--- title: "Aqua Voice vs SpeechBee (2026): fast cloud dictation or on-device?" description: "Aqua Voice is fast cloud dictation for prompts and code at $8 a month billed yearly. SpeechBee is on-device dictation plus Read Aloud for Mac, iPhone and iPad at $79 a year or $99 once. Which one fits." url: "https://speechbee.app/compare/aqua-voice-vs-speechbee" --- # Aqua Voice vs SpeechBee SpeechBee is our own app. Aqua Voice is built for speed and for people who dictate into ChatGPT, Cursor and terminals, and it reads your screen to get names right. SpeechBee keeps your voice on the device and never looks at your screen. By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Prices checked on 13 October 2026. > ### The short answer > > - **Pick Aqua Voice** if most of what you dictate goes into AI chats, code editors or terminals, you use Windows or Android too, and you are happy for a cloud service to use what is on your screen. > - **Pick SpeechBee** if you want your voice processed on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, working offline, with text read back to you, for $79 a year or $99 once. ## Side by side | | Aqua Voice | SpeechBee | |---|---|---| | Price | Free 1,000 words; Pro $8/mo yearly or $10 monthly; Max $24 or $30 | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once | | Where speech is processed | Aqua's servers | On your device | | Works offline | No | Yes, after a one-time model download | | Uses your screen | Yes, for names and syntax | No, it never reads your screen | | Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Mac, iPhone, iPad | | What happens to your words | Refined as you speak | Filler words removed, your wording kept by default | | Transcripts kept | May be stored to improve the product unless Privacy Mode is on | Never stored; recent history in memory only | | Read text aloud | No | Yes, natural local voices | | Teams | Business with SSO, SCIM and zero data retention | No team plan | **What it costs over time** Over three years, Aqua Voice Pro costs $288 on yearly billing. SpeechBee costs $99 once. | App | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aqua Voice | $96 (Yearly) | $192 (Yearly) | $288 (Yearly) | | SpeechBee | $79 (Yearly) | $99 (One-time) | $99 (One-time) | Cheapest published way to keep each app: monthly, yearly or a one-time license. US dollars before tax, prices checked on 13 October 2026. ## Where your voice goes Aqua transcribes on its servers and uses what is on your screen to spell names and code correctly. Its privacy policy says it may keep transcripts to improve the product unless you turn on Privacy Mode; the Business plan adds zero data retention. SpeechBee transcribes on your device. Audio is processed in memory, never uploaded and never recorded, and it does not look at your screen. It keeps working on a plane. ## What happens to your words Aqua refines your words as you speak, which helps when you are writing prompts and want tidy text fast. Max adds a live Realtime mode and a "Send it" command. SpeechBee keeps your sentence. It removes "um" and "uh", applies spoken formatting in English on the Mac, and spells names from your dictionary. Optional on-device AI cleanup is available on Macs with Apple Intelligence, off by default. ## Reading, not just writing SpeechBee also reads. Select text in any Mac app and press your reading key, and a natural local voice reads it. Aqua Voice has no text to speech. ## Price Aqua Pro is $8 a month billed yearly ($96) or $10 month to month, and Max is $24 or $30. Students get 70% off. SpeechBee is $9 a month, $79 a year or $99 once, with every feature on Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare any apps in the interactive tool](https://speechbee.app/compare/tool) ## Questions ### Is SpeechBee a good Aqua Voice alternative? Yes, if you use Apple devices and want dictation that stays on the device, works offline and also reads text aloud. Not if you need Windows or Android, or rely on Aqua's screen context for code. ### Does Aqua Voice work offline? No. It transcribes on Aqua's servers. SpeechBee works offline once its speech model has downloaded. ### Which is cheaper? Over a year, Aqua Pro on yearly billing ($96) and SpeechBee yearly ($79) are close. Over several years, SpeechBee's $99 one-time option costs less. ## Keep comparing - [Aqua Voice review](https://speechbee.app/compare/aqua-voice-review) - [Aqua Voice alternatives](https://speechbee.app/compare/aqua-voice-alternatives) - [Wispr Flow vs Aqua Voice](https://speechbee.app/compare/wispr-flow-vs-aqua-voice) ## More on dictation - [Every dictation guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-mac) - [Dragon alternatives for Mac](https://speechbee.app/compare/dragon-alternatives-mac) - [Dragon vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/dragon-vs-speechbee) - [MacWhisper vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/macwhisper-vs-speechbee) - [OpenWhispr vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/openwhispr-vs-speechbee) - [SpeechBee vs Apple Dictation](https://speechbee.app/compare/speechbee-vs-apple-dictation) - [Every read-aloud guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/read-text-aloud) ## Sources Checked on 13 October 2026. - [Aqua Voice pricing](https://withaqua.com/pricing) and [privacy policy](https://withaqua.com/info/privacy) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)