The Best AI-powered Dictation Apps of 2025

In some ways, 2025 was when AI dictation apps really took off. Dictation apps have been around for years, but they've historically been slow and inaccurate — unless you speak with a particular accent and enunciate clearly.

But advances in large language models (LLMs) and speech-to-text models have improved systems that better decipher speech while retaining context to format the text. Developers have also built in features to automatically format text, remove filler words, and ignore fumbles, producing text that requires fewer edits.

With the soaring popularity of everything AI, there are now dozens of such apps on the market. Sowe'vee collated our pick of the best and most useful dictation apps this year.

Wispr Flow

Wispr Flow is a well-funded AI dictation app that lets you add custom words and instructions. It has native apps for macOS, Windows, and iOS, with an Android version in development. The app allows you to customise how its system transcribes your notes by offering different writing styles, such as "formal", "casual", and "very casual", for various types of writing. Wispr Flow integrates with vibe-coding tools like Cursor, enabling automatic variable recognition and file tagging in chats.
The app allows up to 2,000 words per month for free on desktop versions and 1,000 words per month on iOS. Subscription plans that offer unlimited transcription start at $15 per month.

Image Credits: Wispr Flow Image 

Willow

Willow is designed to be a big time-saver for those who don't like to type. Alongside standard features such as automatic editing and formatting, Willow uses large language models to generate entire blocks of text from just a few dictated words. Willow prioritises privacy by storing all transcripts locally on your device, with an option to opt out of model training. You can add custom vocabulary to help the app adapt to industry-specific terminology or local dialects.
Willow lets you dictate up to 2,000 words per month for free on the desktop version. Individual subscriptions start at $15 per month for unlimited dictation and the ability to remember your writing style.

Image Credits: Willow

Monologue

Monologue is an excellent option for privacy-conscious users, as it lets you download its model and run it on your device to avoid sending data to the cloud. You can customise its tone of voice based on the apps you use it with.
Monologue offers 1,000 words per month for free. The subscription costs $10 per month or $100 per year. Frequent users can also receive a funky Monokey to enhance their experience.

Keyboards are so 1983.

You only need one key—Monokey, the limited edition device that turns your voice into text in Monologue.

We're giving away 10, along with a free annual subscription to Monologue. pic.twitter.com/nXuz1ll2LU — Monologue (@usemonologue) November 18, 2025

Superwhisper

Superwhisper is a dictation app that can also transcribe from audio or video files. It offers the flexibility to choose from various AI models, including its own models and NVIDIA's Parakeet speech recognition models. You can write custom prompts to guide the output. The app lets you view both processed and unprocessed transcripts and integrates with the system keyboard.
The basic voice-to-text feature is free, and users get 15 minutes to try Pro features such as translation and transcription. Paid tiers allow users to plug in their own AI API keys and cloud or local models. Monthly plans start at $8.49, and the annual plan is priced at $84.99. A lifetime subscription is available for $249.99.

VoiceTypr

VoiceType takes an offline-first approach, letting users transcribe using local models. It also has a GitHub repository for those who want to run the open-source version themselves. Supporting over 99 languages, VoiceTyper works on both Mac and Windows.VoiceTyper is available for a three-day free trial. Afterwards, users can buy a lifetime license. The app costs $35 for one device, $56 for two, and $98 for four devices.

Aqua

Aqua is a Y Combinator-backed voice typing client that claims to be among the fastest in the category, particularly in latency. The app handles grammar and punctuation and allows autofill by saying entries such as "my address", which is automatically filled.
The free tier allows 1,000 words per month. Paid plans start at $8 per month with unlimited words and 800 custom dictionary values.

Handy

Handy is an open-source, free transcription tool that runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. It's basic and doesn't offer customisations, but it's an excellent option for those looking to get started with voice transcription without paying.
The app features a simple settings menu to toggle push-to-talk and set a hotkey to activate transcription.

Typeless

Typeless stands out with its high free word count, allowing up to 4,000 words per week (roughly 16,000 words per month). The app also suggests better versions of sentences if you fumble. It does not retain or use data for model training.
You can pay $12 per month to unlock unlimited words and access additional features. Typeless is available for Windows and macOS.