Aqua Voice vs Glaido (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Aqua Voice and Glaido share a 2.4 GPA, and only Glaido has a free plan.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Aqua Voice grades higher on platforms. Glaido grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Aqua Voice
Cloud voice dictation that formats text for the app you are in
Glaido
Hold-a-key voice dictation for macOS, Windows 11 and Linux
Which one is for you
Pick Aqua Voice if
- Fits if you dictate prompts into Cursor, Claude Code or a terminal and need code terms spelled right
- Works for students, who get 70% off Pro and Max with a school email address
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want your voice kept on your own computer, because audio is processed in the cloud
- Tight if you're never paying, since the free allowance is 1,000 words and it doesn't refill
- Pricey if you subscribe inside the iPhone app, where Pro is $12.99 a month or $119 a year
- Watch out: Realtime Mode needs Max at $19 a month billed yearly, and Business, with SSO, has a 2-seat minimum
- Not for you if you want to dictate in a browser, as there's no web app
Pick Glaido if
- Fits if you dictate on a desktop and want per-app formatting rules
- Works for developers who talk into Cursor, Claude Code or Slack
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you dictate a lot: the free plan stops at 2,000 words a week
- Skip it if you want a phone or browser version, as none exists
- Pricey if you want Pro: $17 a user a month on yearly billing, and the monthly price wasn't visible
- Watch out: SSO, SAML, API access and dedicated data processing need Enterprise
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAqua VoiceFair | 2.4GPAGlaidoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $10 a month billed yearly, $12 by the month, for unlimited words. That's above the $8.49 middle of this category but under the dearer quarter's $12. Seeing words appear as you speak means Max at $19. | CPro is $17 a user a month on yearly billing, above the category's dearer-quarter line of $12 but short of its dearest tenth. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan to settle on: 1,000 words once, no card needed, then it's pay or stop. A trial without a clock, really, and 1,000 words is an afternoon's dictating. | CBasic is free forever with 2,000 words a week. That's a cap you'll hit if you dictate daily. |
| Features | CThe dictation job is done fully, in 49 languages, with Deep Context reading the screen for names and code, Edit Mode rewriting selected text by voice, a dictionary and spoken shortcuts. But there's no offline mode at all, and Realtime waits for Max. | BPush-to-talk in any app, dictionary, snippets, per-app formatting and voice commands. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but nothing needs setting up: hold Fn on a Mac or Alt on Windows, talk, let go. No per-app configuration and no browser extension. | BNo store rating on record. A desktop app you install and use, with push-to-talk. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, iPhone and Android, so computer and both phones, with Cursor and Windsurf listed and a public API. There's no web version, which keeps it off an A. | CDesktop only: macOS, Windows 11 and Linux. No iOS, Android or browser version. |
| Best for | cloud dictation that tidies as it types | push-to-talk dictation on a desktop |
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: Aqua Voice and Glaido. How we grade
Price against what you get
Aqua Voice starts at $10 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Glaido starts at $17 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Aqua Voice starts $7 a month lower. Of the other voice dictation apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Aqua Voice for less, and 5 score higher than Glaido for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Glaido also covers clipboard manager.
At a glance
| Aqua Voice | Glaido | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly) | $17 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Basic plan: free forever, 2,000 words a week, all apps, 100+ languages and AI auto-edits. |
| Free trial | 1,000 free words with the Avalon model, no credit card required. A paid plan is needed once the allowance is used. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Aqua Voice, Inc. | Glaido |
| Price read from | aquavoice.com | glaido.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Aqua Voice
- The free allowance is a one-time 1,000 words; continued use needs a paid plan.
- Audio is processed in the cloud, and cloud dictation needs an internet connection.
- Realtime Mode and the Send It command need Max or Business.
- Subscribing inside the iPhone app costs more: the App Store lists Pro at $12.99 a month or $119 a year.
Glaido
- The free plan stops at 2,000 words a week.
