Spokenly's local models are free with no word cap, so most people looking for a Spokenly alternative want something specific that it does not offer. If you want open source, try Handy, FluidVoice or VoiceInk. If you want cloud models and AI cleanup without a yearly subscription, Superwhisper sells a lifetime licence. If you want a managed cloud service with an Android app, look at Wispr Flow. SuprFlow is a pay-once Mac app with local speech, but it is hard to justify over a free tool that already works for you.
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.
We have not run a controlled benchmark of Spokenly or the alternatives.
Why do people look for an alternative to Spokenly?
Start with the case for staying, because it is strong. Spokenly's pricing page says local Whisper and Parakeet models are "free forever" with unlimited use, and that connecting your own API keys is also free: "Spokenly charges nothing on top." It lists macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Its Local Only Mode is documented as a block on network requests, with exceptions for model downloads and localhost. If you use the local models and are content, you can stop reading.
The documented reasons to look elsewhere are narrower.
- It is not open source. Spokenly's own open-source page says the app "is not open source and is not available on GitHub". If you want to read or build the code, you need a different app.
- Managed cloud features are a subscription. Pro is listed at $99.99 a year, shown as $8.33 a month. The pricing page says "Pro only adds the cloud": managed cloud transcription models, hosted AI text cleanup and sync across devices. No one-time price for Pro is listed.
- The free cloud route means managing keys. With your own API keys, "You pay the provider directly at their usage rates", so you hold accounts with those providers.
- No Android app is listed.
Which Spokenly alternatives are worth trying?
Prices as of 1 October 2026, from each project's or vendor's own page.
| Alternative | Where speech is processed | Price model | Platforms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handy | On your computer | Free, MIT licence (repository) | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source on three desktop systems |
| FluidVoice | On the Mac | Free, GPLv3 (download) | macOS 15 or newer | Open source with several local models |
| VoiceInk | On the Mac; optional Cloud Enhancement sends text, not voice | $25 once for one Mac; source free to build (site) | Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 14.4 or later | Open source with a paid, supported build |
| Superwhisper | On the device or in the cloud, chosen per mode | Free plan; Pro $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once (plans) | macOS 14 or later, Windows, iOS, Android | Cloud models and AI modes without a subscription |
| Wispr Flow | In Wispr's cloud | Free with 2,000 words a week on desktop; Pro $15 a month, or $12 billed annually (pricing) | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | A managed service with no keys or models |
| SuprFlow | On the Mac, with a downloaded model | $125 once for up to five Macs you own (terms) | Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 14 or later | A supported Mac app, bought once |
Handy, FluidVoice and VoiceInk: if you want to read the code
Handy describes itself as "a free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline". It is MIT licensed and covers the same desktop systems as Spokenly, though not iOS. It is a simple transcription tool by design. SuprFlow vs Handy
FluidVoice is GPLv3 and Mac focused, with a choice of local speech models and an optional AI enhancement step. Its README says one component, Fluid Intelligence, is maintained privately and is not part of the open code. SuprFlow vs FluidVoice
VoiceInk publishes its source under GPL v3 and also sells a compiled app for $25, which the README says adds automatic updates and priority support. That suits someone who wants open code and a normal installer.
Open source lets you inspect an app. It does not by itself prove that a given build or optional feature keeps everything local. Open-source Wispr Flow alternatives lists more projects with licences and release dates.
Superwhisper: if you want the cloud features but not a yearly bill
Spokenly Pro is yearly. Superwhisper's plans page offers the same Pro features on a monthly plan, an annual plan or a $249.99 Lifetime licence, and says Pro adds its cloud models, which Superwhisper's introduction says come "with no usage limits or extra costs". It also lists Android. At list price, Lifetime equals about two and a half years of Spokenly Pro, so it pays off only if you stay that long. Superwhisper's free plan covers local Whisper dictation, much as Spokenly's does. Superwhisper alternatives for Mac
Wispr Flow: if you would rather not manage anything
Wispr Flow has no local models, API keys or model list. Its help centre says cleanup of filler words, punctuation and self-corrections is part of the service, including on the free plan up to its weekly limit. In exchange, every dictation goes to Wispr's cloud and needs an internet connection, and at $144 a year on annual billing Pro costs more per year than Spokenly Pro. SuprFlow vs Wispr Flow
SuprFlow: an honest look
SuprFlow is a Mac menu-bar app: hold Fn, speak, release, and text is pasted at the cursor. Speech is recognised on the Mac after a one-time model download. Default formatting is local cleanup of punctuation, capitalization and numbers. It includes a personal dictionary, voice snippets and a local history, and costs $125 once for up to five Macs you personally own, with a 7-day refund on a first purchase.
Against Spokenly, most of the comparison goes Spokenly's way. Spokenly's local models are free; SuprFlow has no free tier or trial. Spokenly runs on Windows, Linux and iPhone; SuprFlow is Mac only and needs Apple Silicon. Spokenly documents a Local Only Mode; SuprFlow has no equivalent switch, and its licence checks, updates and usage telemetry use the network. Neither app is open source. SuprFlow suits someone who wants a single paid Mac app with few settings to manage, and who has tried Spokenly and found it was not for them. SuprFlow vs Spokenly goes further.
How do you test an alternative in 15 minutes?
- In Spokenly, note which local model is selected.
- In the app you write in most, dictate this made-up passage: "Hi Ottilie, we shipped 1,480 units, not 1,840. The balance of 9,600 dollars is due on the 17th. Sorry, the 18th. Copy Dr. Rasmussen."
- Count fixes to both names, the three numbers and the corrected date.
- Install one alternative, wait for any model download, and dictate the same passage in the same app.
- Turn Wi-Fi off and repeat in both.
- Add two of your own terms to each app's vocabulary and try them in a sentence.
If Spokenly needed no more fixes than the alternative, keep Spokenly.
Questions people ask
Is Spokenly open source?
No. Spokenly's own site says the app is not open source and is not on GitHub. Handy, FluidVoice and VoiceInk publish their source.
Is there a one-time-purchase alternative to Spokenly Pro?
Superwhisper Lifetime at $249.99 is the closest, because it includes cloud models. VoiceInk at $25 and SuprFlow at $125 are one-time purchases built around local speech.
What is a free alternative to Spokenly?
Handy and FluidVoice are free and open source. Apple Dictation is built into macOS. Spokenly's local models are themselves free, so check what you would gain.
Does SuprFlow have a Local Only Mode like Spokenly?
No. SuprFlow recognises speech on the Mac, but it has no whole-app network block. Where does my dictation go? lists what uses the network.
Related guides
- SuprFlow vs Spokenly
- Open-source Wispr Flow alternatives
- Does open-source dictation prove privacy?
- VoiceInk alternatives
- Mac dictation apps you can buy once
- Free vs paid Mac dictation
Sources
- Spokenly — Pricing
- Spokenly Docs — Local Only Mode
- Spokenly — Open source statement
- Handy — GitHub repository
- FluidVoice — GitHub repository
- FluidVoice — Download
- VoiceInk — GitHub repository
- VoiceInk — official site
- Superwhisper Docs — Plans and Pricing
- Wispr Flow — Pricing
- Wispr Flow Help Center — What is Wispr Flow?
- Wispr Flow Help Center — What to expect from Flow: accuracy and known limitations
- SuprFlow — Terms of Service
- SuprFlow — Requirements