BeMooore › VoxFlow › Mac › macOS Dictation alternative
The Dictation built into macOS is free and it is good. What it does not do is walkie-talkie style dictation: on a Mac, holding the Microphone key opens Siri (when Siri is on), not Dictation. VoxFlow Pro for Mac is a free app that does exactly that one thing, and it keeps your voice on your Mac.
Get VoxFlow Pro for Mac, free →macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple Silicon and Intel. Notarized by Apple. No account, no subscription.
macOS Dictation facts are taken from Apple's guide Use Dictation on your Mac, read on 3 October 2026.
| VoxFlow Pro for Mac | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no account | Free, built in |
| How you start and stop | Hold Globe, Caps Lock or right Shift, speak, release | Press the Microphone key or your shortcut to start; press Escape, the key or the shortcut to stop |
| Holding the key | Dictates while held | Holding the Microphone key activates Siri, if Siri is enabled |
| Stops by itself | When you release the key | After 30 seconds without speech |
| Where speech is transcribed | Always on your Mac (WhisperKit) | On the device or on Apple's servers; Apple says to check Keyboard settings |
| Automatic punctuation | - | Yes, in supported languages |
| Voice commands (new line, new paragraph) | No | Yes |
| Type with the keyboard while dictating | - | Yes, on Apple silicon |
| Notes synced with iPhone and Apple Watch | Optional, through your own iCloud | No |
A dash means we have not tested it, not that it is missing or bad.
With toggle dictation you start it, talk, then remember to stop it, and if you pause to think for half a minute it may stop on its own. With hold-to-talk there is nothing to remember: your finger on the key is the recording light. Release and the sentence is typed into Mail, Slack, Notes, a browser field or your code editor, wherever the cursor already is. It suits short bursts, a reply here, a commit message there, more than a ten minute monologue.
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.
If you are also weighing paid dictation apps, see VoxFlow compared with Wispr Flow, Superwhisper and MacWhisper.
Not with the built-in Dictation as Apple documents it. Apple's guide says you press and release the Microphone key to start Dictation, and pressing and holding it activates Siri when Siri is enabled. You stop with Escape, the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut, or it stops by itself after 30 seconds without speech. VoxFlow Pro for Mac is built around hold-to-talk: hold Globe, Caps Lock or the right Shift key, speak, release, and the text is typed where your cursor is.
It depends on your Mac and language. Apple's guide tells you to check Keyboard settings to see whether general Dictation is processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. VoxFlow Pro for Mac always transcribes locally with WhisperKit; there is no VoxFlow server to send audio to.
For many people, yes. It is built in, free, adds punctuation automatically in supported languages, understands commands such as new line and new paragraph, and on Apple silicon lets you keep typing while you speak. Try it first. VoxFlow is for people who specifically want hold-to-talk and a guarantee that audio stays on the 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.
VoxFlow is made by BIT Technology s.r.o. and is not affiliated with Apple. Mac, macOS and Siri are trademarks of Apple Inc.