Handy vs TypeWhisper
We give Handy a 3.4 GPA and TypeWhisper a 3.8, out of 4.0. TypeWhisper 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.
TypeWhisper
Open-source dictation with local engines for Mac, Windows and iOS
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHandyVery good | 3.8GPATypeWhisperExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AThe Commercial license starts at €5 a month, or from €99 once, for up to 3 devices. That's under what most dictation apps charge. It's pay what you want above that, and it adds synced dictionary and snippets plus Learn from Corrections. |
| 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. | AThe core app is free and open source with no account: dictation, local engines, workflows, add-ons, history, snippets and the APIs. You can even run it for work. Most people would never need the paid license. |
| 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. | AA hotkey types into any text field, with rules per app or website. Workflows translate, format or tidy the transcript first. There's a dictionary, snippets with placeholders, batch file transcription with SRT export, 54 add-ons, a local HTTP API and a command-line tool. |
| 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. | BNo App Store rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. Apple Speech is built in on the Mac, so you can start straight away. Other engines install as add-ons, and each cloud provider needs your own key or login. |
| 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, iPhone and iPad, with Groq, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Deepgram, ElevenLabs and Obsidian among the hook-ups, plus an SDK and API. No Android or Linux version, and some add-ons aren't offered on Windows. |
| Best for | free offline dictation on Mac, Windows or Linux | open-source dictation you can pull apart and tune |
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 TypeWhisper. How we grade
Where they differ
- Handy is free. TypeWhisper starts at €5 per month, or from €99 one-time, for up to 3 devices.
- Only Handy lists a Linux app.
- Only TypeWhisper lists an iOS app.
- TypeWhisper also covers transcription and text expansion.
At a glance
| Handy | TypeWhisper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €5 per month, or from €99 one-time, for up to 3 devices |
| 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. | The core app is free and open source under the GPLv3, with no account: system-wide dictation, local engines, workflows, add-ons, history, snippets and APIs on macOS, Windows and iOS. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | CJ Pais | Marco Hillger |
| Price read from | handy.computer | typewhisper.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 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
TypeWhisper
- People who want free, open-source dictation that runs on the device
- Users who like to choose and switch between speech engines
- Teams that need auditable code and a non-GPL commercial license
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.
TypeWhisper
- Prices are listed in euros only. On iPhone and iPad, Premium is an in-app purchase: the US App Store lists $4.99 with no period shown and $89.99 for lifetime.
- Sync Dictionary & Snippets and Learn from Corrections need a Commercial license, sync also needs a Premium sign-in, and Meeting Automation is macOS only.
- Cloud speech and AI providers work only after you add your own API key or login for each one.
- No Android or Linux version is listed, and add-ons vary by platform: the WhisperKit, Parakeet and MCP Client add-ons are not offered for Windows.
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.
TypeWhisper
- System-wide dictation
- A global hotkey records in push-to-talk or toggle mode and pastes the transcript into the active text field. Rules can set language, engine and behavior per app or website.
- Choice of local speech engines
- Apple Speech is built in on the Mac, and WhisperKit (99+ languages) and Parakeet TDT v3 (25 European languages) install as add-ons. Windows gets offline transcription through whisper.cpp.
- AI workflows
- Workflows process the transcript before it is pasted, with templates for translation, formatting, summarization and app-specific cleanup, using Apple Intelligence, Groq, OpenAI, Gemini or another provider.
- Dictionary and snippets
- Custom terms and corrections fix names and jargon, and trigger phrases expand into longer text with date, time and clipboard placeholders. Learning from your corrections is a Premium feature.
- File transcription
- Drop audio or video files to transcribe them in batch, or watch a folder, and export the results as SRT or WebVTT subtitles with timestamps.
- Add-ons, HTTP API and CLI
- The site lists 54 add-ons for speech engines, AI providers and tools such as Obsidian and MCP. An SDK, a local HTTP API and a command-line tool cover custom automation.
Plans
Handy
Handy$0
The full app for macOS, Windows and Linux with every local model. Donations and GitHub Sponsors are optional.
TypeWhisper
Free (GPLv3 / OSS)€0
Core dictation, local engines, workflows, add-ons, history, snippets and APIs, including internal use at work. Community support on Discord.
IndividualFrom €5
per month, or from €99 one-time (lifetime)
Commercial license for up to 3 devices with Sync Dictionary & Snippets, Learn from Corrections and non-GPL terms. Pay what you want above the listed price.
TeamFrom €19
per month, or from €299 one-time (lifetime)
Everything in Individual for up to 10 devices under one license, aimed at small teams.
EnterpriseFrom €99
per month, or from €999 one-time (lifetime)
Everything in Team with unlimited devices and priority support, for company-wide rollouts.
Ways to pay less
Handy
No public discounts listed.
TypeWhisper
- Lifetime license
Lifetime commercial license from €99
Each commercial tier can be bought once instead of monthly: from €99 for Individual, €299 for Team and €999 for Enterprise. Lifetime covers future updates in the same product line.
- Education
Student discount on request
The pricing FAQ invites students to email hello@typewhisper.com for a discount. The amount is not published.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount on request
The same FAQ invites non-profits to get in touch by email and says there is usually room for a fair discount. No figure is given.
