Amical vs OpenWhispr
We give Amical a 3.2 GPA and OpenWhispr a 3.8, out of 4.0. OpenWhispr grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Amical
Open-source AI dictation with free local models and optional cloud
OpenWhispr
Open-source dictation with free local models and meeting notes
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAAmicalVery good | 3.8GPAOpenWhisprExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $7 a month billed annually ($84), or $10 monthly, a little under what dictation apps usually charge. What it adds is unlimited cloud dictation, shared vocabulary, team management and email support. If local models do the job for you, there's nothing to buy. | APro is $6.67 a month billed annually, so $80 a year, or $8 month to month. That's under what most dictation apps charge, and it buys unlimited cloud transcription, 20 hours of meeting recordings a month and the iPhone app. |
| Free plan and trial | AUnlimited dictation with local models on unlimited devices, plus 2,000 words a week of cloud dictation, custom vocabulary and AI formatting. Most people could stay here. Hit the cloud cap and it pauses until the weekly reset, while local models keep working. | ALocal dictation is unlimited and free, and so is cloud transcription with your own API keys. You also get 2,000 OpenWhispr Cloud words a week, 5 hours of meeting recordings a month and the custom dictionary. Most people could stay here. |
| Features | BPush-to-talk or hands-free dictation into any app in 100+ languages, Whisper models from Tiny to Large v3, custom vocabulary, snippets and a notes panel. Solid basics. But the app-aware AI formatting is marked Alpha, and the docs list MCP integrations and custom prompts as planned, not shipped. | ADictation at the cursor in 100+ languages, with Whisper and Parakeet running locally or the cloud doing it. Bot-free notes for Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls, audio file transcription, a dictionary that learns from your corrections, and spoken instructions like "clean this up". |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record to go by, so a B. Hold a key, speak, done. The local models download inside the app, from about 78 MB to about 3.1 GB, and you don't need an account to use them. | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. Press a hotkey and speak. How quick the local models feel depends on your hardware, mind. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac and Windows on the desktop, and it works with Ollama and LM Studio. The phone apps are betas: Android is a public beta on Google Play and iOS comes through TestFlight. The README says Linux is not supported. | AmacOS, Windows and Linux, plus an iPhone and iPad app. It takes keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Groq, and there's an API and MCP. The phone app, the API and MCP are all Pro, though. |
| Best for | free open-source dictation on Mac and Windows | open-source dictation with a free local mode |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Amical and OpenWhispr. How we grade
Where they differ
- Amical starts at $7 per month, billed annually at $84 ($10 billed monthly). OpenWhispr starts at $6.67 per user / month, billed annually at $80 ($8 billed monthly).
- Only Amical lists an Android app.
- Only OpenWhispr lists a Linux app.
- Amical also covers notes and text expansion.
- OpenWhispr also covers meeting notes and transcription.
At a glance
| Amical | OpenWhispr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7 per month, billed annually at $84 ($10 billed monthly) | $6.67 per user / month, billed annually at $80 ($8 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited dictation with local models on unlimited devices, plus 2,000 words a week of cloud dictation, custom vocabulary and AI formatting. One seat. | Unlimited local dictation and unlimited cloud transcription with your own API keys, plus 2,000 OpenWhispr Cloud words a week and 5 hours of meeting recordings a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Exa Labs LLC | Gizmo Labs Inc. |
| Price read from | amical.ai | openwhispr.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Amical
- People who want free, unlimited offline dictation on Mac or Windows
- Users who want a hosted cloud model without managing API keys
- Small teams that want to share a custom vocabulary
OpenWhispr
- Open-source dictation on Mac, Windows or Linux
- Unlimited free local transcription with a paid cloud option
- Teams that need SSO, audit logs and compliance documents
Worth knowing
Amical
- The Free plan caps cloud dictation at 2,000 words a week; once reached, cloud transcription pauses until the weekly reset while local models keep working.
- The mobile apps are betas: Android is a public beta on Google Play, iOS is distributed through TestFlight, and the pricing page still labels mobile apps as coming soon.
- The desktop app supports macOS and Windows only; the README says Linux is not supported.
