The best VoiceInk alternatives for Mac
VoiceInk alternatives for Mac, checked October 2026: open source apps, Intel Mac options and one-time prices, with a fair look at where VoiceInk still wins.
Why switch
Why people look for a Spokenly alternative
Spokenly is hard to beat on price. Its local Whisper and Parakeet models are free and unlimited, it doesn't ask for an account, and a Local Only Mode can cut off network access. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone and lists 100+ languages with automatic detection. So why look elsewhere?
- AI cleanup costs extra. On the free plan, cleanup and cloud models need your own API keys from a provider like OpenAI, Deepgram or Groq. Spokenly's hosted cleanup is part of Pro, at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
- Open source. Spokenly's site doesn't say it's open source. If you want to read the code of the app that hears you, VoiceInk, FluidVoice and Handy publish theirs.
- Cleanup that stays local. With your own keys, the text goes to that provider. Some apps tidy up on the Mac instead.
- Fewer moving parts. Free, Local+, your own keys and Pro is a lot of choice if you just want one app that types what you say.
- More than dictation. Call recording, file transcription, or an assistant that can see your screen.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Prices and features below come from each app's own site, checked October 21, 2026, in USD.
Plans
What Spokenly costs today
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited local Whisper and Parakeet, your own API keys, no account |
| Local+ | $29 once | Notch and Capsule recording styles, settings sync, priority support |
| Pro | $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year | Spokenly's cloud models and hosted AI cleanup, no keys needed |
Pro bought on spokenly.app has a 14-day money-back refund; through the App Store, Apple handles refunds. Students get 50% off Pro, and teams get 30% off per seat. The details are on Spokenly's pricing page. Pro's cloud models include GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova 3 and Soniox, so with Pro your audio can go to the cloud; the free local models keep it on the device.
The picks
The best Spokenly alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Local dictation with cleanup on the Mac, plus calls and an assistant
Koi does what Spokenly's free plan does, local and unlimited, and adds the cleanup without keys or a cloud. Tap Fn + ⌥ in any app, talk, and words appear as you speak. Filler words go, a correction said out loud keeps only the fix in English, and a list you say becomes a list. All of that happens on the Mac, so dictation works offline.
Parakeet v3 is built in, and Whisper, Cohere Transcribe, Qwen3-ASR and Granite Speech are a download away: 100 languages between them. Your words keeps up to 300 names and terms, snippets expand a phrase into text, and each app can have a Casual or Formal style. It runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
Koi also records calls with You and Them kept apart, transcribes audio and video files on the Mac, and you can tap Fn + ⌘ to talk to Koi, which uses cloud AI and can see your screen if you let it.
Where Spokenly wins: it's free, needs no account, and runs on Windows, Linux and iPhone. Koi is Mac only and needs a plan: Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial with a card, or Lifetime paid once, $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199.
2. VoiceInk
Best for: Open source, paid once, with optional text-only cloud cleanup
VoiceInk is $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two and $49 for three, with lifetime updates. It transcribes on the Mac, removes filler words, keeps a dictionary and expands phrases with Smart Replace. Its optional cloud enhancement sends only text, never your voice. The code is on GitHub under GPLv3.
It needs Apple silicon, and its site says macOS 14.4 or later. More in VoiceInk alternatives.
3. FluidVoice
Best for: Free, open source, with cleanup models that run on the Mac
FluidVoice is free, open source under GPLv3, and runs its speech models on the Mac: Parakeet, Nemotron, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech and Whisper. Its Fluid-1 cleanup models run locally too, which is the thing Spokenly's free plan sends to a provider. It needs macOS 15 or later; Intel Macs work with its Whisper models.
4. Handy
Best for: The simplest free, open source dictation, on Mac, Windows and Linux
Handy is free and MIT-licensed, with Mac, Windows and Linux builds. Press a shortcut, speak, and the text is pasted where you're typing. It runs Whisper or Parakeet V3 locally. It has fewer features than Spokenly, which is the point if you want less.
5. Superwhisper
Best for: One license on every platform, with AI modes
Superwhisper's free plan has unlimited local Whisper dictation, a custom vocabulary and text replacements. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, covering unlimited Macs and PCs plus iPhone and Android, and adds cloud models, AI modes and file transcription. Our Superwhisper alternatives page has the three-year math.
