7 alternativesTake Dictation: $39 once
The best Take Dictation alternatives
For most people the best alternative to Take Dictation is Superwhisper, and the best free one is MacWhisper.
SuperwhisperPick this if you want to choose between offline and cloud models and never hit a weekly word cap.Free to startCompare at a glance
Take Dictation is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | Watch | App Store | Developer | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Take Dictation | $39 once | Pay once | Too few ratings | ||||||
| Superwhisper | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | Too few ratings | ||||||
 MacWhisper | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | Too few ratings | ||||||
 Wispr Flow | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.8 | ||||||
 Handy | Free, open source | Free | Too few ratings | ||||||
 Whisper Notes | $6.99 once | Pay once | 4.7 | ||||||
 Willow Voice | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.6 | ||||||
 TovoType | $9.90 once | Pay once | Too few ratings |
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The alternatives, in order
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Pick this if you want to choose between offline and cloud models and never hit a weekly word cap.
Dictation for any Mac app that cleans up what you said, with offline models free and no word cap.
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Pick this if you need transcripts of recorded interviews or lectures rather than typing by voice.
Private transcripts of interviews, lectures and calls, made on your own Mac, with a free version that covers most jobs.
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Pick it if you dictate long emails and Slack replies every day on both your Mac and iPhone.
Dictation that cleans up as you talk, cutting filler words and fixing your corrections in any app on Mac and iPhone.
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Pick it if you want hold-to-talk dictation in any Mac app at no cost, with audio kept offline.
Hold a key, talk, and your words land in any app, transcribed offline by open-source models at no cost.
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Pick it if you record meetings or lectures and want transcripts that stay on your own device.
An offline transcription app for $6.99 once, with speaker labels, 100+ languages and no data collected.
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Pick it if you write a lot of email and Slack replies and want to say them out loud on your Mac, PC and iPhone.
Hold a key, talk, and get clean text in any app on Mac, Windows and iPhone, with free unlimited dictation on a lighter model.
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Pick it if you want dictation that works on a plane and never sends your voice to a server.
On-device dictation, rewriting and meeting notes for the Mac, with no subscription and no audio sent anywhere.
When Take Dictation is still the right pick
You write long emails and notes on an Apple silicon Mac and want dictation that stays on your Mac and never rewrites your words.