Spokenly vs VoiceInk

Spokenly

• People who want unlimited free dictation that runs offline
• Users who already pay for speech or LLM API keys
• Developers who talk to coding agents on a Mac

VoiceInk

• Mac users who want speech transcribed on their own machine
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
• People who want to pick their own transcription and AI providers

Spokenly

• Without Pro, cloud models need your own provider API keys, and the provider bills you for usage.
• Meeting recording, Agentic Actions and the MCP server are Mac features; the MCP server ships only in the macOS sideload build.
• There is no Android app; the site offers a waitlist.
• The Team price needs at least 2 seats.

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.

Spokenly

Dictation in any app

Hold a shortcut, speak and release, and the text is typed wherever the cursor is, in 100+ languages with automatic detection. On iPhone it works through a custom keyboard.

Free local models

Whisper and Parakeet models run on the device at no cost and with no usage limits. Local Only Mode blocks network requests so audio stays on the machine.

Cloud models, your keys or Pro

Use cloud engines by connecting your own keys from providers such as OpenAI, Deepgram and Groq, or subscribe to Pro for managed models like GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova 3 and Soniox.

AI Instructions and modes

Modes with AI Instructions fix grammar, remove filler words and format text for the app in use. Pro hosts this processing; otherwise it runs on your own LLM key or Apple Intelligence.

Meeting recording on Mac

Records the microphone and system audio without a bot joining the call, saves the recording to History, and transcribes it afterward with a local or cloud model.

Voice input for coding agents

The macOS sideload build includes an MCP server so Claude Code, Codex and Cursor can ask for spoken answers, plus Agentic Actions for voice-controlled Mac automation.

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.

Spokenly

• Local Models$0

  Unlimited offline dictation with on-device Whisper and Parakeet models. No account needed.

• Your API Keys$0

  All local features plus cloud and real-time transcription through your own OpenAI, Deepgram, Groq or other keys. The provider bills usage.

• Pro$8.33

  per month, billed yearly ($99.99), or $9.99 billed monthly

  Managed high-accuracy cloud models, hosted AI text cleanup, settings sync across devices and priority support, with no API keys to set up.

• Team$6.99

  per seat / month, or $69.99 per seat / year

  Full Pro for each member on one subscription, 2-seat minimum. Shown as a permanent 30% off the $9.99 and $99.99 Pro prices.

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.

Spokenly

• Annual discount

  2 months free with yearly billing

  Pro costs $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, which the pricing page describes as 2 months free.

• Education

  50% off Pro for students

  Verified students get 50% off Pro by signing in with an academic email address and contacting support to claim it.

• Other savings

  30% off Pro for teams of 2 or more

  Team seats cost $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year each, 30% below the individual Pro price for the life of the subscription. The minimum is 2 seats.

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.