6. Voibe
Best for: On-device dictation plus meeting notes, for a team
Voibe's on-device mode runs offline on Apple silicon; Intel Macs and Windows use its cloud mode. Voibe Dictation is $9.90 a month, $99 a year or $199 once, and Voibe Work adds meeting notes for $19 a month, $149 a year or $399 once. There's a free plan with limited words. It costs more than Spokenly for dictation alone. See Voibe alternatives.
Side by side
Spokenly vs its alternatives
| Koi | Spokenly | VoiceInk | FluidVoice | Handy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 | Free; Local+ $29 once; Pro $99.99 a year | $25 once | Free | Free |
| Account needed | Yes | No, for local | No | No | No |
| Speech to text | On your Mac | Local, or cloud on Pro or your keys | On your Mac | On your Mac | On your computer |
| AI cleanup | On the Mac, included | Your keys, or Pro | Optional, text only to the cloud | On the Mac | Optional post-processing |
| Intel Macs | Yes | Not listed | No | Whisper only | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not stated | GPLv3 | GPLv3 | MIT |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone | Mac, iPhone | Mac; Windows, iPhone in beta | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Records calls | Yes | Meeting recording on Mac | Not listed | Not listed | No |
The short version: for free local dictation, Spokenly, Handy and FluidVoice are all good, and FluidVoice is the one that also tidies up on the Mac for free. Koi costs money and earns it with call recording, file transcription and the assistant. Compare plans on Koi's pricing page.
When to stay
When Spokenly is still the right call
Stay on Spokenly if
- You want free, unlimited local dictation with no account at all.
- You use Windows, Linux or an iPhone as well as a Mac.
- You already have API keys and like picking the cloud engine yourself.
- You use its Agentic Actions or its MCP tools with Claude Code, Codex or Cursor.
- You'd rather pay $29 once for Local+ than subscribe to anything.
Switching
How to switch from Spokenly
- Note the words and replacements you rely on. A new app starts with an empty list.
- If you pay for Pro, check when the year or month ends. Spokenly says access continues until the end of the paid period.
- Install the new app and dictate the same three things in both: a long email, a chat reply and a paragraph full of names.
- Give the new app a shortcut that doesn't clash with Spokenly's, or quit Spokenly while you test.
- In Koi, add names under Settings, Dictation, Your words, and phrases as snippets in the same place.
Then sign in to Koi, allow the microphone and Accessibility, pick a plan and tap Fn + ⌥. If you code by voice, our guide to voice coding on a Mac covers the setup.
Choosing
Which Spokenly alternative fits you
- Want local dictation with local cleanup, plus call recording? Koi.
- Want to pay once, little, for an open source app? VoiceInk, on Apple silicon.
- Want free, open source, with cleanup on the Mac? FluidVoice, on macOS 15.
- Want the fewest settings, on any OS? Handy.
- Need every platform on one license? Superwhisper.
More options in our best dictation apps for Mac list.
Keep exploring
The best Voibe alternatives for Mac
Voibe alternatives for Mac, checked October 2026: cheaper lifetime licenses, free local apps, Intel Mac options and dictation with meeting recording in one app.
The best Superwhisper alternatives for Mac, with lifetime prices
Looking for a Superwhisper alternative? 8 Mac dictation apps compared on price, lifetime licenses and 3-year cost, from free open source apps to pay-once.
Voice to text on Mac, built in or with Koi
How to use voice to text on Mac with Apple's built-in Dictation, step by step, and when Koi does more: offline, 100 languages, unlimited on every plan.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Spokenly's local Whisper and Parakeet models are free and unlimited with no account. Local+ is $29 once, and Pro, with its own cloud models and AI cleanup, is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Spokenly's site doesn't say it's open source. VoiceInk and FluidVoice are open source under GPLv3, and Handy is MIT-licensed.
Its local Whisper and Parakeet models process audio on the device, and Local Only Mode can restrict network access. Pro's cloud models and AI cleanup need a connection.
Local+ is $29 once and adds recording styles, settings sync and priority support; cloud models still need your own keys. Pro is a subscription that adds Spokenly's own cloud models and hosted AI cleanup.
Koi removes filler words, keeps only the fix when you correct yourself in English, and formats spoken lists, all on the Mac. FluidVoice runs its Fluid-1 cleanup models locally too, for free.