Spokenly's free tier is the most generous structure in this directory: unlimited local transcription with Whisper and Parakeet, forever, no word cap and no time limit. If you'd rather use cloud models you can plug in your own OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq keys and still pay Spokenly nothing. Pro exists for people who want managed cloud models without handling API keys. The paid tier sells convenience rather than access.
At a glance
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS
Pricing
Free forever on local models or BYOK. Pro $8.33/month billed $99.99 annually
Free tier
Unlimited local transcription, no cap
Processing
Local on Apple Silicon; cloud optional
Models
Whisper and Parakeet locally; OpenAI, Deepgram, Groq, Anthropic, Google in the cloud
Offline
Yes — Local Only Mode blocks all network requests
Integrations
System-wide on Mac; custom iOS keyboard; Agentic Actions for voice automation
The free tier is the product. Unlimited offline transcription with no quota is better than what most competitors sell. Pro is genuinely optional.
Local Only Mode blocks the network. Not a preference that routes traffic differently — it blocks requests outright. That's a stronger guarantee than Willow Voice's opt-in toggle.
Two ways to avoid paying. Local models, or your own API keys at provider cost. Both free.
iOS custom keyboard. Dictation inside any iPhone app, on the same account.
Agentic Actions. Voice-triggered automation beyond plain transcription, which is unusual at this price.
Where it falls short
Local models need Apple Silicon. Whisper and Parakeet run offline on Apple Silicon; the Windows and Linux builds lean on cloud. The free-and-private combination is effectively Mac-only.
Platform parity is unclear. Pro is advertised across macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS, but the feature descriptions are heavily Mac-centric and nothing published clarifies what the Linux build actually does.
BYOK is still friction. The free cloud path needs an API key and a funded account.
No browser extension. Despite occasional claims otherwise, the documentation describes standalone apps only. This entry's earlier tagline was wrong on that point and has been corrected.
Spokenly also publishes competitor comparisons. As with Voibe and Voicy, a lot of the search results about rival tools are Spokenly's marketing. Independent testing of Spokenly itself is scarce.
Pricing
Free forever, either on local Whisper and Parakeet or with your own API keys, in which case you pay the provider directly. Pro is $8.33/month billed as $99.99 annually and adds managed high-accuracy cloud models, device sync, AI text cleanup, and priority support. Students get 50% off; web purchases carry a 14-day refund.
Who it's for
Apple Silicon Mac users who want good offline dictation without paying anything, and who'd like an iPhone keyboard from the same vendor. It's the strongest free-tier value in the commercial group. If you're on Windows or Linux the local advantage evaporates and you should compare it against Handy, which is free everywhere, or the cloud subscriptions on their own terms.
Last verified: 9 August 2026. No independent reviews located; details are from the vendor's own pages.
Similar to Spokenly
Spokenly: Free forever on local models, pay only for the cloud ones – Dictation Database
