Best Dictation Software for Mac and Windows (2026)

For most people, the best dictation app is already on their computer. Apple Dictation on a Mac and Voice Typing on Windows (Windows key + H) are free and type into text fields in other apps. Pay for dedicated dictation software only when you need something the built-in tools don't give you. That might be AI-cleaned text in every app, offline dictation in many languages, transcription of recordings, or a one-time-license professional program on Windows.

Quick picks:

• Apple Dictation and Windows Voice Typing: best free starting point. Nothing to install.
• Wispr Flow: best for polished dictation into any app on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Subscription.
• Superwhisper: best for offline, on-device dictation into any app, with a one-time lifetime option.
• MacWhisper: best for transcribing audio and video files on a Mac.
• Dragon Professional: best if you want a dedicated, one-time-license dictation program on Windows.

We also cover Gubb, our own app. It dictates only into its own notes, not into other apps, so it fits a much narrower job than the tools above.

We make Gubb, so weigh our view accordingly. We've tried to be fair to every app here, and we say plainly where Gubb is the wrong choice.

What to look for in a dictation app

These are the criteria we used to choose and order the apps. We didn't run benchmarks, so there are no accuracy scores here. The differences below come from what each app does and how it's sold.

• Where the text goes. Some tools type into any app: your email, a browser, a document. Others put text only into their own window or produce a transcript file. This matters more than anything else.
• On-device or cloud. On-device transcription works without internet and keeps your audio on your computer. Cloud transcription sends audio to a server.
• Languages. Some tools support 100+ languages. Others are English-only in some modes.
• Platforms. Some tools are Mac-only and some are Windows-only. A few run on Mac, Windows and phones.
• Pricing model. Free, subscription or one-time purchase. Over a few years, $12 a month adds up to more than many one-time licenses.
• Live dictation or files. Dictating as you speak is a different job from transcribing a recording or a meeting.

The apps are ordered by job: free built-ins first, then apps that type into any app, then specialist tools. Gubb comes last because it covers the narrowest job.

Summary table

Prices are as of November 2026. For Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper and Dragon, we couldn't confirm every figure on an official pricing page, so check before you buy.

Apple Dictation: best free option on Mac

Apple Dictation is built into macOS. To turn it on, open System Settings, click Keyboard and switch on Dictation (or search System Settings for "Dictation"). Then start it with the shortcut shown in that setting and speak into any text field. Our guide to using dictation on Mac covers the setup in detail, and Apple's own Dictation help page lists the options.

What it's good at:

• It's free and needs no installation.
• On a Mac with Apple silicon, Dictation is processed on your device for supported languages, so it works without an internet connection.
• It supports multiple languages. You add them in the Dictation setting with the Edit button next to Languages.
• Apple's help page says that with Apple Intelligence in macOS 27, dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation and capitalization. That model is available in English on Macs with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory.

What it lacks:

• On an Intel Mac, or in a language without on-device support, your speech is sent to Apple for processing.
• Apple says Dictation isn't available in every language or region, and features vary.

Price: free, as of November 2026.

Pick it if you dictate emails, messages and documents in a supported language on an Apple silicon Mac. Try it before you buy anything. If it stops responding, see Mac dictation not working.

Windows Voice Typing: best free option on Windows

Voice Typing is built into Windows. Click into a text field and press Windows key + H to start. Microsoft's Q&A answers confirm it types into other apps, including Word, Notepad and the browser. Our Windows voice typing guide covers it step by step.

What it's good at:

• It's free and opens with one shortcut.
• You can control it by voice, for example by saying "Stop listening" or "Pause voice typing". Windows + Alt + H moves through the voice typing menu with the keyboard.
• Echo cancellation helps it listen only to your voice.
• You can install extra voice typing languages.

What it lacks:

• It only enters text. It has no notes, lists or clipboard features of its own.
• It runs on Windows only.
• We couldn't confirm whether it works offline.

If Windows key + H does nothing or just types an "h", our voice typing troubleshooting page covers the fixes.

Price: free, as of November 2026.

Pick it if you're on Windows and want to try dictation at no cost. For more free Windows options, see best free dictation software for Windows.

Wispr Flow: best for polished text in any app

Wispr Flow describes itself as voice-to-text AI that "turns speech into clear, polished writing in every app." It runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

What it's good at:

• It types into any app on four platforms.
• Your personal dictionary, style and settings sync across devices.
• It has a meeting tool, Wispr Flow Notetaker, on Windows and Mac.
• A third-party summary says it supports 100+ languages.

