BeMooore › VoxFlow › Mac › Free dictation apps for Mac
Four ways to type by voice on a Mac without paying: the Dictation built into macOS, the free tiers of Superwhisper and MacWhisper, and VoxFlow Pro for Mac. All four are free. They differ in how you start talking, where your speech is processed and what is held back for a paid plan.
Get VoxFlow Pro for Mac, free →macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple Silicon and Intel. Notarized by Apple. No account, no subscription.
Superwhisper facts are from superwhisper.com and its privacy policy. MacWhisper facts are from its official store page. macOS Dictation facts are from Apple's guide Dictate messages and documents on Mac. All read on 6 October 2026; prices change, so check before you buy.
| VoxFlow Pro for Mac | macOS Dictation | Superwhisper Free | MacWhisper Free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price of the free version | 0, no paid tier | 0, built in | 0; Pro is 8.49 USD a month | 0; Pro is a 65 EUR one-time license |
| How you start and stop | Hold Globe, Caps Lock or right Shift while you speak, release to type | Press the Microphone key or shortcut to start; Escape, the key again, or 30 seconds of silence to stop | Keyboard shortcut, Option + Space by default | - |
| Types into any app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, system wide dictation |
| Where speech is transcribed | Always on your Mac (WhisperKit) | On device or on Siri servers; Keyboard settings tell you which | On your Mac with Whisper models; cloud models in Pro | On your Mac |
| Intel Macs | Yes, universal app | Yes | Their FAQ: Intel works best with cloud models | - |
| Transcribe audio files | No | No | Pro only | Yes, its main purpose |
| AI rewriting of what you said | No, it types what you said | No | Custom prompt control in Free | Pro, needs an AI service set up |
| Account | None | Your Apple ID | - | License key for Pro only |
| Other platforms | iPhone and Apple Watch app on the App Store | Apple devices | Windows, iOS, Android | iPhone and iPad app |
A dash means we have not checked it against a source, not that it is missing or bad.
The free options differ most in one small habit. With a start and stop shortcut you press once, talk, and remember to press again; if you forget, the microphone keeps listening. With hold-to-talk your finger on the key is the recording light: the Mac listens only while you hold it. Release and the sentence is typed into Mail, Slack, Notes, a browser field or your code editor, wherever the cursor already is. VoxFlow sends nothing anywhere, so it also works with Wi-Fi off.
The app is signed with a Developer ID issued to BIT Technology s.r.o. and notarized by Apple, so it opens with a normal double click. The download page lists the SHA-256 checksum and the Terminal command that lets macOS confirm the notarization for you.
More detailed comparisons: VoxFlow and macOS Dictation, Wispr Flow, Superwhisper and MacWhisper, and replacing Dragon for Mac.
Yes. VoxFlow Pro for Mac transcribes on your Mac with WhisperKit and needs no internet connection. Superwhisper and MacWhisper also run Whisper models on the Mac in their free versions. Built-in macOS Dictation can run on the device too; Keyboard settings show whether your dictation is processed on the Mac or sent to Siri servers.
For many people, yes. It is built in, free and types into any app. It starts and stops with a key press rather than while you hold a key, and Apple says it stops by itself after 30 seconds without speech. If you prefer to talk only while holding a key, try VoxFlow Pro for Mac.
Nothing. No account, no trial timer and no subscription. A voluntary support button exists on the download page and changes nothing about the app.
No. It types what you say while you hold the push-to-talk key. For recorded audio, MacWhisper is built for that job.
VoxFlow is made by BIT Technology s.r.o. and is not affiliated with Apple, SuperUltra, Inc. (Superwhisper) or the maker of MacWhisper. Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Other names are trademarks of their owners.