Speech to Text Mac App: 9 Dictation Apps Compared

#Start with the one already on your Mac

Apple Dictation is switched on in Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard: turn on Dictation, then click Enable. Start it by pressing the Microphone key, with the Dictation keyboard shortcut (you can pick one, such as pressing Fn twice) or with Edit > Start Dictation, and it types "anywhere you can type". It stops after 30 seconds without speech, and on Apple silicon you can keep typing while it listens.

Apple's guide does not promise that everything stays on the Mac. It points you to the Keyboard settings to check whether your voice input is "processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers", and sharing audio with Apple to improve Siri and Dictation is opt-in. Language support varies by region. If Dictation already does the job, nothing below is needed; if it fails, the fixes are in Mac dictation not working.

#Nine dictation apps side by side

Prices in USD (MacWhisper in euros) as each vendor lists them, read 21 October 2026. NotchBay is this site's own app and is listed last; the nine before it are the comparison.

#Where your audio goes

This is the column that separates the products. Wispr Flow is explicit: "Transcription always occurs on the cloud." Its audio "is deleted as soon as it's transcribed" unless you turn on cloud storage, and a setting decides whether audio, transcripts and edits may be used for training. Aqua Voice says it processes audio in the cloud with "no offline mode", and its Privacy Mode stores nothing on its servers. Willow keeps Privacy Mode on by default and says no audio is stored after transcription.

On the other side, VoiceInk "processes all voice transcription locally on your device" unless you add a cloud provider with your own API key. MacWhisper uses local models to transcribe and lets you switch to cloud ones. Spokenly uses cloud models by default but offers free on-device Whisper and Parakeet models, with a Local Only Mode that restricts network access. Superwhisper's offline models run on the neural engine on M-series Macs, and cloud models are a choice.

Otter is cloud-based, and its privacy policy says it trains its AI on de-identified audio recordings and transcriptions. The longer explanation of what on-device means on current macOS is in on-device dictation on the Mac.

#Dictation apps and transcription apps are different tools

A dictation app types where your cursor is, in any app. A transcription app turns a recording, a file or a meeting into text. Otter is the second kind: a meeting notetaker that joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, with no dictation into other apps. MacWhisper started as the second kind, built around dragging in a file, and added system-wide dictation. Superwhisper puts file transcription in its Pro plan. If the job is minutes from calls, compare notetakers; if the job is writing by voice, compare the dictation rows.

#Picking one, in order

Try Apple Dictation first. It costs nothing and covers short messages and notes.

If audio must stay on the Mac, choose a local-first app: VoiceInk, MacWhisper, Spokenly with its local models, or Superwhisper's offline models on Apple silicon.

If you would rather not subscribe, VoiceInk ($25 to $49), MacWhisper (€64) and Spokenly Local+ ($29) are one-time purchases, and Spokenly's free tier has no word cap.

If cloud processing is fine and you want the most polished typing, Wispr Flow, Aqua Voice and Willow are the subscription options; their trade-offs are laid out in Wispr Flow alternatives.

NotchBay, this site's own app, transcribes on-device with Apple's SpeechAnalyzer, the macOS 26 speech API, and can copy the transcript or insert it at the cursor. It is a notch app first, needs macOS 26 and is built for notched MacBooks, so a dedicated dictation app above has more settings to tune if dictation is the only job.

#Frequently asked questions

#What this means for the notch

Dictation needs one thing from the screen: proof that it is listening. Apple shows a small microphone near the cursor, and other apps add a floating pill or a menu bar icon. On a notched MacBook there is a better spot for that signal, the band beside the camera, which is always in view and otherwise holds nothing. A listening indicator there costs no space in the window you are typing into.