JompterOpen-source Wispr Flow alternatives for Mac, compared
Handy, OpenWhispr and VoiceInk are the strongest open-source replacements for Wispr Flow: all three run speech models on your own machine. Buzz is for transcribing files, and macOS Dictation is built in. Jompter isn't open source — it's the pick when your words are going to a coding agent.
Free and open-source dictation apps, side by side
Checked against each project's own site in September 2026. Projects move fast — check their pages before you decide.
| App | Open source | Platforms | Price | Speech models | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handy | MIT | macOS, Windows, Linux | Free | Whisper, Parakeet | Free push-to-talk dictation on any desktop |
| OpenWhispr | MIT | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS | Free | Whisper, plus optional cloud | Dictation plus meeting notes and AI chat |
| VoiceInk | GPL | macOS 14.4+ (Apple Silicon) | One-time purchase, or build from source | Whisper, Parakeet | Private Mac dictation with per-app modes |
| Buzz | MIT | macOS, Windows, Linux | Free | Whisper | Transcribing recordings and audio files |
| macOS Dictation | No (built in) | macOS | Free with macOS | Apple's on-device model | Quick dictation with nothing to install |
| Jompter | No | macOS (Apple Silicon) | 7-day trial, then a licence | Whisper, Parakeet, Nemotron | Voice, screenshots and recordings into one prompt for your coding agent |
Which one should you pick?
You want free, open-source dictation on Windows or Linux
Handy or OpenWhispr
You want meeting notes as well as dictation
OpenWhispr
You want a polished Mac app you can also build from source
VoiceInk
You need to transcribe recordings, not live speech
Buzz
You only dictate the odd message
macOS Dictation
Your words go to Claude Code, Cursor or Codex, with screenshots and recordings
Jompter
Open-source dictation, answered
The questions developers ask before trying Jompter.
Checked against each project's own site in September 2026. Projects move fast — check their pages before you decide.
For most people, Handy or OpenWhispr: both are MIT-licensed, free, and run Whisper on your own machine. On a Mac, VoiceInk is the most polished, and it's GPL-licensed.
Yes. macOS has Dictation built in, and Handy, OpenWhispr and Buzz are free and open source. VoiceInk is free if you build it from source.
No. Jompter is a closed-source Mac app. It's on this list because it's the dictation tool built for AI coding: it adds screenshots, screen recordings and an MCP hand-off to what you say.
Handy, VoiceInk and Buzz transcribe on your machine, and OpenWhispr can. macOS Dictation works offline on Apple Silicon for many languages. Jompter works offline in Local mode with a licence.