Comparison
GPLv3 and free, with a commercial licence
The short answer
TypeWhisper is the unusual one: a local-first dictation app that is genuinely free under GPLv3, ships on macOS, Windows and iOS, needs no account, and sells a commercial licence on top for teams that need non-GPL terms, procurement paperwork and support. That licence starts at €5 a month for three devices or €99 once, and it is pay-what-you-want above the listed price. Flit is $49 once, Mac only, and closed: what it buys you is the layer above the transcript, with formatting fixed by rules, per-app tone, a local project index, and no provider to configure. If you want free and cross-platform with a commercial option behind it, TypeWhisper is a strong answer. If you want the Mac version of dictation done as deeply as possible, Flit.
 Flit
| TypeWhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Where transcription happens | Your Mac, always | Local-first, with providers you can add |
| Price | $49 once, up to 2 Macs | Free under GPLv3; commercial from €5/mo or €99 once |
| Source available | No | Yes, GPLv3 |
| Platforms | macOS only | macOS, Windows, iOS |
| Account required | No | No |
| Devices per licence | Up to 2 Macs | Free: unlimited. Commercial: 3, 10 or unlimited |
| Text appears as you speak | Yes | Not stated |
| Transcribes audio files | No | Yes |
| Knows your codebase | Indexes it locally | No |
| Exact times and commands | Fixed rules | Not stated |
Compared against TypeWhisper’s own published information. “Not stated” means they do not publish that detail. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.
In fairness
Listed because they are true. TypeWhisper is local-first and its source is public, so the trust question is settled on its own terms. What is left is how much of the work happens before the text reaches your cursor, and whether you need Windows.
TypeWhisper splits along an axis most of this list does not: the software is free, and what you pay for is the relationship. The commercial licence adds two features, Cloud Folder Sync and Automatic Correction Learning, but its real content is legal and organizational: terms that are not GPLv3, an invoice your procurement team can process, and support with a name attached. For a company that cannot ship GPL code or cannot buy software without a contract, that is exactly the right product. For an individual, the free version is the product and it costs nothing.
TypeWhisper ships stable on three platforms, which is three times the reach and also three times the surface. Flit makes the opposite bet: every decision is a macOS decision, from models built for Apple silicon to the accessibility layer that gets text into Chrome and Electron apps, to the notch HUD. That is a genuine limitation if you also write on Windows, and the reason to pick TypeWhisper. It is also why Flit can be specific about behavior that a cross-platform app has to keep general.
Choose Flit if
you are on a Mac and want formatting that cannot drift, project awareness, and one price.
Download for Mac7 days free · $19 once, up to 2 Macs · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon
Choose TypeWhisper if
you want a free GPLv3 app, you dictate on Windows or iOS too, or you need commercial terms and an invoice.
Yes. The core app is GPLv3 and free to install and run, including for internal business use, on macOS, Windows and iOS. The commercial licence starts at €5 a month for up to 3 devices, or €99 once, and adds sync, correction learning, non-GPL terms and support. Flit is $49 once for up to 2 Macs.
It describes itself as local-first with local engines, and it lets you add providers of your own if you want them. Flit is local with no provider option at all.
Yes, and on iOS. Flit is macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon only.
TypeWhisper, because its core is free. The comparison only becomes a price question if you need the commercial licence, at which point €99 once for three devices is roughly twice $49 once for two.
Pricing
$19
was $49
once
One payment. No subscription, no account.
The price goes up when they are gone.
$59
was $99
once
Buy it once and never think about it again.
The price goes up when they are gone.
No card for the trial. macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon. 30-day refund, no questions.
$195
$39 per Mac, once. One key for everyone.
$34 per Mac from 10.
More than 100? Let us talk.
macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon
Questions? The pricing page answers the usual ones.
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