--- title: "Handy vs SpeechBee (2026): free open-source dictation or a paid Apple app?" description: "Handy is free, open-source, offline speech to text for Windows, macOS and Linux. SpeechBee is local dictation plus Read Aloud for Mac, iPhone and iPad, $79 a year or $99 once. What you get for the money, and when free wins." url: "https://speechbee.app/compare/handy-vs-speechbee" --- # Handy vs SpeechBee Handy and SpeechBee agree on the important thing: your voice should be turned into text on your own computer, not on someone's server. Handy does that for free, in the open, on every desktop system. SpeechBee charges for it and adds a lot around it. Here is what the difference buys you. By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 15 October 2026. > ### The short answer > > - **Pick Handy** if you want free, open-source dictation that runs offline, or you need it on Windows or Linux. > - **Pick SpeechBee** if you want filler words removed, snippets, built-in writing modes and translation that work without an API key, Read Aloud, and the same tool on your iPhone and iPad. > > We make SpeechBee. Everything about Handy below comes from its own website, privacy policy and GitHub page, linked at the bottom. ## Side by side | | Handy | SpeechBee | |---|---|---| | Price | Free | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once, after 7 days free | | Source code | Open source on GitHub | Closed source | | Where speech is processed | On your computer | On your device | | Works offline | Yes, after a model download | Yes, after a model download | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Mac (Apple silicon), iPhone, iPad | | Puts text into any app | Yes, pastes into the active text field | Yes, at the cursor in any app | | Filler words removed | Not listed on its site | Yes, in 61 languages | | Custom words | Yes | Yes, a dictionary plus snippets | | Snippets | Not listed on its site | Yes | | AI rewriting and translation | Post-processing, marked alpha: you write the prompt and bring a cloud API key, a local model, or Apple Intelligence on macOS 26 | Built-in writing modes and 20 translation languages, on your Mac (macOS 26) | | Read text aloud | No | Yes, with natural local voices | ## What they share Both apps put your words into whatever you are typing in, and both do the speech recognition locally. Handy's privacy policy says ordinary dictation does not send your audio or text to Handy's servers. SpeechBee keeps audio in memory on the device and never uploads or records it. If privacy is your reason for looking, either one passes. ## What free gets you Handy costs nothing, and you can read every line of its code. That matters to some people more than any feature. It runs on Windows and Linux too, which SpeechBee does not. The trade is that Handy's main job is speech in, text out. Custom words help with names. Deleting every "um" is left to you. Reformatting a rambling paragraph into an email is possible through its alpha post-processing feature, but you write the prompt yourself and connect your own AI provider, a local model or Apple Intelligence. ## What the money gets you SpeechBee is built for people who dictate a lot and want less editing afterwards: - **Filler words removed** before the text lands, in 61 languages, and spoken commands such as "new paragraph". - **A dictionary** for names and terms, so you fix them once. - **Snippets,** so "booking link" types your full calendar URL. - **Writing modes** such as Email, Message, Notes and Prompt for AI, set per app, running on your Mac with Apple Intelligence. - **Translation as you speak,** between 20 languages, with Apple's on-device translation. - **Read Aloud.** Select text and press your reading key to hear it in a natural voice. - **iPhone and iPad** apps and a voice keyboard, in the same purchase. It is $79 a year, $9 a month, or $99 once, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ## Which to choose Try Handy first if money is tight, if you are on Windows or Linux, or if open source is a requirement. If you find yourself deleting "um"s every day, wishing it would format an email for you without a prompt and an API key to set up, or wanting it on your phone too, that is the work SpeechBee takes off your hands. The first week is free, so you can compare both on your own writing. ## Questions ### Is Handy free? Yes. Handy is free and open source. ### Does Handy work offline? Yes. Once a speech model is downloaded, Handy transcribes on your computer without an internet connection. So does SpeechBee. ### Does Handy work on Mac? Yes. Handy runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. ### What does SpeechBee add over Handy? Filler-word removal, snippets, ready-made writing modes and translation with no prompt or API key to set up, Read Aloud, and iPhone and iPad apps. Handy has custom words and an alpha post-processing feature you configure yourself. Handy is free; SpeechBee is $79 a year or $99 once. ## Keep comparing - [Voibe vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/voibe-vs-speechbee) - [Free speech to text on a Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/free-speech-to-text-mac) - [OpenWhispr vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/openwhispr-vs-speechbee) - [The best dictation apps for Mac](https://speechbee.app/compare/best-dictation-app-mac) ## More on dictation - [Every dictation guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-mac) - [MacWhisper pricing](https://speechbee.app/compare/macwhisper-pricing) - [MacWhisper vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/macwhisper-vs-speechbee) - [Monologue vs SpeechBee](https://speechbee.app/compare/monologue-vs-speechbee) - [OpenWhispr pricing](https://speechbee.app/compare/openwhispr-pricing) - [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 15 October 2026. - [Handy](https://handy.computer/) and [Handy privacy policy](https://handy.computer/privacy) - [Handy docs: post-processing](https://handy.computer/docs/post-processing) - [Handy on GitHub](https://github.com/cjpais/handy) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)