Sotto vs VoiceInk (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Sotto if

• Fits if you want to pay once and dictate on up to 3 Macs
• Works for people who want to run dictation on local models and connect their own tools

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you're on Windows, Linux or a phone, as it's Mac only
• Not for you if you run macOS 14 or earlier, since it needs macOS 15
• Tight if you want to test it first: no free tier or trial
• Watch out: cloud transcription and AI providers need your own API keys, billed by them
• Watch out: Apple Silicon gives the best performance

Pick VoiceInk if

• Fits if you want your speech transcribed on your own Mac and not on someone's server
• Makes sense if you'd rather pay $25 once than subscribe

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use Windows, Linux or Android, as it's Mac with an iPhone app in beta
• Not for you if you have an Intel Mac, because the pricing page says Apple Silicon only
• Tight if you own several Macs, since Solo covers 1 and you'd need Extended at $49 for 3
• Watch out: its pages disagree on requirements, macOS 14.4 on the pricing page and macOS 15 in the install docs
• Watch out: AI clean-up and cloud models need your own API keys, and those requests leave the Mac

Sotto

• Mac only; it needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and Apple Silicon gives the best performance.
• There is no free tier or trial listed; the license is $49 and arrives by email as a key.
• Cloud transcription and AI providers need your own API keys and are billed by those providers.
• The license covers up to 3 Macs.

VoiceInk

• A Mac license does not cover the iPhone and iPad app, which is licensed separately and is free while in beta.
• Vendor pages disagree on requirements: the pricing page says Apple Silicon and macOS 14.4 or later, the install docs say macOS 15 or later.
• AI enhancement and cloud transcription need your own provider API keys, and those requests leave the Mac.
• Licenses are capped by device count: 1, 2 or 3 Macs on the personal plans and 10 on the Startup License.

Sotto

System-wide dictation

Hold a key and speak; the text lands in the app you are using. The vendor lists 90+ languages with per-language hotkeys.

Local models

Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models run on the Mac, and after a one-time download dictation works with no internet connection.

Sotto Assistant

A voice assistant with 77 built-in Mac tools such as Calendar, Mail and Notes, which can also call your own MCP servers.

Local REST API and CLI

The Mac can serve transcription to scripts and other devices over Wi-Fi or Tailscale, with per-device tokens and a sotto command-line tool.

Bring your own provider

Optional cloud transcription and AI providers, including OpenAI, Groq and Deepgram, can be used with your own API keys.

Meetings and automation

Records system audio, transcribes watched folders, exposes Shortcuts actions and reads text aloud.

VoiceInk

Local transcription

Speech is transcribed by models that run on the Mac, including Parakeet and Whisper, so audio is processed on the device. Onboarding starts with the Parakeet V3 model.

Modes and triggers

A Mode sets the transcription model, language, AI enhancement and output, and can switch automatically by app, website, spoken trigger phrase or shortcut.

AI enhancement with your own keys

Optionally send the transcript to a provider you connect, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or Groq, to clean up, rewrite or draft a reply. VoiceInk Refine does cleanup locally.

Dictionary and Smart Replace

Add names and custom vocabulary, expand a short spoken phrase into exact text, and let Auto Learn pick up corrections you make.

File transcription and history

Queue existing audio and video files for transcription, and search, replay, export or retry earlier results in a history stored on the Mac.

Assistant Mode

Ask a question by voice and carry on the conversation inside the recorder window, using the AI provider you have connected.

Sotto

• Sotto for macOS$49

  one-time, for up to 3 Macs

  Lifetime license with all future updates; includes the assistant, API server and every model option.

VoiceInk

• Solo$25

  one-time payment, 1 Mac

  Lifetime access on 1 macOS device, with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

• Personal$39

  one-time payment, up to 2 Macs

  The same lifetime license on up to 2 macOS devices, aimed at a desktop Mac plus a MacBook.

• Extended$49

  one-time payment, up to 3 Macs

  The same lifetime license on up to 3 macOS devices.

• Startup License$159

  one-time payment, up to 10 Macs

  A team license bought in one checkout that works on up to 10 Macs.

Sotto

• Lifetime license

  One-time license, no subscription

  Sotto's pricing page says one payment covers use on up to 3 Macs with all future updates and no annual renewal.

VoiceInk

• Lifetime license

  One-time license from $25

  Every plan is a single payment with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee: $25 for 1 Mac, $39 for 2, $49 for 3 and $159 for 10.

• Education

  Student discount on request

  The site's FAQ says student discounts are available by contacting the developer with a student ID. The amount is not published.

• Other savings

  Creator Bonus: up to 100% back for sharing

  Public posts about VoiceInk earn 30% back at 1,000 total views, 50% at 2,000 and a full refund at 10,000. People who have not bought yet get a 30% discount instead.