The best Wispr Flow alternatives, sorted by what you need
Looking for a Wispr Flow alternative? 8 picks for Mac, sorted by need: unlimited, local and offline, open source, or polished paid. Prices checked October 2026.
First
What Aqua Voice is good at
Aqua Voice is dictation built for people who write to computers as much as to people. It runs on Avalon, Aqua's own speech model, and lists a CLI, MCP and an API for developers. Its Max plan adds Realtime Mode, where words appear as you speak, and a “Send it” voice command. It runs on macOS, Windows, iPhone and Android, and understands 49 languages.
Aqua also publishes a benchmark of its own: on AISpeak-10, an English technical-speech test Aqua made, it says Avalon got 97.4% of key terms right against 65.1% for Whisper Large v3. That's Aqua's test, not an independent one, but if your dictation is full of library names and terminal commands, take it seriously, because Koi runs Whisper.
Facts here are from each company's site, checked October 16, 2026. We make Koi and didn't run tests of our own.
Plans
Aqua Voice pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1,000 words and the Avalon model | Trying it |
| Pro | $10 | $8 a month | Unlimited words, custom instructions, a bigger dictionary | Most people |
| Max | $30 | $24 a month | Realtime Mode and Send it | Coding with voice |
| Business | $24 a seat | $19 a seat | SSO, SCIM, zero data retention, team dictionaries; 2 seats minimum | Teams |
Students get 70% off Pro and Max with a school email. The pricing page doesn't say whether Free's 1,000 words reset, and it lists zero data retention only on Business. Aqua says Privacy Mode means nothing is stored on its servers.
Be honest
Stay on Aqua Voice if
- You drive coding agents by voice and want a CLI, MCP or an API. Koi has none of them for dictation.
- Technical terms are most of what you say, and Aqua's key-term numbers hold up for you.
- You're a student: 70% off Pro is $3 a month. Koi has no student price.
- You need Windows, iPhone or Android, or a free tier. Koi is Mac only, with no free plan.
Koi also has no snippets and doesn't transcribe audio files. Where it does beat Aqua is offline dictation, words while you speak on every plan, and 57 languages to Aqua's 49.
The picks
Aqua Voice alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Offline dictation with words as you speak, no Max plan needed
Tap Fn + ⌥ in any app and talk. Koi turns speech into text with Whisper on your Mac, so it works with no connection, and words appear while you speak on every plan, which on Aqua is a Max feature. Code tools and Terminal get no full stop at the end, and names and terms on your screen are read on the Mac so they come out spelled right. A term you fix once joins your word list.
Koi Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial that needs a card, or Lifetime from $59 once. That's more than Aqua Pro, less than Max. Its assistant, which can look at an error on your screen and explain it, uses cloud AI models. See voice coding on a Mac for how it behaves in editors and Terminal.
2. Superwhisper
Best for: Local or cloud models, a CLI and coding-agent integrations
Superwhisper lists a CLI and integrations with coding agents, and lets you pick a local or cloud model per mode. Free is unlimited local Whisper dictation; Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, with realtime transcription included. It covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
3. Wispr Flow
Best for: Cloud dictation with a style per app and snippets
Wispr Flow cleans up as you talk and has a dictionary and snippets, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Free is 2,000 words a week on desktop, against Aqua's 1,000 free words, and Pro is $15 a month or $12 billed yearly. Every plan is in Wispr Flow pricing.
4. VoiceInk
Best for: Local, open source, $25 once
VoiceInk transcribes on your Mac, keeps a dictionary that recognizes custom words exactly as written, and expands short phrases. It's built in public on GitHub, and a license is $25 for one Mac. Apple silicon and macOS 14.4 or later.
5. Spokenly
Best for: Free local models, or your own API keys
Spokenly's local Whisper and Parakeet models are free with no account, on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone. Bring your own keys for cloud engines, or pay $99.99 a year for Pro's managed ones.
Compared
Aqua Voice vs the alternatives
| Offline | Words as you speak | Developer tools | Languages | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Voice | Not listed | Max plan | CLI, MCP, API | 49 | Coding agents |
| Koi | Yes | Every plan | None | 57 | Offline, Mac only |
| Superwhisper | Local models | Pro | CLI, coding agents | 100+ | Flexibility |
| Wispr Flow | No | No, after you stop | Not listed | 100+ | Polish everywhere |
| VoiceInk | Yes | Not stated | Open source | Not stated | Paying once |
| Spokenly | Local models | Not stated | Your own keys | 100+ | Free |
More options in the best dictation apps for Mac and best Whisper apps.
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Support
Frequently asked questions
Free is 1,000 words. Pro is $10 a month or $8 billed yearly, Max $30 or $24, and Business $24 a seat or $19 yearly, as of October 16, 2026. Students get 70% off Pro and Max.
Aqua's site doesn't list an offline mode. Koi, VoiceInk and Superwhisper's local models dictate with no connection.
49, per its home page. Koi detects 57, and Superwhisper and Wispr Flow list 100+.
On Aqua's own technical-speech benchmark, it says Avalon scored 97.4% on key terms against 65.1% for Whisper Large v3. That's Aqua's own test, and we haven't seen an independent one.