What it lacks:

• The paid plan is a subscription only. There is no lifetime purchase.
• The free plan has a weekly word cap.
• We couldn't confirm an offline mode either way. If on-device processing matters to you, check with Wispr directly.

Price (as of November 2026, from third-party summaries of its pricing page):

• Free: 2,000 dictated words a week on Mac or Windows, and 1,000 a week on iPhone. Sources disagree on Android's free limit.
• Pro: $15 per user per month, or $144 a year ($12 a month).

Sources also disagree on team pricing, so we don't quote it. Details are in our Wispr Flow pricing breakdown.

Pick it if you dictate a lot across several devices, want the app to clean up your phrasing, and don't mind a subscription. If the subscription is the sticking point, see Wispr Flow alternatives.

Superwhisper: best for offline dictation in any app

Superwhisper is AI voice-to-text that works in any app, with offline and cloud transcription, 100+ languages and custom AI modes. Its official download page lists these requirements:

• macOS 14 or later
• Windows 10 or later
• iOS 18 or later
• Android 13 or later

What it's good at:

• It works offline with local models, so your audio can stay on your computer.
• It runs on four platforms.
• Custom AI modes let you shape the output. One review says modes can be set per app.
• A one-time lifetime license is available.
• It includes Meetings, which is Mac-only.

What it lacks:

• Superwhisper says Intel Macs work best with its cloud models. The offline models run well mainly on Apple silicon.
• The lifetime license costs $249.99. A review notes it went up from about $199.
• Meetings is Mac-only.

Price (as of November 2026, from third-party pages that agree with each other):

• Pro: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once for a lifetime license.
• Free plan, according to one review: small local Whisper models, 100+ languages, up to 3 custom modes and a 15-minute Pro trial.

See Superwhisper pricing for more detail.

Pick it if you want to dictate into any app, care about on-device processing, use an Apple silicon Mac, or would rather pay once. For a side-by-side with Wispr Flow, read Wispr Flow vs Superwhisper.

MacWhisper: best for transcribing recordings on a Mac

MacWhisper transcribes audio and video files on your Mac using Whisper and other speech models. It also does dictation and meeting transcription, but recordings are its main job.

What it's good at:

• Transcription runs on your own computer.
• The free tier covers file transcription with local models, export to TXT, SRT and VTT, and basic dictation.
• Version 15 adds real-time meeting transcription with speaker identification (beta), folders, a share-menu option and Shortcuts support.
• Version 15.2 recognizes up to 8 speakers.
• According to one review, Pro exports to DOCX, PDF and Markdown and can transcribe in batches.

What it lacks:

• It's Mac only.
• Version 15 needs macOS 15 or later.
• Batch transcription, speaker recognition and AI-service integrations need Pro.
• It has no notes, checklist or clipboard history tools.

Price: as of November 2026, several reviews put direct-sale Pro at €64, a one-time purchase with lifetime updates. Other sources quote different figures. The App Store version, called "Whisper Transcription", is sold separately and priced differently. Check macwhisper.com before buying.

Pick it if you have interviews, lectures or meetings to turn into text. For live typing into apps, a dedicated dictation tool fits better. Our Superwhisper vs MacWhisper comparison covers where the two overlap.

Dragon Professional: best for dedicated Windows dictation

Dragon is long-running desktop speech-recognition software from Nuance. The current version is Dragon Professional v16, and it runs on Windows. We found no current Mac version. Our page on Dragon dictation software covers what Mac users can use instead.

What it's good at:

• It's a one-time perpetual license with no subscription.
• Industry editions exist, such as Dragon Legal.
• A reseller claims high accuracy in noisy settings and with different accents. That's a seller's claim, not an independent test.

What it lacks:

• It's Windows only.
• It's expensive upfront and sold mainly through resellers. Nuance publishes no list price: a third-party check in October 2026 found the official Dragon Professional v16 page ends in a "Contact us" button.
• We found no free tier or trial.
• One source reports no major release since 2023.

Price (as of November 2026, at resellers):

• Dragon Professional v16: about $699 one-time.
• Upgrade from Professional 15: $342.99 at CDW.
• Dragon Legal v16: about $800.

Pick it if your work is already set up around Dragon on Windows, or you specifically want a one-time-license professional dictation program. Most individual users will find the free and lower-cost options above enough.

