-diy): Flit is the finished product: streaming, formatting and insertion that works.

## Your voice was always faster.

7 days free, then $19 USD once. No account, no subscription, nothing uploaded.

[Download for Mac](https://flit.fyi/download) [Buy now · $19 USD](https://flit.fyi/pricing#personal)

macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon
