Handy vs OpenWhispr
We give Handy a 3.4 GPA and OpenWhispr a 3.8, out of 4.0. OpenWhispr grades higher on features and platforms. 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.
OpenWhispr
Open-source dictation with free local models and meeting notes
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHandyVery good | 3.8GPAOpenWhisprExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt's free and open source under the MIT License, with no subscription and no cloud service to pay for. Sponsors and optional donations keep it going. | 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 | AThe full app with every local model is free on all three desktop systems. There's no paid tier above it, so nothing is locked away. | 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 dictation, a choice of local models covering 99+ languages with Whisper, custom words and a history that keeps the audio. But it records, then transcribes, with no live text. And AI clean-up is an alpha feature that needs your own key or a local model. | 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 App Store rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. Install it, press the shortcut, talk. The settings are short, and you can remap the shortcut if it clashes with something. | 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 | BmacOS, Windows and Linux, which is three unrelated systems. It works with Raycast, takes keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Groq and Cerebras, and can be driven from the command line. No mobile apps. | 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 offline dictation on Mac, Windows or Linux | 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: Handy and OpenWhispr. How we grade
Where they differ
- Handy is free. OpenWhispr starts at $6.67 per user / month, billed annually at $80 ($8 billed monthly).
- Only OpenWhispr lists an iOS app.
- OpenWhispr also covers meeting notes and transcription.
At a glance
| Handy | OpenWhispr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $6.67 per user / month, billed annually at $80 ($8 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Entirely free and open source under the MIT License, with no subscription or cloud service. The project is supported by sponsors and optional donations. | 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 | ||
| Made by | CJ Pais | Gizmo Labs Inc. |
| Price read from | handy.computer | openwhispr.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Handy
- People who want free dictation that never uploads audio
- Dictating on Linux as well as macOS and Windows
- Developers who want a small codebase to fork and extend
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
Handy
- It transcribes microphone input only and cannot capture system audio from calls or videos.
- There is no live streaming transcription: Handy records a segment, then transcribes it, and recordings work best under 3 to 5 minutes.
- Spoken punctuation commands are not supported, and AI post-processing is an alpha feature that needs your own API key or a local model.
- There are no mobile apps; downloads cover macOS, Windows and Linux.
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
Handy
- Shortcut-driven dictation
- Press a shortcut to start and stop recording, or hold it for push-to-talk, and the text is pasted into the app you are typing in. Shortcuts can be remapped in settings.
- Local speech models
- Choose from Parakeet, Whisper, Moonshine and other models that run on the device, with GPU acceleration when available. Parakeet V3 covers 25 European languages and Whisper 99+.
- Optional AI post-processing
- An experimental feature runs the transcript through a language model to fix grammar or reformat it, using a cloud provider key, an OpenAI-compatible local endpoint or Apple Intelligence.
- Custom words
- List names and jargon that are often misheard, and Handy corrects similar-sounding words to match. The docs describe this matching as imperfect.
- Transcription history
- Past transcriptions are kept with a timestamp and the original audio, and entries can be copied, starred or deleted. A limit setting controls how many are stored.
- Command-line control
- Flags such as --toggle-transcription and --cancel control a running instance, and --start-hidden launches Handy straight to the system tray.
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
Handy
Handy$0
The full app for macOS, Windows and Linux with every local model. Donations and GitHub Sponsors are optional.
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
Handy
No public discounts listed.
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.
