--- title: "Willow Voice alternatives for Mac in 2026, with prices" description: "Willow is cloud dictation with a free plan and Pro at $12 to $15 a month. If you want local processing, a one-time price or Read Aloud, here are 6 Willow alternatives with prices checked October 2026." url: "https://speechbee.app/compare/willow-alternatives" --- # The best Willow Voice alternatives Willow has one of the more generous free plans in cloud dictation, with unlimited use of its smaller model. Pro moves you to its best model and costs $144 a year. If you want your voice to stay on your Mac or to pay once, these are the apps to look at. By the SpeechBee team. Prices checked on 12 October 2026. > ### The short answer > > - **Want dictation that stays on your device, plus Read Aloud?** [SpeechBee](#1-speechbee). > - **Want the closest cloud rival with a meeting Notetaker?** [Wispr Flow](#2-wispr-flow). > - **Want local and cloud models with AI modes?** [superwhisper](#3-superwhisper). > - **Want to pay once?** [VoiceInk](#4-voiceink), $25. > - **Want free and local?** [Spokenly](#5-spokenly). > > We make SpeechBee. Facts about the other apps come from their own sites, linked at the bottom. ## What Willow does well Willow is AI dictation for Mac, Windows and iPhone, where it works as a keyboard. Its free Basic plan includes unlimited dictation on a smaller model, Frontier Mini, limited personalisation, and 20 uses a week of Scribe, its AI writing feature. Pro is $15 a month or $12 a month billed yearly and moves you to Frontier Pro, its most accurate model, with memory of your writing style, unlimited Scribe and longer dictation. Business at $28 to $35 per user enforces zero data retention and HIPAA. Willow says Privacy Mode is on by default, audio is discarded after processing, and transcripts are not logged on its servers by default. Normally processing runs on its cloud infrastructure in the United States. Willow also lists an offline mode that dictates without an internet connection, powered by your device. ## Willow alternatives at a glance | App | Price | Processing | Reads text aloud | Platforms | |---|---|---|---|---| | Willow | Free Basic, Pro $15/mo or $144/yr | Cloud, with an offline mode | No | Mac, Windows, iPhone | | SpeechBee | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once | On device | Yes | Mac, iPhone, iPad | | Wispr Flow | $15/mo or $144/yr, free 2,000 words a week | Cloud | No | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | | superwhisper | $8.49/mo, $84.99/yr, or $249.99 once | Local or cloud | No | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | | VoiceInk | $25 once for 1 Mac | Local | No | Apple silicon Mac, iPhone | | Spokenly | Free, Pro $99.99/yr | Local, cloud optional | No | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone | | Typeless | $30/mo or $144/yr | Cloud | No | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android | ## 1. SpeechBee SpeechBee is ours. Where Willow is cloud first with an offline mode, SpeechBee is on-device only. Speech recognition always runs on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, audio is never uploaded or recorded, and dictation works offline after a one-time model download. Hold a key and talk on the Mac, or switch to the SpeechBee keyboard on iPhone and iPad. Filler words are removed, and a dictionary and snippets handle names and repeated text. It also reads selected text aloud with natural local voices, which Willow does not. One plan covers all your Apple devices. 7 days free, then $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. > **Pick SpeechBee if** you want Willow's ease without your voice leaving the device. > > **Skip it if** you need Windows, or AI that writes from your intent the way Scribe does. ## 2. Wispr Flow The most direct rival: cloud dictation with polished cleanup, context awareness, and a meeting Notetaker on Mac and Windows, plus Android. The free plan has 2,000 words a week on desktop. Pro is the same price as Willow Pro, $15 a month or $144 a year. See our [Wispr Flow review](https://speechbee.app/compare/wispr-flow-review). > **Pick Wispr Flow if** you want Android or meeting notes. > > **Skip it if** Willow's unlimited free model is why you chose it. ## 3. superwhisper Local Whisper models offline, cloud models when you want them, and modes that set tone and model per app. It also records meetings and transcribes files. Free tier with unlimited local Whisper models, Pro from $8.49 a month or $249.99 for life, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. > **Pick superwhisper if** you want to choose local or cloud per task. > > **Skip it if** you want no setup. ## 4. VoiceInk Local dictation on your Mac for $25 once, with custom words, replacements and voice editing of selected text, and open-source code. Needs Apple silicon and macOS 14.4 or later. There is an iPhone app. > **Pick VoiceInk if** you want to stop paying monthly. > > **Skip it if** you need Windows. ## 5. Spokenly Free local models with no word cap and no account, free bring-your-own-key cloud models, and a local-only mode, on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone. Pro is $99.99 a year. > **Pick Spokenly if** you want a free plan with no limits that stays local by default. > > **Skip it if** you want everything managed. ## 6. Typeless Cloud AI dictation like Willow, with heavier rewriting, translation as you speak, voice editing of selected text, and Linux and Android apps. Pro is $12 a month billed yearly or $30 monthly. See [Wispr Flow vs Typeless](https://speechbee.app/compare/wispr-flow-vs-typeless). > **Pick Typeless if** you want more AI editing. > > **Skip it if** price on monthly billing matters. ## Questions ### Is Willow Voice free? Willow's Basic plan is free, with unlimited dictation on its smaller Frontier Mini model and 20 Scribe uses a week. Pro is $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly. ### Does Willow work offline? Willow lists an offline mode that dictates without an internet connection, powered by your device. By default it processes on its cloud in the United States. SpeechBee always transcribes on your device. ### Is Willow private? Willow says Privacy Mode is on by default, audio is discarded after processing, transcripts are not logged by default, and voice and text are not used to train AI models. Business enforces zero data retention. ## Keep comparing - [The best Wispr Flow alternatives](https://speechbee.app/compare/wispr-flow-alternatives) - [The best dictation apps for Mac](https://speechbee.app/compare/best-dictation-app-mac) - [Wispr Flow vs Typeless](https://speechbee.app/compare/wispr-flow-vs-typeless) ## Sources All checked on 12 October 2026. - [Willow pricing](https://willowvoice.com/pricing), [Willow](https://willowvoice.com/) and [Willow security](https://willowvoice.com/security) - [Wispr Flow pricing](https://wisprflow.ai/pricing) - [superwhisper](https://superwhisper.com/) - [VoiceInk pricing](https://tryvoiceink.com/pricing) - [Spokenly pricing](https://spokenly.app/pricing) - [Typeless pricing](https://www.typeless.com/pricing) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)