Dictato and Spokenly are both local dictation apps for Mac. Both use OpenAI’s Whisper model to transcribe speech on your device. Both work in any app. Both promise privacy by keeping your audio off the cloud.
The split is in the business model and what you get for your money. Spokenly offers a free tier for basic dictation and charges $7.99/month for AI-powered features. Dictato charges $9.99 once and includes everything for two years. That pricing split shapes everything else.
How Spokenly works
Spokenly is a privacy-first dictation tool for macOS. You set a keyboard shortcut, press it, speak, and your words appear as text in whatever app you’re using. Under the hood, it runs OpenAI’s Whisper model locally on your Mac. No audio leaves your machine. No account is required to start using it.
The basic version is free with unlimited dictation. You speak, it transcribes, the text lands in your active app. For many people, that’s enough. The Whisper model handles accents well, supports dozens of languages, and the accuracy is solid for everyday dictation.
Where Spokenly draws the line is AI text processing. Grammar correction, formatting, context-aware adaptation — these features live behind the Pro paywall. If you want your dictated text cleaned up, restructured, or adapted to the context of what you’re writing, you need the subscription.
The app works offline for basic transcription. No sign-up needed to start. It’s a clean, simple approach to dictation that gets out of your way.
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited basic Whisper dictation. No AI text processing.
- Pro: $7.99/month. Adds grammar correction, smart formatting, and context-aware text adaptation.
How Dictato works
Press a hotkey, speak, release. Text appears at your cursor with roughly 80ms of delay — while you’re still finishing your thought, not after. Dictato runs one of three local engines: Parakeet (fastest, 25 languages), Whisper (99 languages), or Apple SpeechAnalyzer (zero download, instant start). You pick the engine that fits your needs and can switch anytime.
AI proofreading is built in through Apple Intelligence on macOS 26+. No separate subscription, no credentials, no external service. It cleans up grammar, punctuation, and formatting on-device. Translation covers 30 languages, also processed locally. Every transcription is saved in an unlimited history you can search, copy from, or re-use.
Pricing
$9.99 for a two-year license. No subscription. The app keeps working after expiry — you just lose access to updates.
Dictato vs Spokenly: Feature comparison
| Feature | Spokenly | Dictato |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free / $7.99/mo Pro | $9.99/2yr |
| 2-year cost | $0 or $191.76 (Pro) | $9.99 |
| Processing | Local (Whisper) | Local (3 engines) |
| Speed | After you stop speaking | ~80ms real-time |
| Engines | Whisper only | Parakeet, Whisper, Apple |
| AI features | Pro only ($7.99/mo) | Included (Apple Intelligence) |
| Translation | No | Yes (30 languages) |
| History | Unknown | Unlimited |
| Free tier | Yes (basic) | No (7-day trial) |
| Privacy | Local audio processing | Local audio processing |
| Offline | Yes (basic transcription) | Yes (everything) |
The pricing math
Both apps target the same use case — private, local dictation on a Mac. But the cost structures diverge over time.
Spokenly’s free tier is genuinely free. If all you need is basic Whisper transcription without any AI text cleanup, you pay nothing. That’s a real advantage. No trial period, no feature countdown, no nag screens. Just dictation.
But the moment you want AI features — grammar correction, formatting, context adaptation — you’re looking at $7.99 every month. Over a year, that’s $95.88. Over two years, $191.76. And that’s not a one-time unlock. Stop paying, lose the features.
Dictato doesn’t have a free tier. There’s a 7-day trial, then it’s $9.99. But that $9.99 includes everything: all three engines, AI proofreading, translation, history. No upsells, no feature gates. The real cost of speech-to-text isn’t just the sticker price — it’s what you end up paying over time for the features you actually use.
If you never need AI features, Spokenly’s free tier wins on price. Period. But if you want the full experience, Dictato costs about 5% of what Spokenly Pro costs over the same two-year window.
The speed difference
Spokenly processes your speech after you stop talking. You speak, you release the shortcut, you wait, then text appears. This is standard batch processing — the Whisper model ingests the full audio clip and outputs text.
Dictato converts speech as you speak. The ~80ms streaming delay means text appears in near real-time, word by word, while you’re still talking. It changes how dictation feels.