- AI formatting is labelled Alpha, and the docs list MCP integrations and custom prompts as planned, not yet shipped.
OpenWhispr
- The Free plan caps OpenWhispr Cloud at 2,000 words a week and meeting recordings at 5 hours a month.
- The iPhone and iPad app, device sync, Agent mode and API and MCP access all start on Pro.
- Chat over your data needs Business, and SSO, SCIM and audit logs are limited to Enterprise.
- Local model speed depends on your hardware, and cloud processing needs an internet connection.
Key features
Amical
- Dictation in any app
- Hold a key for push-to-talk, or click the floating widget for hands-free recording, and the words are typed into the focused app. The site lists 100+ languages with automatic detection.
- Local Whisper models
- Whisper variants from Tiny (about 78 MB) to Large v3 (about 3.1 GB) download inside the app and run on the computer, with no account and no data leaving the machine.
- Amical Cloud
- After sign-in, audio can be streamed to Amical's hosted speech model instead. Vocabulary and preferences follow the account across devices, and the vendor says audio is not stored or used for training.
- App-aware AI formatting
- A language model adds punctuation and structure and fits the output to the focused app, such as email or chat. It is marked Alpha and runs on Amical Cloud or a local model through Ollama.
- Custom vocabulary and snippets
- Add names and jargon the recognizer should know, and define trigger phrases that are replaced inline with saved plain text such as an address or signature.
- Notes panel
- A built-in notes panel holds notes with a title and a rich-text body to dictate or type into, plus a floating notes window that stays above other apps.
OpenWhispr
- Dictation in any app
- Press a hotkey, speak, and the text appears at the cursor in any application on macOS, Windows or Linux, in 100+ languages with auto-detection.
- Local models or cloud
- Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models run on the device for free and work offline. Cloud processing uses OpenWhispr Cloud or your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or Groq keys.
- Bot-free meeting notes
- Captures the computer's audio during a Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call without a bot joining, then turns your rough notes and the transcript into decisions and action items.
- Audio file transcription
- Drop in MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC and other audio files to get a transcript, processed on the device by default, then summarize it or extract action items.
- Voice instructions and Agent mode
- Spoken instructions such as "clean this up" or "draft an email to Mike" rewrite or generate text. Agent mode is included from the Pro plan.
- Custom dictionary
- Add names, jargon and technical terms the models tend to miss. The dictionary also learns new words from the corrections you make.
Plans
Amical
Free$0
Unlimited local dictation on unlimited devices, 2,000 words a week of cloud dictation, custom vocabulary, AI formatting and community support.
Premium$7
per month, billed annually ($84), or $10 billed monthly
Unlimited cloud dictation, plus shared vocabulary, team management, email support and priority access to new features.
EnterpriseCustom
Private model hosting, custom models, SSO/SAML, centralized billing, seat-based licenses and volume discounts. SOC 2 is listed as in progress.
OpenWhispr
Free$0
Unlimited local models and your own API keys, 2,000 OpenWhispr Cloud words a week, 5 hours of meeting recordings a month and a custom dictionary.
Pro$6.67
per user / month, billed annually ($80), or $8 billed monthly
Unlimited cloud transcription, Agent mode, 20 hours of meeting recordings a month, device sync, API and MCP access, and the iPhone and iPad app.
Business$13.33
per user / month, billed annually ($160), or $16 billed monthly
Everything in Pro plus unlimited meeting recordings, chat over your data, basic team management and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
SSO and SAML, SCIM provisioning, audit logs, org-wide retention controls, custom data processing agreements and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
Amical
- Annual discount
Save 30% with yearly billing
Premium costs $7 a month when billed annually at $84, against $10 a month billed monthly. The pricing page describes this as 30% off.
OpenWhispr
- Annual discount
2 months free with annual billing
Pro is $80 a year against $8 a month, and Business is $160 per user a year against $16 a month.
- Education
40% off for 12 months for students and teachers
People using OpenWhispr for their studies or classroom get 40% off for 12 months by emailing support with proof of status. The same offer covers military service and assistive use.
- Nonprofit
40% off for 12 months for non-profits
Non-profit work qualifies for 40% off for 12 months. Email support with proof of status to receive a personal code.
