JompterThe best free dictation apps for Mac, compared
Updated September 2026
The best free dictation app for Mac depends on where your words go. macOS Dictation is built in and needs nothing installed, so it is the right pick for the odd message. Handy and OpenWhispr are free, MIT-licensed and run Whisper on your own machine, on Windows and Linux as well. Spokenly offers free local dictation on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone, and its MCP server lets coding agents ask for voice input. Buzz is free and open source, but it transcribes audio files rather than live speech. VoiceInk is free only if you build it from source. Jompter, which publishes this page, is free on Apple Silicon Macs with unlimited on-device dictation, prompts and an MCP hand-off; it is the pick when your words are going to Claude Code, Cursor or Codex together with a screenshot or a screen recording. Its free tier needs a free account, and the heavier features have daily or total limits.
Free dictation apps for Mac, side by side
Checked against each app's own site in September 2026. Jompter publishes this page. Free tiers change, check each app's page before you decide.
| App | What's free | Processing | The catch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS Dictation | Built into macOS | On-device on Apple Silicon for many languages | Plain text only; no custom models | The odd message, with nothing to install |
| Handy | Everything (MIT open source) | On-device: Whisper, Parakeet and more | Speech to text only | Free push-to-talk dictation on any desktop |
| OpenWhispr | The app (MIT open source) | On-device Whisper, or optional cloud | Cloud features are optional extras | Dictation plus meeting notes and AI chat |
| Spokenly | Local dictation | On-device Whisper or Parakeet, or cloud | Cloud features are in a paid Pro plan | Free dictation on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone |
| Buzz | Everything (MIT open source) | On-device Whisper | Transcribes files, not live dictation | Transcribing recordings and audio files |
| VoiceInk | Free if you build it from source | On-device: Whisper, Parakeet | The ready-made app is a one-time purchase | Private Mac dictation with per-app modes |
| Jompter | Unlimited dictation, prompts and the MCP hand-off | On-device: Whisper, Parakeet, Nemotron | Apple Silicon Mac only; free account; free limits: 20 screenshots a day, 5 screen recordings, 3 boards and one 10-minute Remote session a day | Voice, screenshots and recordings into one prompt for your coding agent |
Which free dictation app should you pick?
You dictate the odd message and want nothing to install
macOS Dictation
You want open-source dictation you can audit, on any desktop
Handy or OpenWhispr
You need the same dictation app on Windows, Linux or iPhone
Spokenly or OpenWhispr
You need to transcribe recordings, not live speech
Buzz
You want per-app modes and are happy to build from source
VoiceInk
Your words go to Claude Code, Cursor or Codex, with screenshots and recordings
Jompter
Free dictation on a Mac, answered
The questions developers ask before trying Jompter.
Checked against each app's own site in September 2026. Jompter publishes this page. Free tiers change, check each app's page before you decide.
For occasional dictation, macOS Dictation: it is built in and free. For open source, Handy or OpenWhispr. For dictation that goes to an AI coding agent with screenshots and recordings attached, Jompter, which publishes this page.
Yes. macOS Dictation works offline on Apple Silicon for many languages, and Handy, Buzz, Spokenly and Jompter all run speech models on your Mac with no internet connection. OpenWhispr can run locally too.
Yes. Handy, OpenWhispr and Spokenly all offer free local dictation, and Jompter's dictation is free and unlimited on Apple Silicon Macs. Wispr Flow itself is a cloud subscription.
Any of them can type into a terminal. Two go further: Spokenly's MCP server lets an agent ask for voice input, and Jompter hands the agent a whole prompt over MCP, your words plus screenshots and screen-recording frames, with a to-do list the agent keeps updated.
It needs a free account and an Apple Silicon Mac. Dictation, prompts and the MCP hand-off are unlimited; the heavier features have free limits: 20 screenshots a day, 5 screen recordings, 3 boards and one 10-minute Remote session a day. A one-time license removes them.