With batch processing, dictation is a two-step workflow: speak, then wait. With streaming, it’s a single continuous action. For short messages like Slack replies and quick notes, that wait turns dictation from something natural into something you tolerate.
For long-form dictation where you speak for several minutes straight, the batch delay matters less. But most people dictate in bursts, and real-time feedback keeps the flow going.
The engine gap
Spokenly ships with Whisper. One engine, one approach. Whisper is excellent — broad language support, strong accuracy, well-tested. For most users, it’s more than enough.
Dictato gives you three options. Parakeet is the fastest engine with strong accuracy across 25 languages. Whisper covers 99 languages with battle-tested reliability. Apple SpeechAnalyzer requires no model download at all — it uses the speech recognition built into macOS, which means you can start dictating immediately without waiting for a multi-gigabyte model to download.
Different engines suit different situations. Parakeet for speed when you’re dictating in a supported language. Whisper when you need a less common language. Apple’s engine when you’re on a new machine and don’t want to wait for downloads. In practice, that flexibility matters.
Where Spokenly wins
Free basic dictation. If you need Whisper-quality transcription and don’t care about AI text processing, Spokenly costs nothing. Not “$0 for 7 days” — actually nothing, indefinitely. For students, casual users, or anyone who just wants to dictate without thinking about money, this is a genuine advantage.
No commitment to try. There’s no trial period ticking down. No credit card required. You download it, use it, and decide later if you want Pro features. Dictato’s 7-day trial creates pressure to decide. Spokenly lets you take your time.
Simpler decision. The free tier means you can start using it today without evaluating whether the price is worth it. If you later want AI features, you can upgrade. If you don’t, you keep using it free. There’s no risk in trying Spokenly.
Where Dictato wins
Real-time streaming. 80ms instant conversion is not something you can replicate with batch processing. Text appears as you speak, not after. Once you’ve used real-time dictation, waiting for batch processing feels slow.
Three engines, not one. Parakeet, Whisper, and Apple SpeechAnalyzer give you options for speed, language coverage, and zero-download convenience. Spokenly locks you into Whisper.
All features included. AI proofreading, translation, history, per-app settings — everything comes with the $9.99 license. There’s no Pro tier, no upsell, no monthly gate. You get the full app from day one.
Translation. Dictato translates speech into 30 languages on-device. Speak in English, get text in French. Spokenly doesn’t offer translation at any tier.
Long-term cost. Over two years with AI features, Dictato costs $9.99. Spokenly Pro costs $191.76. That’s a 19x difference for comparable functionality. Even if Dictato’s AI features (Apple Intelligence) are more limited than Spokenly’s text processing, the cost gap is hard to justify unless Spokenly’s specific AI capabilities are exactly what you need.
Who should use what
Use Spokenly if…
You want free dictation without any financial commitment. You only need basic Whisper transcription — no AI, no translation, no multiple engines. You want to try voice typing before deciding if it’s worth paying for. You prefer Spokenly’s specific AI text processing features and don’t mind the monthly cost.
Use Dictato if…
Real-time dictation matters to you — you want text appearing as you speak, not after. You want AI features without a monthly subscription. You need translation between languages. You want multiple engine options. You’re cost-conscious over time and want everything for a flat $9.99. Check our best dictation app for Mac in 2026 roundup for how both apps compare to the broader field.
Free vs complete
Spokenly and Dictato take different bets. Spokenly bets that a free tier gets you in the door, and monthly revenue from Pro subscriptions funds ongoing development. Dictato bets that a low one-time price with everything included is a better deal for users.
If you’ll never need AI features, Spokenly’s free tier is the obvious choice. Free is free. But the moment you want more than basic transcription, the economics flip. Dictato delivers real-time speed, three engines, AI proofreading, and translation for $9.99 total. Spokenly charges $7.99 every month just for AI text processing.
Both apps handle the core job — private, local dictation on Mac — competently. The question is whether you want a free tool you might outgrow, or a complete tool at a price that’s hard to argue with. Related: Dictato vs Voibe and Dictato vs EmberType.
Want instant voice-to-text with everything included? Download Dictato — 80ms local dictation, 3 engines, AI proofreading, and translation for $9.99. Read about the real cost of speech-to-text tools to understand how pricing models affect what you actually pay.