Gubb: best for short, private voice notes (not for typing into other apps)

Gubb is our app. It's a small scratchpad that combines notes (with checklists and Kanban boards), clipboard history, timers, break reminders, inline math and Speech to Text. We list it here for one job: speaking a quick thought straight into a note, on your own computer.

The limits:

• Text goes only into the open Gubb note. It's inserted at the cursor. Gubb does not type into your email, browser or documents.
• No hotkey or push-to-talk. You start and stop recording with buttons in the Gubb window.
• English only, 30 seconds at a time with the local models. Only the first 30 seconds of a recording are transcribed, so speak in short bursts.
• No live transcription and no audio files. Text appears after you stop recording, and Gubb can't transcribe recordings.
• Use the local models, not the OpenAI option. Settings also lists an OpenAI API provider that uses your own key. In the current version, choosing it returns "OpenAI API is not configured. Please add your API key in settings." even after you save a key.

What it's good at:

• Transcription with a downloaded Whisper model runs on your computer. After the one-time model download from Hugging Face, it needs no internet and has no per-minute fees.
• You choose the model size: Whisper Small (480 MB), Whisper Medium (1500 MB) or Whisper Large (3000 MB). Gubb's settings recommend 8GB+ of RAM for Medium and 16GB+ for Large.
• Your notes stay in a local database on your computer. There's no account.
• To move dictated text elsewhere, press ⌘⇧C (Command-Shift-C) to copy the whole note as plain text, then paste it where you need it.

Setting it up:

1. Hover the right edge of the note window and click Settings (the gear).
2. Go to Voice to Text and check that Transcription Provider is set to Local Models.
3. Under Available Models, click Download next to a model. The progress bar may not move; wait for the "Download Complete" message.
4. Select the model under Active Model (or restart Gubb). Skipping this step makes recordings fail.
5. Close Settings, hover the right edge of the note and click Speech to Text. A bar appears at the bottom of the note.
6. Click the mic to start recording, then click Stop. The text appears at your cursor.

macOS asks for microphone access the first time you record. The dictating notes on Mac guide covers other ways to capture voice notes.

Price: $59 one-time, as of November 2026. A license activates on up to 3 devices. Gubb is also on the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store for Windows. You can try the Mac download free for 7 days.

Pick it if you mostly want to talk ideas into a scratchpad in English and you'd use Gubb's other tools too. If you need dictation inside other apps, Gubb is the wrong tool: use your built-in dictation or one of the any-app tools above.

Comparison: platforms, offline and pricing model

Which dictation app should you pick?

• Start with your built-in dictation if you only dictate now and then. It's free, and on an Apple silicon Mac it runs on-device for supported languages.
• Pick Wispr Flow if you want cleaned-up text in every app across Mac, Windows and your phone, and a subscription is fine.
• Pick Superwhisper if you want offline dictation into any app, many languages, or a one-time lifetime license, especially on an Apple silicon Mac.
• Pick MacWhisper if your job is turning recordings, lectures or meetings into text on a Mac.
• Pick Dragon Professional if you're on Windows, need a dedicated professional dictation program, and the roughly $699 price makes sense for your work.
• Pick Gubb if you want short English voice notes captured offline in a scratchpad that also handles lists, clipboard history and timers. Don't pick it for dictating into other apps.

For a Mac-only shortlist, see the best dictation app for Mac.

FAQ

Is there a free dictation app that works offline?

Yes. Apple Dictation runs on-device on Apple silicon Macs for supported languages. According to one review, Superwhisper's free plan includes small local Whisper models, and MacWhisper's free tier transcribes files with local models.

Which dictation apps type into any app?

Apple Dictation, Windows Voice Typing, Wispr Flow and Superwhisper all put text into other apps. Gubb does not: its Speech to Text inserts text only into Gubb notes.

Is there dictation software that works on both Mac and Windows?

Wispr Flow and Superwhisper both run on Mac and Windows and type into any app. Gubb is available on both too, but only for dictating into its own notes.

Is Dragon available for Mac?

We found no current Mac version. Dragon Professional v16 is Windows only. On a Mac, use Apple Dictation or one of the Mac apps above.

Can I avoid a subscription?

Yes. The built-in tools are free. Superwhisper offers a $249.99 lifetime license, MacWhisper Pro and Dragon are one-time purchases, and Gubb is $59 once (all as of November 2026). Wispr Flow has no lifetime plan.