Dictation Apps for Mac, Windows and Linux
On a computer, a dictation app turns speech into text in whatever window you are working in: email, documents, chat, code review. Hold a key, talk, release, and polished text appears where the cursor is. This page compares the tools that do it well, and the free built-ins to try first.
Try the built-ins first
Windows has system dictation on Win + H, and macOS has built-in dictation in keyboard settings. Both are free and reasonable for short bursts. Like phone keyboards, they transcribe literally: you get the words, but punctuation and clean-up stay with you, and long dictation sessions tend to drift. They may already cover occasional use. The paid tools below matter when dictation becomes part of your daily writing.
Wispr Flow: the polished default
Wispr Flow is the best-known dictation app right now. It runs on Mac and Windows (with mobile apps for iPhone and Android), supports 100+ languages with automatic detection, removes filler words, punctuates properly, and learns names and jargon you use. The output reads like something you typed, not a transcript. The free plan gives 2,000 words a week; unlimited use is a Pro subscription. If you dictate daily and want the least friction, start your comparison here.
Voicy: the only one with Linux support
Voicy covers Windows, Mac and, unusually for this niche, Linux, plus a Chrome extension and mobile apps. It supports 50+ languages, punctuates automatically, and claims to work in 20,000+ apps since it types wherever the cursor is. Pricing is a subscription (around $8.5/month billed annually) or a one-time lifetime license, with a free 30-minute trial. If you work on Linux, this is effectively the category.
Voibe: push-to-talk simplicity
Voibe keeps the model minimal: hold a key, speak, release, text appears. It runs on Mac (including an offline mode on Apple Silicon) and Windows (cloud only), with a custom dictionary and a spoken-punctuation option. Pricing is friendly for a lifetime-license fan: a monthly plan, a yearly plan, or a one-time purchase. A good fit if you want dictation as a simple utility rather than a platform.
VoiceInk: local and private, Mac only
VoiceInk takes the privacy-first path: it runs AI models locally on your Mac, so audio does not have to leave the machine, and it works offline. It requires an Apple Silicon Mac, and it is a one-time purchase ($29–69 depending on the number of devices) with no subscription. Accuracy depends on the local model rather than a big cloud engine, which is the honest trade-off for keeping everything on-device.
How to choose
Dictating daily in many languages? Wispr Flow. On Linux? Voicy. Hate subscriptions? Voibe or VoiceInk lifetime licenses. Confidential material? VoiceInk's offline mode is the only one where audio can stay on the machine entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Is computer dictation actually faster than typing?
For most people, yes: natural speech runs 130–150 words per minute, two to three times faster than average typing. The catch is editing: tools that punctuate and clean up as they transcribe keep that speed advantage; raw transcription gives some of it back in clean-up time.
Do these apps work in any program?
Yes, that is the point of this category. They type into the active text field at the system level, so they work in email, browsers, documents, chat apps and IDEs alike, without plugins for each program.