Free dictation apps for Mac (and what the free tier actually limits)

Short answer: The only Mac dictation tools that are free with no word cap are Apple Dictation (built in), Handy (open source) and Spokenly's free plan, and all three can run offline. Superwhisper Free and MacWhisper Free have no word cap either but hold back AI cleanup and some features. Wispr Flow Free stops at 2,000 words a week on desktop, and Aqua Voice Free at 1,000 words. These limits were checked on official pages on October 16, 2026.

Search "free dictation app mac" and most results are paid apps with a trial. That is not the same thing. A trial ends; a free tier stays, but usually with a cap on words, models or features that is easy to miss until you hit it.

This post lists Mac dictation tools you can keep using for $0 and spells out what each free tier holds back, using only what each company says on its own pages, checked on October 16, 2026. Where a page does not say, we write "not listed."

A disclosure: we make Sorimac, a paid Mac dictation app. It is not free. It has a 3-day trial and then costs $9.99 once, so it is not on the free list below. If you want something that stays free, the honest answer is one of the first three apps here.

Which Mac dictation apps are free, and what does each free tier limit?

Sources, all checked October 16, 2026: Apple's Mac dictation guide, handy.computer and Handy on GitHub, spokenly.app/pricing, superwhisper.com, macwhisper.com, wisprflow.ai/pricing, aquavoice.com/pricing. Free tiers change more often than prices, so check before you rely on one.

To put the word caps in scale: 2,000 words is roughly four pages of plain text. That is enough for a few messages a day, not for drafting documents by voice.

Which free dictation apps work offline?

Handy, Spokenly Free, Superwhisper Free and MacWhisper Free all run speech recognition on your Mac with downloaded models, so once the model is on disk they do not need a connection. Apple Dictation can process general dictation on the device on Apple silicon Macs; Apple says you can check this in Keyboard settings, and dictating into a search box is excluded.

Wispr Flow transcribes in the cloud by its own description. Aqua Voice's pricing page does not say whether it works offline.

Which free dictation apps are open source?

Handy is the clear pick: free, MIT-licensed, with source on GitHub. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and does one thing: press a shortcut, speak, and the text is pasted where the cursor is.

VoiceInk is also open source (GPL-3.0, source), but the app it sells is paid, $25 once after a free trial. It is not a free tier in the sense of this list.

What is the best free dictation app for Mac?

It depends on which limit bothers you.

You only dictate short messages and notes. Start with Apple Dictation. It is already installed, has no word cap, and needs nothing new on your Mac. Our Mac dictation vs Wispr Flow post covers its shortcuts, commands and limits in detail.

You want free, offline and auditable. Handy.

You want free now and maybe cloud models later. Spokenly Free. You can add your own API key, or upgrade, without switching apps.

You want the most features without paying. Superwhisper Free keeps unlimited Whisper models in any app; MacWhisper Free is stronger if you also transcribe recordings.

You like Wispr Flow's polish. Its free tier is real, but 2,000 words a week runs out fast for daily writing, and everything goes through the cloud.

What do paid dictation apps add over the free ones?

Mostly three things, judging from what the free tiers above hold back:

• AI cleanup and rewriting (Superwhisper Pro, MacWhisper Pro, Spokenly Pro, Wispr Flow).
• Cloud models for more accuracy on hard audio, run on the company's servers.
• Extras such as file transcription, translation, meeting notes and settings sync.

If you do not need those, a free option may be all you need. The Wispr Flow alternatives list and our Superwhisper alternatives post cover the paid and one-time apps.

Where does Sorimac fit?

Sorimac is our app, and it is not free: after a 3-day trial it costs $9.99 once for one Mac. It is a menu bar dictation app that runs Whisper and Qwen3-ASR models on the Mac, with a custom word list for names and terms. Audio is not sent to a server; it goes online only to download models, check for updates and activate the license.

On our test Mac, the median time from starting to speak to the first typed character was 1.33 seconds with the Qwen3 model, measured in late September 2026. That is one Mac, and yours will differ.

The limits: Mac only, Apple Silicon and macOS 15 or later, one Mac per license, and a 14-day full refund. If you want to pay nothing, use Handy or Apple Dictation instead.

FAQ

Is there a completely free dictation app for Mac?

Yes. Apple Dictation is built into macOS with no word cap. Handy is free and open source with no paid tier. Spokenly's free plan has unlimited local dictation.

Does Mac have free dictation built in?

Yes. Apple Dictation is part of macOS. Apple says you can dictate text of any length, and it stops after 30 seconds of silence.

Which free dictation app works offline on Mac?

Handy, Spokenly Free, Superwhisper Free and MacWhisper Free run on your Mac with local models. Apple Dictation can process general dictation on the device on Apple silicon.

Is there an open source dictation app for Mac?

Handy (MIT) is free and open source. VoiceInk (GPL-3.0) publishes its source but sells the app for $25 once.

How many words does Wispr Flow's free plan allow?

2,000 words a week on desktop and 1,000 a week on mobile, according to its pricing page on October 16, 2026.

Is Sorimac free?

No. It has a 3-day free trial and then costs $9.99 once for one Mac, with a 14-day full refund.