Hlas / Mac dictation apps compared
Mac dictation apps compared
Hlas Cloud at €35 a year is 54 to 73 % cheaper than the yearly plans of Superwhisper, Wispr Flow and Willow. One-time licences and free apps exist too, so they are all listed here.
| App | Free | Paid plan | Per year in € | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hlas | Local transcription and your own keys, no limit | Hlas Cloud €35 a year + VAT | 35.00 | No keys or model download, fair use 3 h a day. Mac and Windows (beta). |
| Superwhisper | Unlimited local Whisper, 3,000 Pro words free | $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, $249.99 once | 76.90 | 30-day refund, 40 % off for students and nonprofits. |
| Wispr Flow | Free plan with weekly limits | $15 a month, $12 a month billed yearly | 130.29 | 50 % off for students, cloud service. |
| Willow | Trial | Pro $12 a month billed yearly | 130.29 | Price checked 14 November 2026. |
| Aqua Voice | 2,000 words | Pro $10 a month billed yearly or $12 monthly, Max $19 or $24 | 108.58 | 70 % off for students. |
| Spokenly | Local models, your own keys | Local+ $29 once, Pro $12 a month ($144 a year) | 130.29 (Pro), 26.24 once | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. |
| VoiceInk | Open source | $25 once (1 Mac), $39 (2), $49 (3) | 22.62 once | Apple Silicon, macOS 14.4+, 14-day refund. |
| MacWhisper | Free version | Pro €64 once | 64.00 once | Focused on transcribing files and meetings. |
| Šeptem | Free, no time limit | None, you pay Groq directly with your key | 0 | Czech, beta, not notarized, has meeting notes. |
Prices without VAT, taken from the official pricing pages on 15 November 2026 (Willow on 14 November 2026). Converted at the ECB rate of 13 November 2026, $1 = €0.90481. The yearly figure for Wispr Flow and Spokenly Pro is $12 times 12. Spot a mistake? Tell us on GitHub.
Is Hlas the cheapest dictation app?
Not always. Hlas Cloud at €35 a year costs less than the yearly plans of Superwhisper (€76.90), Wispr Flow and Willow (€130.29) and Aqua Voice (€108.58). One-time licences of VoiceInk (€22.62) and Spokenly Local+ (€26.24) are cheaper, and Šeptem and local Hlas are free.
When is Superwhisper the better choice?
When you want a lifetime licence, an iOS app or modes with custom prompts. Hlas is smaller (4 MB), uses less memory when idle and has extra tuning for Czech and Slovak.
When is Wispr Flow the better choice?
When you need sync across devices and team features. Wispr Flow runs in the cloud; Hlas can also transcribe offline on your computer.
When is MacWhisper the better choice?
When you mostly transcribe long recordings and meetings. Hlas is built for dictating into the cursor and handles audio files up to 10 minutes.
Updated 15 November 2026