Best offline dictation apps

Apple Dictation

Built-in dictation on macOS, iOS and iPadOS with on-device processing in many languages and no extra cost.

• macOS
• iOS

Free

Arion

Free open-source on-device voice input for macOS and Windows that works offline.

• macOS
• Windows

Free

attunz

Mac dictation that keeps a memory of your names, terms and projects and reorganises it while you are away.

• macOS

Free

Dragon Professional

Nuance's locally installed Windows speech recognition with full voice command and control, sold as a perpetual license.

• Windows

From $699 (one-time)

Galt

Open-source voice input for Mac with offline support and AI polish.

• macOS

Free

Google Voice Typing

Google's free voice typing in Google Docs on the web and in the Gboard keyboard on Android and iOS.

• Web
• Android
• iOS

Free

Handy

Free, open-source push-to-talk speech-to-text for Windows, macOS and Linux that runs entirely offline.

• macOS
• Windows
• Linux

Free

Koe

Open-source macOS voice input with no main window; config, prompts and dictionary are plain files under ~/.koe.

• macOS

Free

LazyTyper

Free voice typing for Windows, macOS and Linux with twelve speech models, five of them on-device.

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Free

MacWhisper

Offline Whisper transcription for Mac with a one-time price.

• macOS

Free From €64 (one-time)

OpenLess

Open-source hold-to-talk voice input that streams AI-polished text to your cursor in any app.

• macOS
• Windows
• Linux
• Android

Free

OpenTypeless

Open-source BYOK voice typing for Windows, macOS and Linux with optional AI polish and a hosted cloud-words plan.

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Free From $4.99/mo

SayIt

Open-source Windows voice typing with local, cloud-API or self-hosted recognition and editable AI cleanup.

• Windows

Free

SpeechBee

Local Mac and iPhone dictation, plus keyboard-driven Read Aloud.

• macOS
• iOS

From $79/yr

Speechnotes

Free online dictation notepad with a Chrome extension and Android app, plus pay-per-minute file transcription.

• Web
• Browser extension
• Android

Free From $22.80/yr

Superwhisper

Local-first Whisper dictation with AI modes for any workflow.

• macOS
• Windows
• iOS
• Android

Free From $84.99/yr

Typeflux

Open-source macOS menu bar voice input; hold Fn to dictate, double-press Fn to ask an AI agent.

• macOS

Free

VoiceInk

One-time-purchase macOS dictation app that runs Whisper and Parakeet models on-device, with optional cloud AI cleanup.

• macOS

From $25 (one-time)

Voilà Pro

Native 8 MB macOS dictation with five switchable speech engines, a live subtitle mode and a one-time licence.

• macOS

From €9.99 (one-time)

Voxt

Free, local-first macOS voice input with live transcription, translation, and context-aware AI enhancement.

• macOS

Free

Willow Voice

Hold-to-talk dictation for Mac, Windows and iPhone with smart formatting, offline mode and a free tier.

• macOS
• Windows
• iOS

Free From $144/yr

Yap

Local hold-to-talk dictation with NVIDIA Parakeet; 25 European languages, offline-capable for Mac and Windows.

• macOS
• Windows

From $69/yr

微信输入法

Tencent's free WeChat input method with hold-to-talk voice typing, dialects and AI tidy-up on phone and desktop.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows
• macOS

Free

搜狗输入法

Tencent's free Chinese input method with voice typing, dialect support and voice translation on mobile and desktop.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows
• macOS

Free

讯飞输入法

iFlytek's free Chinese input method with cloud and offline voice typing on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Free

豆包输入法

ByteDance's free Doubao input method built around large-model voice typing, with an offline pack and AI tidy-up.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows
• macOS

Free

闪电说

Chinese AI voice input for Windows and Mac with a local speech model and an agent mode for drafting replies.

• macOS
• Windows

Free From ¥238.80/yr