VoiceInk vs Superwhisper
VoiceInk vs Superwhisper, checked October 21, 2026: price over 3 years, Apple silicon and Intel, open source, models, modes, files and platforms compared.
Why switch
Why people look for a VoiceInk alternative
Start with the fair part: VoiceInk is one of the best deals in Mac dictation. It costs $25 once for one Mac, it transcribes on your Mac, and its code is public on GitHub under GPLv3. If it runs well on your Mac and does what you need, you may not need anything else.
People still look around, and the reasons are usually concrete:
- An Intel Mac. VoiceInk's site says it works only on Apple silicon Macs, so an older Intel MacBook can't run it at all.
- An older macOS. The site asks for macOS 14.4 or later, and the GitHub README says macOS 15.0 or later. On Sonoma, check before you buy.
- Windows. VoiceInk is a Mac app with an iPhone app beside it. There's no Windows version.
- Paying nothing. You can build VoiceInk from source for free, but the ready-made app with automatic updates is the paid one. Some apps below are free and ready to download.
- More than dictation. Recording calls, transcribing files, or an assistant you can ask about what's on your screen.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Koi is first on the list because it's ours and it fits the Intel and “more than dictation” cases, but VoiceInk is cheaper than Koi, and we say so below. Every price and feature comes from each app's own site or GitHub page, checked October 21, 2026, in USD.
Fair first
What VoiceInk does well
VoiceInk sells three one-time licenses: Solo at $25 for one Mac, Personal at $39 for two, and Extended at $49 for three. All of them include lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee, and there's a free trial to download. Details are on VoiceInk's pricing page.
- Local speech to text. Its FAQ says voice transcription is processed on your device and your voice never leaves your Mac.
- A dictionary and Smart Replace. Custom words keep names and product terms spelled right; Smart Replace expands a short phrase into longer text.
- Cleanup. It removes filler words and repetition and can format what you said into notes or an email.
- Modes. Its README describes modes that change settings by the active app or URL, and context-aware AI that reads screen content.
- Cloud enhancement only if you want it. It's off unless you turn it on, and the site says only the transcribed text is sent, never your voice.
- Open source. The code is on GitHub under GPLv3, with about 6.9k stars, so anyone can read what the app does with your microphone.
If you're choosing between VoiceInk and its best-known rival, our VoiceInk vs Superwhisper comparison does the three-year math for both.
The picks
The best VoiceInk alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Local dictation on Intel or Apple silicon, plus call recording and an assistant
Koi's dictation runs on your Mac, like VoiceInk's, and works offline. Tap Fn + ⌥ in any app and talk; words appear while you speak. NVIDIA's Parakeet v3 is built in for 25 European languages, and Whisper, Cohere Transcribe, Qwen3-ASR and Granite Speech are a download away, for 100 languages between them. It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel.
The cleanup is done on the Mac too: filler words go, a correction said out loud keeps only the fix in English, and a list you say becomes a list. Your words holds up to 300 names and terms, snippets work like Smart Replace, and each app can have a Casual or Formal style. You can also speak any language and have it typed in English.
Beyond dictation, Koi records calls and meetings in the room on the Mac, transcribes audio and video files, and you can tap Fn + ⌘ to talk to Koi, which can see your screen if you let it. Talking to Koi uses cloud AI; dictation never does.
Where VoiceInk wins: price and open source. Koi has no free plan and isn't open source. Pro is $20 a month or $192 a year after a 3-day trial that needs a card, and Lifetime is paid once, from $59 for the first 25 buyers.
2. FluidVoice
Best for: Free and open source, with Intel support
FluidVoice is the closest thing to a free VoiceInk. It's open source under GPLv3 and its site says it's free forever, with no tiers. Speech models run on the Mac: Parakeet, Nemotron, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech and Whisper, which covers up to 99 languages. Its Fluid-1 cleanup models run on the Mac too.
It runs on Intel Macs with its Whisper models. The catch is macOS: it needs macOS 15 or later. Windows and iPhone versions are in beta.
3. Handy
Best for: Free, MIT-licensed dictation on Mac, Windows and Linux
Handy is free, MIT-licensed and runs on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel downloads), Windows and Linux. Press a shortcut, speak, and the text is pasted into the field you're in. It runs Whisper (Small, Medium, Turbo, Large) or Parakeet V3 on your computer, with no audio sent to the cloud.
It has far fewer features than VoiceInk: no modes, and its site lists no dictionary. It's still at version 0.9.8. More in our Handy alternatives.
4. Spokenly
Best for: Free local models with no account, on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone
Spokenly's Whisper and Parakeet models are free and unlimited, with no account. A Local Only Mode can block network access. Local+ is $29 once and adds recording styles and settings sync; Pro, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, adds its own cloud models and hosted AI cleanup. Without Pro, AI cleanup needs your own API keys. Its site doesn't say it's open source.
