ZenVoiceApple Dictation alternative
What Apple Dictation leaves for you to fix.
The dictation built into macOS is free and good for short notes. ZenVoice is for when you want finished text: fillers gone, numbers written the way you'd type them, tone matched to the app.
Free for 14 days, no card
ZenVoice and Apple Dictation, side by side.
- Where your speech is processed
- ZenVoiceOn your Mac
- Apple DictationOn your Mac or Apple's servers, depending on language and settings
- Works with no internet
- ZenVoiceYes
- Apple DictationIn some languages
- Account needed
- ZenVoiceNo
- Apple DictationNo
- Price
- ZenVoice$14.99 once for 2 Macs (launch price, first 100), then $39.99
- Apple DictationFree, built into macOS
- Free trial
- ZenVoice14 days, every feature, no card
- Apple DictationNot needed
- Refund window
- ZenVoice30 days
- Apple DictationNot needed
- Platforms
- ZenVoiceMac (Apple silicon or Intel, macOS 15 or later); Windows in the works
- Apple DictationMac, iPhone, iPad
- Languages
- ZenVoice99 with Whisper, 25 with Parakeet V3, plus Hinglish
- Apple DictationVaries by language and region
Apple Dictation facts are from Mac User Guide: Dictation, checked October 2, 2026. “Not stated” means their site doesn’t say. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Pick ZenVoice if
- Fillers, false starts and “scratch that” are cleaned up before the text lands.
- “Three thousand dollars” is $3,000 and “two thirty” is 2:30, by rule.
- Tone follows the app, and edits by voice rewrite a selection in place.
- A choice of 14 speech models, and your own Dictionary.
Pick Apple Dictation if
- It's free and already on your Mac.
- It's on your iPhone and iPad too.
Common questions.
Does ZenVoice replace the Fn-key dictation?
It runs alongside it on its own shortcut (⌃⌥Space by default), so you can use either.
Is ZenVoice as private as Apple Dictation?
ZenVoice never sends audio or text anywhere, in any language.
Does it work in the same apps?
Yes: any text field, including Chrome and Electron apps.
Try it free. Then pay once.
Pro
Everything ZenVoice does today, on two Macs, with a year of new features.
Upgrade to Lifetime any time for the difference: $25.00 at launch prices.
- 2 Macs
- All 14 models and every language
- Runs offline. Nothing leaves your Mac
- 1 year of new features and new models
- Bug fixes, UI fixes and macOS compatibility forever
Or try it free for 14 days · 30-day refund
Lifetime
RecommendedEvery update we ever ship, including new features and new models.
Every update we ever ship, for one payment.
- 2 Macs
- All 14 models and every language
- Runs offline. Nothing leaves your Mac
- Every new feature and new model, forever
- Bug fixes, UI fixes and macOS compatibility forever
Or try it free for 14 days · 30-day refund