The best free dictation app for Mac to try first is the one you already have: Apple Dictation. If you want push-to-talk dictation with a speech model running on your Mac and no word limit, Handy, FluidVoice and Spokenly's local models are all free as of 1 October 2026. Wispr Flow itself also has a free plan, limited to 2,000 words a week on desktop. None of these needs a subscription, and each gives up something Wispr Flow has.
Publisher note: SuprFlow publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Competitor details come from each company's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change; confirm before you buy.
SuprFlow is not free. It costs $125 once and has no free tier or trial, so it is not in the table. It appears only in a short note near the end.
Which free Mac dictation apps can replace Wispr Flow?
Prices and licences as of 1 October 2026, taken from each product's own page (linked in the first column).
| App | Price | Licence | Where speech is recognised | Mac requirement | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Dictation | Included with macOS | Apple, proprietary | On device or on Apple's servers, depending on your Mac and language. Keyboard settings tell you which. | Built into macOS | Whether speech stays on the device depends on your configuration, so check before dictating anything private. |
| Handy | Free | Open source, MIT | On your computer, with Whisper or Parakeet V3 models | macOS, also Windows and Linux | Simple transcription by design. |
| FluidVoice | Free, no account | Open source, GPLv3 | On your Mac (Parakeet and other models; Whisper on Intel) | macOS 15 or newer | Optional AI enhancement can call cloud providers if you enable it. |
| Spokenly | Local models "$0 forever", no account | Proprietary | On your Mac with local Whisper and Parakeet models | macOS, also Windows, Linux and iOS | Cloud models and hosted AI need Pro ($99.99 a year) or your own API keys. |
| Hold to Talk | Free | Open source, Apache 2.0 | On your Mac with a Parakeet model; optional cloud with your own key | macOS 15 or later, Apple Silicon | Mac only, and needs a recent macOS. |
| Dictly | Free | Open source, MIT | On your Mac with Whisper | macOS 15 or later, Apple Silicon | Minimal feature set. |
| VocaMac | Free | Open source, AGPL-3.0 | On your Mac; an optional Custom Endpoint uploads audio only if you select it | macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon | Several engines and settings to choose from. |
| OpenWhispr | Free plan; Pro $80 per user a year | Open source, MIT | Local models free and unlimited; cloud transcription on paid plans or your own keys | macOS, also Windows and Linux | A larger suite with notes and meeting features. |
| Wispr Flow Free | $0 | Proprietary | In Wispr's cloud | macOS 12 or later | 2,000 words a week on desktop; needs internet. |
Every row except Wispr Flow Free, and Apple Dictation on some configurations, can recognise speech on your own machine. With no server cost per dictation, these apps have no need for a word cap.
What do you give up by leaving Wispr Flow for a free app?
It is fair to Wispr to say this clearly. According to Wispr's own pages, Flow includes cleanup of filler words and self-corrections, formatting that adapts to the app you are in, apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android on one account, a meeting Notetaker, and team features. Most free apps here do one job: turn speech into text at your cursor. Some add optional AI cleanup, usually by connecting your own API key or a local model.
You also take on a little setup. A local app has to download a speech model, often several hundred megabytes, and the quality depends on which model you choose and how capable your Mac is. We have not run a controlled benchmark across these apps, so we will not tell you one is more accurate than another.
Apple Dictation: start here
Apple Dictation costs nothing and needs no install. Apple's guide for macOS 27 gives these steps:
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
- Go to Dictation and turn it on.
- Read the text below Dictation. Apple says this is where you check whether general dictation is "processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers".
- Start dictating with the Microphone key if your keyboard has one, with the Dictation keyboard shortcut, or with Edit → Start Dictation.
Apple says you can dictate text of any length without a timeout, that Dictation stops after 30 seconds of silence, and that commas, periods and question marks are inserted automatically in supported languages. If your macOS version looks different, search System Settings for "Dictation". SuprFlow vs Apple Dictation covers where the built-in tool is enough.
Handy, FluidVoice and Spokenly: free push-to-talk with local models
Handy describes itself as "a free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline". You press a shortcut, speak, and the text appears in the field you are in. It also runs on Windows and Linux. SuprFlow vs Handy has more.
