Free AI Dictation Apps
Which voice dictation apps you can use for free today, how many words you get, where they work and what the first paid plan costs, read from each app's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Dictation apps change their word caps and plans often: confirm the terms on the app's page before you rely on them.
AI dictation apps you can use for free today include Wispr Flow (dictation in any app, with a weekly cap), Spokenly (free forever, on-device Whisper and Parakeet), Willow (unlimited dictation, lighter model), OpenWhispr (unlimited local dictation, free), and Glaido (free forever, 2,000 words a week). Each of the 11 free plans below links to the app's page that states it, with its main limit, where it works and what the first paid plan costs.
AI dictation apps type what you say into any app: an email, a document, a chat or a code editor. The newer ones clean up filler words and punctuation with AI models as you speak, and most let you start free, with a weekly allowance of words, a free on-device model or a trial.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can cap you at a few thousand words a week, work only on desktop, or keep the better cloud models for paid plans, while apps that run speech models on your own computer can be free with no cap at all. Each app below shows its free allowance, its main limit, where it works and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the app's own page with the date we read it.
Which apps we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the apps'. Several of these apps pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which apps are listed or where.
AI dictation apps with a free plan
Speak in any app and these type it out, cleaned up by AI models in the cloud, with a free allowance of words to start.
- 1
Wispr Flow
The best-known app, 2,000 words a week on desktop
Wispr Flow's Free plan gives limited dictation in any app: a 2,000-word weekly allowance on Mac and Windows, and no card to start. Pro is $15 a user a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed to start (source: wisprflow.ai)
Start free at Wispr FlowReferral linkTerms read on docs.wisprflow.ai on Wispr Flow: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Willow
Unlimited dictation on a lighter model
Willow's Basic plan is free, with unlimited dictation on a lighter model and 20 Scribe uses a week, and no credit card needed. Pro is $15 a user a month, or $12 on annual.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: willowvoice.com)
Start free at Willow VoiceReferral linkTerms read on willowvoice.com on Willow: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Glaido
Free forever, 2,000 words a week on the desktop
Glaido's Basic plan is free forever, with 2,000 words a week on macOS, Windows 11 and Linux. Pro is $17 a user a month, billed annually.
Start free at GlaidoReferral linkTerms read on glaido.com on Glaido: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Aqua Voice
1,000 free words on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android
Aqua Voice's Free plan includes 1,000 free words with the Avalon 1.5 model, on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, with no credit card. Pro is $10 a month billed annually.
- Main limit
- 1,000 free words (source: aquavoice.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: aquavoice.com)
Start free at Aqua VoiceReferral linkTerms read on aquavoice.com on Aqua Voice: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Typeless
Light dictation on desktop and phone
Typeless's Free plan gives limited words each week, on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. Pro is $12 a member a month, billed yearly, with unlimited words.
- 6
Monologue
Trying the full workflow before paying
Monologue's free trial includes 1,000 dictation words, 10 recorded Notes and offline transcription, on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Pro includes unlimited dictation.
Dictation apps that run on your device
Apps that can transcribe with speech models on your own computer, so the free plan is not capped by a cloud allowance.
- 1
Spokenly
Offline dictation with no word caps
Spokenly's Free plan runs on-device Whisper and Parakeet models with no word caps and no credit card, on macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Local+ is $29 once.
- Payment card
- No credit card (source: spokenly.app)
- First paid plan
- Local+: $29 one-time payment (source: spokenly.app)
- 2
OpenWhispr
Unlimited local dictation, free for good
OpenWhispr's Free plan has unlimited local dictation, plus 2,000 cloud words a week, with no card to start. Pro is $80 a user a year, billed annually.
- Payment card
- No card to start (source: openwhispr.com)
Start free at OpenWhisprTerms read on openwhispr.com on OpenWhispr: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Superwhisper
Offline Whisper dictation on Mac or Windows
Superwhisper's free tier is unlimited use of Whisper models, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Cloud AI models come with Pro, at $8.49 a month.
Start free at SuperwhisperReferral linkTerms read on superwhisper.com on Superwhisper: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Handy
Free, open source dictation on your own computer
Handy is the free and open source app for speech to text, on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its site lists no paid plan.
- 5
Paraspeech
Mac users who want to try it for a week
Paraspeech's free trial is 7 days with unlimited transcriptions, on Mac and iPhone. After the trial it is billed at $14.99 a month.
- First paid plan
- $14.99 a month after the trial (source: paraspeech.com)
Start free at ParaspeechReferral linkTerms read on paraspeech.com on Paraspeech: the free allowance and how to start
Discounts on paid dictation plans
Offers on the paid plans of dictation apps, for when the free words run out. Several come through our partner links, which say so.
- Checked Source and terms for Aqua Voice partner discountApply to Aqua Voice partner discountReferral link
- Catalog valueSource and terms for Paraspeech partner discountApply to Paraspeech partner discountReferral link
- Checked Source and terms for Wispr Flow 30-day Pro trialApply to Wispr Flow 30-day Pro trialReferral link
Also useful for dictation and voice typing
Shown only because they fit what this page is about, and ordered by that fit (70%) and what a referral is expected to earn us (30%). We may earn a commission if you sign up through one of these, at no cost to you. They never change the ranking of this page.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers voice dictation apps a founder can use for free today without applying to a program: apps that type what you say into any app, grouped into those whose free plan transcribes in the cloud and those that can run on your own device. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each app's terms. Every term comes from the app's own pricing or documentation page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A weekly word cap, a free plan limited to one platform or a trial that ends can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the app states them. Several of these apps pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where an app appears, and no app pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free dictation app?
It depends on whether you want cloud quality or no cap. By the terms each app states, Willow's free Basic plan gives unlimited dictation on a lighter model, and Wispr Flow and Glaido give 2,000 words a week on desktop. Apps that run models on your own device have no word cap: Spokenly's free plan uses on-device Whisper and Parakeet models, Superwhisper's free tier gives unlimited use of Whisper models, and Handy is free and open source.
Is Wispr Flow free?
Yes, within a weekly limit. Wispr Flow's Free plan gives 2,000 words a week of dictation on Mac and Windows, with no card needed to start. Pro is $15 a user a month, or $12 billed yearly.
Is Superwhisper free?
Yes for its local models. Superwhisper's free tier gives unlimited use of Whisper models on your device; its cloud AI models come with Pro, at $8.49 a month or $84.99 a year.
Can I dictate offline for free?
Yes, with an app that runs the speech model on your own computer. Spokenly, OpenWhispr, Superwhisper and Handy all have a free option that transcribes on your device, so it works without sending audio to the cloud and without a weekly word cap.
Do free dictation apps need a credit card?
Most of the free plans here need none: Wispr Flow, Willow, Aqua Voice, OpenWhispr and Spokenly say so on their own pages. Monologue and Paraspeech start with a free trial instead of a standing free plan.
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