- Desktop only: macOS, Windows 11 and Linux are listed, with no iOS, Android or browser version.
- The pricing page shows the annual-billing price, $17 per user / month; the monthly price was not visible in the page text.
- SSO, SAML, API access and dedicated data processing need Enterprise.
Key features
Aqua Voice
- Dictation in any text field
- Hold Fn on Mac or Alt on Windows, speak, and release to insert text at the cursor system-wide, with no per-app setup or browser extension. 49 dictation languages, with auto-detect.
- Avalon speech model
- Dictation runs on Avalon, a speech-recognition model the company trained on how people talk to computers: prompts, code and email. A language model then cleans up and formats the output.
- Deep Context
- An optional setting, off by default, that reads what is on screen so names, code identifiers and technical terms are transcribed correctly.
- Edit Mode
- Select text in any Mac or Windows app, hold the Aqua key and say the change, and the selection is rewritten in place. It is included for every desktop user.
- Realtime Mode and Send It
- On Max, words appear as you speak, and ending a hands-free dictation with "send it" inserts the message and presses Return for you.
- Dictionary, Replacements and instructions
- Teach it names and technical terms, expand short spoken phrases into longer text, and set plain-language style rules with Custom Instructions, which start on Pro.
Glaido
- Push-to-talk dictation in any app
- Hold a hotkey and speak; the text is cleaned up and pasted into the focused app, such as Slack, Gmail or a code editor.
- Dictionary and snippets
- Names and technical terms can be added once so they are spelled correctly, and short triggers expand into saved text.
- Per-app formatting rules
- Each app can get its own style, for example relaxed in chat and formal in email, with custom prompts.
- Voice commands
- A Commands area lets you act on the spoken text or trigger actions by voice.
- Built-in utilities
- Every plan includes a color picker, clipboard history, text snippet expansion, a process viewer and a keep-awake tool.
- Privacy stance
- The vendor says history stays on your device, transcripts are not saved to its database, and it holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification.
Plans
Aqua Voice
Free$0
A one-time allowance of 1,000 words with the Avalon 1.5 transcription model. No credit card required.
Pro$10
per month, billed annually, or $12 billed monthly
Unlimited words, Custom Instructions and an expanded custom dictionary.
Max$19
per month, billed annually, or $24 billed monthly
Everything in Pro, plus Realtime Mode that shows words as you speak, the "Send it" voice command and early access to new features.
Business$19
per seat / month, billed annually ($228), or $24 billed monthly
Everything in Max, plus centralized billing, SSO/SAML and SCIM, advanced reporting, Zero Data Retention and team dictionaries. 2-seat minimum.
Glaido
Basic$0
2,000 dictated words a week, works in every app, 100+ languages, AI auto-edits and agent mode.
Pro$17
per user / month, billed annually
Unlimited words, multiple seats on one bill, prioritized processing and support, and early access to new features.
EnterpriseCustom
Pro plus SSO and SAML, dedicated data processing, API access and integrations, and custom billing.
Ways to pay less
Aqua Voice
- Annual discount
About 17 to 21% less with annual billing
Pro is $10 a month billed annually against $12 month-to-month, Max is $19 against $24, and Business is $19 a seat against $24.
- Education
70% off Pro and Max for students
Signing up with a school email address (.edu or academic domains such as .ac.uk) gives 70% off: Pro from $3 a month and Max from $5.70 a month, both billed annually ($3.60 and $7.20 monthly).
- Other savings
Volume discounts above 20 users
The pricing page invites teams with more than 20 users to contact Aqua for volume discounts and billing by active user.
Glaido
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual billing
The pricing page's annual toggle is labelled 2 months free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Aqua Voice or Glaido?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Aqua Voice starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly), and Glaido starts at $17 per user / month, billed annually. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Aqua Voice or Glaido?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Glaido has a free plan. Aqua Voice does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Aqua Voice and Glaido run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Aqua Voice lists iOS and Android apps and only Glaido lists a Linux app. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.