Dictation apps for Windows, compared
Short answer: VoiceWink is built for everyday dictation on Windows: a native Windows 11 app with speech recognition and AI built in, so by default your words stay on your PC. You pay once, from $25, for a lifetime license, with no subscription. If you also need a Mac or a phone, the table shows where each app runs.
This guide compares apps you can dictate with on Windows.
What you get with VoiceWink
- A lifetime license from $25. No subscription.
- Built-in speech recognition and AI run on your PC.
- Your words stay private by default, and it works offline.*
- Its AI cleans up and rewrites your words for each app.
- Dictate in 100 languages.
- Built natively for Windows 11.
- The code is open source, so anyone can check it.
- Every license has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
* A paid license checks in online at least once every 30 days.
Side by side
| App | Where your voice goes | Also runs on | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| VoiceWink | On your PC, with built-in models, or with a cloud service and your own API key. | Made for Windows 11, Arm PCs included. | No subscription: a lifetime license from $25, paid once, VAT included. 7-day free trial. Cloud features use your own API key, at the provider’s prices. Open source (GPL v3): you can also build it yourself, for free. |
| Amical | On your PC with Whisper models, or in its cloud if you sign in. | Mac, iOS and Android. | Free: unlimited dictation on your PC. Premium: $7 a month billed yearly, or $10 monthly. Open source (MIT). |
| Aqua Voice | In the cloud: “there is no offline mode”. | Mac and iOS; Android is waitlist-only. | Free: 1,000 words. Pro: $8 a month billed yearly, or $10 monthly. |
| Handy | On your PC only: “All models run locally on your machine.” | Mac and Linux. | Free and open source (MIT). |
| Spokenly | On your PC, or in the cloud. | Mac, Linux and iPhone. | Models on your PC and your own API keys: free. Pro: $99.99 a year, or $9.99 monthly. |
| Superwhisper | On your device, plus cloud models in Pro. | Mac, iOS and Android. | Free tier. Pro: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. |
| Typeless | In the cloud: “Transcription is performed on the cloud”. | Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. | Free: limited words each week. Pro: $12 a month billed yearly, or $30 monthly. |
| Willow Voice | In the cloud; its offline mode runs on your device. | Mac and iPhone. | Free, with a smaller model. Pro: $12 per user a month billed yearly, or $15 monthly. |
| Windows voice access | On your PC: “on-device speech recognition”. | Built into Windows 11. | Included with Windows 11. |
| Windows voice typing | Online, with “Azure Speech services”. | Built into Windows 11. | Included with Windows 11. |
| Wispr Flow | In the cloud: “Transcription always happens in the cloud”. | Mac, iPhone and Android. | Free: 2,000 words a week on desktop. Pro: $12 per user a month billed yearly, or $15 monthly. |
What each one is good for
- VoiceWink: great for everyday dictation on Windows, with a lifetime license from $25, paid once, and no subscription. Its built-in AI cleans up your text for each app, and by default your words stay on your PC.
- Amical: good for free, open source dictation on your PC, with an optional cloud. Keep in mind: its AI formatting is marked Alpha.
- Aqua Voice: good for cloud dictation that shifts its writing style to match the context. Keep in mind: it needs an internet connection, and the free plan is 1,000 words.
- Handy: good for free, open source dictation that stays on your PC, on Windows, Mac and Linux. Keep in mind: AI post-processing is an experimental feature.
- Spokenly: good for free dictation on your PC with optional cloud engines, on Windows, Mac, Linux and iPhone. Keep in mind: its site says “The Mac and iOS versions are the most mature”.
- Superwhisper: good for dictation on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, with a free tier and a one-time Pro option. Keep in mind: Pro costs $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once.
- Typeless: good for cloud dictation that cleans up and rewrites as you speak, on five platforms. Keep in mind: it needs an internet connection, and Pro costs $144 a year.
- Willow Voice: good for cloud dictation that learns your writing style. Keep in mind: the free plan uses a smaller model.
- Windows voice access: good for controlling your PC by voice, offline and at no cost. Keep in mind: a short list of languages.
- Windows voice typing: good for quick, free dictation when you are online. Keep in mind: it needs an internet connection.
- Wispr Flow: good for polished cloud dictation that edits as you speak, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Keep in mind: it is a subscription; the free plan covers 2,000 words a week on desktop.
VoiceWink compared one to one
Sources
This guide is by DV Studio, the maker of VoiceWink. Each app’s facts come from its own pages, read on 30 September 2026 (Spokenly’s homepage and Handy’s GitHub page on 4 October 2026). Features and prices may have changed since. Every product name is a trademark of its owner. VoiceWink is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.
- Amical: amical.ai, amical.ai/pricing, amical.ai/docs, amical.ai/docs/ai-formatting
- Aqua Voice: aquavoice.com, aquavoice.com/pricing, aquavoice.com/windows
- Handy: handy.computer/about, handy.computer/docs/models, handy.computer/docs/post-processing, github.com/cjpais/Handy
- Microsoft Support: voice typing, voice access, voice access setup
- Spokenly: spokenly.app, spokenly.app/windows, spokenly.app/pricing
- Superwhisper: superwhisper.com, superwhisper.com/windows
- Typeless: typeless.com, typeless.com/data-controls, typeless.com/pricing
- Willow Voice: willowvoice.com, willowvoice.com/security, willowvoice.com/pricing
- Wispr Flow: wisprflow.ai, wisprflow.ai/privacy, wisprflow.ai/pricing