We make Sorimac, one of the options below, so read us as an interested party. Facts about other apps come from their official pages, checked .
| If you need | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| It stops when I pause to think | Sorimac | Always-on mode keeps listening through pauses; Apple's stops after 30 seconds of silence. |
| I want to start it hands-free | Sorimac | Wake word ("Computer") or always-on, besides push-to-talk. |
| I want a different engine, still free | Handy or Spokenly Free | Both run Whisper and Parakeet models offline at no cost. |
| I also use Windows | Handy, Spokenly or Superwhisper | All three list a Windows app; Apple's and Sorimac are Mac only. |
| I want my words cleaned up by AI | Wispr Flow or Superwhisper Pro | Wispr Flow transcribes in the cloud from $12 a month yearly; Superwhisper Pro adds AI models. |
| I want to control the Mac, not just type | Apple Voice Control | Also free and built in; full navigation and custom commands. |
Sources, checked October 21, 2026: Apple: Dictate messages and documents on Mac, Apple: Use Voice Control commands on Mac, Handy site and GitHub README, Spokenly pricing, Superwhisper home and pricing, Wispr Flow pricing and privacy, VoiceInk home and pricing. Sorimac facts: our FAQ. "Not listed" means the official page does not say.
Fixes the silence stop and the start button, for $9.99 once. On-device Qwen3-ASR by default, Whisper turbo selectable, voice commands and auto-Enter. It needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15 or later; Intel Macs are out.
A free, open source swap. Hold a shortcut, speak, release; MIT-licensed, Windows, macOS and Linux.
Free with room to grow. Unlimited offline use at $0; Local+ $29 once; Pro $99.99 a year for cloud models and AI cleanup.
When you want modes and AI on top. Free plan with Whisper models; Pro from $8.49 a month adds AI models and file transcription.
Cloud dictation with editing built in. Free up to 2,000 words a week on desktop; Pro $15 a month or $12 billed yearly. Audio leaves the Mac, which is the trade-off against Apple's.
Pay once, keep it local, have an iPhone app. $25 for one Mac, macOS 14.4+, GPL-3.0.
Handy and Spokenly Free both cost nothing and run offline (official sites, checked October 21, 2026). Whether they are better depends on your language and voice, so test them on your own writing.
Apple's guide says dictation stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds. Sorimac's always-on mode does not stop on pauses.
No. Voice Control is an accessibility feature for navigating and controlling the Mac by voice, and it includes dictation and editing. Dictation only types.
No. Handy and Spokenly Free are free. Sorimac costs $9.99 once; Wispr Flow and Superwhisper Pro are subscriptions.
3-day free trial. Pay $9.99 once, use it forever. Updates included. Apple Silicon, macOS 15+.
Sorimac