Compare
The best AI dictation apps for Mac
Plain dictation types what you said. AI dictation goes a step further and tidies it: drops the ums, fixes false starts, and can turn a spoken ramble into an email or a clean prompt. The apps below all do some of that. They differ in where the AI runs, how far it rewrites you, and what it costs.
By the SpeechBee team. Prices checked on 15 October 2026
SpeechBee
Wispr Flow
Typeless
superwhisper
Willow
Aqua Voice
Glaido
On this page
How to choose an AI dictation app
Three questions sort most of these apps.
Where does the AI run? Most AI dictation apps send your audio, and sometimes text from your screen, to their servers. A few transcribe on the Mac and run the rewriting there too. If you dictate client work, health details or anything confidential, this is the first filter.
How much should it change? Some apps rewrite every sentence into what they think you meant. Others clean up fillers and leave your wording alone unless you pick a mode. Heavy rewriting saves time on rough drafts and costs time on anything that has to be exact.
What does it cost over a year? Monthly prices hide the difference. Most cloud apps land at $144 a year on yearly billing and more on monthly. A one-time license changes the maths after the first year.
AI dictation apps for Mac at a glance
| App | Price | Where the AI runs | Rewriting | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpeechBee | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once | On your Mac, or your own AI provider when you ask | Optional writing modes; keeps your words by default | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Wispr Flow | $15/mo, or $144/yr | Wispr's servers | Cleans and adapts tone as you speak | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Typeless | $30/mo, or $144/yr | Typeless's servers | Rewrites into polished prose, tone per app | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android |
| superwhisper | $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, or $249.99 once | Local or cloud models, your choice | Custom modes you write | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Willow | $15/mo, or $144/yr | Willow's servers, or on device in offline mode | Scribe AI writing, style memory on Pro | Mac, Windows, iPhone |
| Aqua Voice | $10/mo, or $96/yr | Aqua's servers | Refines as you speak, reads your screen | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Monologue | $15/mo, or $144/yr | Not stated on its pricing page; offline transcription is listed | AI dictation, plus recorded notes | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Glaido | Pro $17/mo billed yearly | Glaido's servers | AI auto-edits plus Agent mode | Mac, Windows |
- Glaido Pro, yearly$204
- Wispr Flow Pro, yearly$144
- Typeless Pro, yearly$144
- $144
- Aqua Voice Pro, yearly$96
- superwhisper Pro, yearly$84.99
- SpeechBee Yearly$79
1. SpeechBee
Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.
Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.
SpeechBee is our app, and it is the one on this list where both the transcription and the AI can stay on your Mac. Hold a key, talk, let go, and the text appears at the cursor in any app. Filler words are removed in 61 languages before the text lands.
The AI part is optional and you choose how much of it you want:
- Writing modes. Email, Message, Notes, Prompt for AI, Formal and Casual are built in, and you can write up to 20 of your own with your own instruction. Each app can have its own mode, so Mail gets Email, Slack gets Message, and ChatGPT gets Prompt for AI.
- Where it runs. On macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, modes run automatically on your Mac. You can also connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key; then your text goes to that provider only when you ask SpeechBee to clean the last dictation.
- Translation. Pick a language under Translate To, speak in yours, and the text lands in the other, using Apple's on-device translation on macOS 26. 20 languages.
- Off by default. Until you turn AI cleanup on, SpeechBee keeps your words as you said them.
It also reads text aloud: select text, press your reading key, and a natural local voice reads it, which is a quick way to check what the AI wrote. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later; writing modes and translation need macOS 26. $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once, after 7 days free.
2. Wispr Flow
Wispr Flow is the best-known AI dictation app. It removes fillers and false starts, adapts tone to the app you are in, and has team features: shared dictionary, SSO, and a HIPAA agreement. Pro is $15 a month or $144 a year; the free plan gives 2,000 words a week on desktop. Audio is transcribed on Wispr's servers.
3. Typeless
Typeless rewrites hardest. It keeps only your final version when you change your mind mid-sentence, turns spoken lists into formatted ones, learns your style, translates as you speak, and lets you edit highlighted text by voice. Pro is $12 a month billed yearly or $30 month to month; the free plan has 8,000 words a week. Processing is in the cloud. See Typeless alternatives.
4. superwhisper
superwhisper hands you the controls: write modes, pick the voice model and language model for each, and assign them to apps. Local Whisper models are free and unlimited; Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once.
5. Willow
Willow is cloud AI dictation with a free plan that has no word cap on its smaller model, plus 20 uses a week of Scribe, its AI writing feature. Pro is $15 a month or $12 a month billed yearly. Willow also lists an offline mode.
6. Aqua Voice
Aqua is tuned for prompts and code. It reads what is on screen to get names and syntax right and refines your words as you speak. Pro is $8 a month on yearly billing or $10 monthly, with 70% off for students. Transcripts may be stored to improve the product unless you turn on Privacy Mode.
7. Monologue
Monologue, from Every, is AI dictation for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with recorded notes and meeting notes. Pro is $15 a month or $144 a year, and it is included with an Every subscription. The trial covers 1,000 words and 10 notes. See Monologue vs SpeechBee.
8. Glaido
Glaido adds an Agent mode that acts on what you say, alongside AI auto-edits. Basic is free for 2,000 words a week; Pro is $17 a month billed yearly. See Glaido vs SpeechBee.
Also worth knowing: Apple's built-in tools
Apple Dictation is free on every Mac but does no AI cleanup. Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools can proofread or rewrite text after you have written it, in any app. Together they make a free, if slower, version of AI dictation. Our guide to Writing Tools vs dictation cleanup explains how to combine them.
How we put this list together
We read each app's own pricing, product and privacy pages in October 2026, linked below. We did not test accuracy or speed, so there is no "most accurate" claim here. SpeechBee is first because it is ours and because it is the option that keeps the AI on your Mac.
Try SpeechBee free for 7 days.
Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.
Questions
What is AI dictation?
Dictation that does more than transcribe. An AI step removes fillers and false starts and can reshape what you said into an email, notes, a message or a prompt.
Which AI dictation app works offline?
SpeechBee transcribes on your Mac, and its writing modes run on the Mac with Apple Intelligence on macOS 26, so both work offline. superwhisper's local models work offline too. Willow lists an offline mode and Monologue lists offline transcription. Wispr Flow, Typeless, Aqua Voice and Glaido need a connection.
What is the best free AI dictation app?
Willow's free plan has unlimited dictation on its smaller model. Typeless gives 8,000 words a week, Wispr Flow and Glaido 2,000. SpeechBee has a 7-day free trial with every feature.
Can AI dictation write prompts for ChatGPT?
Yes. SpeechBee has a Prompt for AI mode that puts the goal first, then your context and constraints. Aqua Voice is built around prompts and code. See also talking to ChatGPT on a Mac.
Is AI dictation private?
It depends on where the AI runs. In most of these apps it runs on the vendor's servers. In SpeechBee, transcription happens on your device and writing modes can run on your Mac.
Keep comparing
- AI dictation on a Mac: emails, notes and prompts
- The best dictation apps for Mac
- Typeless alternatives
- The best Wispr Flow alternatives
- Translate while you dictate on a Mac
Sources
Checked on 15 October 2026.