FluidVoice is free under GPLv3 and its download page says no account is needed. It supports several local speech models and an optional AI enhancement step. Its README notes that one component, Fluid Intelligence, is maintained privately and is not part of the open-source code. SuprFlow vs FluidVoice has more.
Spokenly is free in a different way. The app is proprietary, and Spokenly's own open-source page says it "is not open source and is not available on GitHub". But its pricing page says on-device Whisper and Parakeet models are "free forever with no word caps, no trial clock, and no credit card". SuprFlow vs Spokenly has more.
Is VoiceInk free?
Partly. VoiceInk's source code is published under GPL v3 and the README says you can build it yourself. The ready-made app on tryvoiceink.com has a free trial and then costs $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three. The README says the paid build adds automatic updates and priority support.
How do you choose between them?
Answer three questions.
- Does Apple Dictation already do the job? Dictate a real paragraph. If you would send the result with one or two fixes, stop here.
- Do you want to read or build the source? Then choose Handy, FluidVoice, Hold to Talk, Dictly, VocaMac or OpenWhispr. Licences and release dates are in Open-source Wispr Flow alternatives.
- Do you need Windows, Linux or iPhone too? Handy and OpenWhispr cover Windows and Linux. Spokenly lists Windows, Linux and iOS. Wispr Flow Free covers Windows, iPhone and Android.
Then test your two finalists with the same made-up passage: "Hi Morgan, the invoice is 3,450 dollars, due on the 21st, not the 12th. Please copy Dr. Okafor." Check the name, both dates and the amount, and count your corrections.
If you came from a Reddit thread
Forum recommendations go out of date quickly. For any app someone names, check three things on the developer's own pages before installing: the current price, the licence file in the repository, and the date of the latest release. The table above was checked that way.
If you end up paying
Free tools cover most people. Paying makes sense when a paid app saves you corrections or setup time that matter to you. Three routes, each a different kind of purchase:
- Wispr Flow Pro, $15 a month or $144 a year, if you want Wispr's cloud features without the word limit. See Wispr Flow pricing.
- VoiceInk, $25 once for one Mac, if you want the packaged build of an open-source app.
- SuprFlow, $125 once for up to five of your own Macs, with speech recognition on the Mac, a personal dictionary and voice snippets. It needs Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. There is no free tier or free trial; there is a 7-day refund on a first purchase.
Free vs paid Mac dictation explains what a paid package should earn before you buy one.
Questions people ask
What is the best free dictation app for Mac?
There is no single winner without testing your own voice and apps. Start with Apple Dictation because it is built in. If you want hold-to-talk with a local model, try Handy or FluidVoice next.
Is there a free Wispr Flow alternative with no word limit?
Yes. Handy, FluidVoice, Hold to Talk, Dictly, VocaMac and Spokenly's local models do not have a weekly word allowance, because recognition runs on your Mac.
Is SuprFlow free?
No. SuprFlow is a $125 one-time purchase with no free tier and no free trial.
Are free dictation apps safe to use?
Free does not mean unsafe, and open source does not automatically mean private. Check what the app sends over the network, especially any optional cloud feature. Does open-source dictation prove privacy? has a checklist.
Related guides
- Is Wispr Flow free?
- Open-source Wispr Flow alternatives for Mac
- Wispr Flow alternatives for Mac
- Free vs paid Mac dictation
- SuprFlow vs Apple Dictation
- Offline voice to text on Mac
Sources
- Apple — Dictate messages and documents on Mac
- Handy — GitHub repository
- FluidVoice — Download
- FluidVoice — GitHub repository
- Spokenly — Pricing
- Spokenly — Open source statement
- Hold to Talk — GitHub repository
- Dictly — GitHub repository
- VocaMac — GitHub repository
- OpenWhispr — Pricing
- OpenWhispr — GitHub repository
- VoiceInk — GitHub repository
- VoiceInk — official site
- Wispr Flow — Pricing
- Wispr Flow Help Center — Supported devices and system requirements