5. Superwhisper
Best for: One license for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android
Superwhisper's free plan already includes unlimited dictation with local Whisper models. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once, and one license covers unlimited Macs and PCs plus iPhone and Android. Pro adds cloud models, AI modes and file transcription. It costs ten times VoiceInk's Solo license once, so it only makes sense if you need the platforms or modes.
6. BetterDictation
Best for: Whisper Large v3 Turbo on the Neural Engine, paid once
BetterDictation runs Whisper large-v3-turbo on your Mac, works offline and lists 100+ languages. Basic is $39 once for one Mac. Its AI cleanup is a separate Pro add-on at $2 a month billed annually, and that sends text to OpenAI. Like VoiceInk, it needs Apple silicon, and it costs more for one Mac. See our BetterDictation alternatives.
Side by side
VoiceInk vs its alternatives
| Koi | VoiceInk | FluidVoice | Handy | Spokenly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 | $25 once (1 Mac) | Free | Free | Free; Local+ $29 once |
| Free way in | 3-day trial, card needed | Free trial | Free | Free | Free local models |
| Intel Macs | Yes | No | Whisper models only | Yes | Not listed |
| macOS | 14 or later | 14.4 or later (README: 15) | 15 or later | Not listed | Not listed |
| Speech to text | On your Mac | On your Mac | On your Mac | On your computer | Local or cloud |
| Open source | No | Yes, GPLv3 | Yes, GPLv3 | Yes, MIT | Not stated |
| Other platforms | None | iPhone | Windows, iPhone in beta | Windows, Linux | Windows, Linux, iPhone |
| Records calls | Yes, on the Mac | Not listed | Not listed | No | Meetings on Mac |
Over three years, VoiceInk is $25, FluidVoice and Handy are free, and Koi Pro paid yearly is $576. If all you want is local dictation on an Apple silicon Mac, Koi is not the cheap option. Its Lifetime plan narrows the gap if you also want call recording and the assistant. For more one-time options, see lifetime dictation apps for Mac.
When to stay
When VoiceInk is still the better pick
Stay on VoiceInk if
- You have an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14.4 or later, and you only want dictation.
- You want to pay once, and little. $25 is hard to beat for a polished paid app.
- Open source matters to you and you'd still like someone to ship updates.
- You use its modes per app or URL and they already fit how you write.
- You want its iPhone app alongside the Mac one.
Switching
How to move from VoiceInk to another app
- Write down your dictionary words and Smart Replace entries. A new app starts with an empty list.
- Install the new app and run both for a day. Dictate a long email, a quick chat reply and a paragraph full of names, and count what you had to fix.
- Pick a shortcut you can press without looking. Turn off VoiceInk's shortcut so the two don't fight over the same keys.
- In Koi, add your words in Settings, Dictation, Your words, and your Smart Replace phrases as snippets in the same place.
- If you're within VoiceInk's 14-day window and you're not staying, ask for the refund then.
For Koi: install it, sign in with your email, allow the microphone and Accessibility (so it can type where your cursor is), and pick a plan. Then tap Fn + ⌥ and talk. More on the Koi dictation page.
Choosing
Which VoiceInk alternative fits you
- On an Intel Mac and want dictation that stays local? Koi, Handy, or FluidVoice on macOS 15.
- Want free and open source? FluidVoice or Handy.
- Want free with no account and an iPhone app? Spokenly.
- Need Windows, iPhone and Android on one license? Superwhisper.
- Want dictation, call recording, file transcription and an assistant in one Mac app? Koi.
Our list of offline dictation apps for Mac covers more local options, and dictation apps for Intel Macs is the short list if VoiceInk won't install.
Keep exploring
The best Handy alternatives for Mac
Handy alternatives for Mac, checked October 2026: apps that add cleanup, a word list and snippets to local dictation, open source picks and one-time prices.
The best lifetime dictation apps for Mac
Mac dictation apps you pay for once, checked October 16, 2026: VoiceInk, SpeakMac, Koi, Superwhisper and more, with devices, updates and what's left out.
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
VoiceInk is open source, so you can build it yourself for free, and there's a free trial. The ready-made app is $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, at the time of writing.
No. VoiceInk's site says it works only on Apple silicon Macs. Koi and Handy run local dictation on Intel Macs, and FluidVoice does with its Whisper models on macOS 15.
Yes. VoiceInk's code is on GitHub under GPLv3. The paid download adds automatic updates and support, and helps fund the project.
FluidVoice and Handy are free and open source, and Spokenly's local models are free with no account. Superwhisper's free plan also has unlimited local dictation.
No. VoiceInk is $25 once, while Koi Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial and Lifetime starts at $59. Koi adds Intel support, call recording, file transcription and an assistant.