Comparisons
Free voice dictation that stays on your device: a Wispr Flow alternative
Dictate turns speech into text in your browser, with no word cap and no upload. It is a dictation pad, not system-wide. Here is when it fits.
Dictate is free voice dictation that runs on your own device. Press the button, talk, and your words appear as text you can edit and copy anywhere. There are no word or minute limits, and your audio is never uploaded. The honest difference from Wispr Flow: Dictate is a dictation pad you keep open and copy from, not a tool that types into every app on your computer.
Wispr Flow's free plan is capped at 2,000 words a week on desktop, with limited weekly use on phones. Pro costs $15 per user a month, or $12 on the annual plan, according to its pricing page on October 19, 2026.
| Tool | Free plan | Sign-up to start | Works in every app | Open source | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dictate (ours) | No word or minute limits; audio stays on your device | No | No, a pad you copy from | Source is public, no license yet | Dictate |
| Wispr Flow | 2,000 words a week on desktop, limited on mobile | Not stated | Yes | No | Wispr Flow pricing |
| Otter | 300 transcription minutes a month | Not stated | No, a meeting notetaker | No | Otter pricing |
| macOS Dictation | Built in | No | Yes | No | Apple support |
Checked on October 19, 2026. "Not stated" means the vendor's page does not say.
A dictation pad, not system-wide dictation
System-wide dictation, like Wispr Flow, works wherever your cursor is. Hold a key, talk, and the text lands in your email, your chat or your document.
A dictation pad, like Dictate, has its own text box. You talk into it, fix anything it got wrong, then copy the text into whatever app you are using.
The pad adds a copy and paste. For quick replies scattered across ten apps, that is real friction. For longer writing it hardly matters, and some people prefer it: you read and fix the whole thing before it goes anywhere.
Dictate is a good fit for:
- drafting long emails, posts and messages,
- notes and journaling,
- first drafts of anything you find easier to say than to type,
- anyone who does not want their voice sent to a server.
It is a poor fit if you want to dictate into every text field all day, or control your computer by voice.
How private is it?
Dictate uses Whisper, an open speech model, and runs it inside your browser on your own device. Your audio is never uploaded, not to OpenApps and not to anyone else. After the first visit downloads the model, it works offline, and you can install it like an app.
That is also why it is free. Your device does the work, so Dictate costs nothing to run. More on that in why these apps are free.
How accurate is it?
Good, with limits worth knowing. Dictate has two settings:
- Fast works well on most laptops and phones.
- Accurate is slower and makes fewer mistakes.
Both use the smaller sizes of Whisper, so they can run in a browser. Services that run large models on their own servers can do better with heavy accents, background noise and unusual words. Dictate also writes down what you said, as you said it. It does not rewrite your words into polished prose. Read the text over before you send it.
How to use Dictate
- Open Dictate. The first time, it downloads the speech model and keeps it on your device.
- Pick Fast or Accurate.
- Press Dictate and start talking. Allow the microphone when your browser asks.
- Your words appear in the text box, where you can edit them. Press Stop when you are done.
- Copy the text into your email, document or chat.
To use it like an app, install it from your browser and keep it open beside your work.
Dictate can also transcribe recordings, with timestamps and subtitles. See how to transcribe audio for free without uploading it.
Other free options
- The dictation built into your device. macOS has Dictation, Windows has voice typing (press the Windows key and H), and phone keyboards have a microphone button. They are free and system-wide. Check your settings to see whether your audio is processed on the device or sent to a server.
- Whisper desktop apps. Apps such as Buzz, which is open source, and MacWhisper, which has a free version, run Whisper on your computer.
- Wispr Flow free. Worth trying if system-wide dictation is what you want and 2,000 words a week on desktop is enough for you.
- Otter Basic. Free, with 300 transcription minutes a month. It is built for meetings rather than for dictating text.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Wispr Flow?
Yes. OpenApps Dictate is free voice dictation with no word or minute limits, and the speech model runs on your own device, so your audio is never uploaded. It is a dictation pad you copy text from, not a system-wide tool. Your device's built-in dictation is another free option.
Does Dictate work in any app?
Not directly. OpenApps Dictate is a dictation pad: you talk into its text box, then copy the text into any app. It does not type into other apps on its own.
Is my voice uploaded when I use Dictate?
No. OpenApps Dictate runs the Whisper speech model in your browser, on your own device. Your audio stays on your device and is never sent to a server.
Does Dictate work offline?
Yes. After the first visit downloads the speech model, OpenApps Dictate works without an internet connection. You can also install it like an app.
How accurate is Dictate?
OpenApps Dictate uses Whisper, an open speech model. The Accurate setting is slower and makes fewer mistakes, and Fast works well on most laptops and phones. Services that run large models on their own servers can do better with noisy audio or heavy accents.