HyperWhisper Blog
HyperWhisper vs Spokenly: Free and Cheap Dictation for Mac, Windows and Linux
HyperWhisper vs Spokenly compared: Spokenly's $29 one-time Local+ plan and Pro subscription against HyperWhisper's free, open-source app and pay-as-you-go cloud credits.
Spokenly and HyperWhisper are both desktop dictation apps that run on macOS, Windows and Linux, and both let you dictate offline with local models for free. Spokenly now also sells Local+, a $29 one-time plan, next to its Pro subscription. If you are comparing cheap dictation that works on more than one operating system, this page puts the two side by side.
Spokenly's plans and prices are taken from spokenly.app/pricing, as published on October 23, 2026. Prices change; check their page before you buy.
Pricing at a glance
| HyperWhisper | Spokenly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever: local, offline transcription, plus 5 minutes of cloud transcription a day | Free forever: local Whisper and Parakeet models, offline, unlimited use |
| One-time purchase | Not needed: the app itself is free and open source | Local+, $29 once: Notch and Capsule recording styles, settings sync across devices, priority support |
| Subscription | None, ever | Pro, $99.99 billed yearly (from $8.33/month); a monthly option is also offered |
| Built-in cloud transcription | HyperWhisper Cloud: pay-as-you-go credits from $5, spent at the providers' own processing cost, plus a 6% payment-processing fee at checkout | Included with Pro only |
| Bring your own API keys | Yes, free | Yes, free on every plan |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS |
| Source code | Open source (Apache-2.0), including the cloud backend | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Refunds | 14-day money-back guarantee on credit purchases | Pro bought on spokenly.app: 14-day money-back guarantee |
What Spokenly's $29 Local+ plan includes
According to Spokenly's pricing page, Local+ is for people who dictate with local models or their own API keys. For $29, paid once, it adds three things to the free plan:
- the Notch and Capsule recording styles;
- settings sync across devices;
- priority support.
Spokenly's cloud models and hosted AI are not part of Local+; they belong to Pro. With Local+ you still need your own API keys for cloud transcription and AI cleanup. Spokenly says Local+ works in its latest Mac app from spokenly.app, its latest iPhone app, and its latest Windows and Linux apps, and that the Mac App Store version will get it in a future update.
Dictation itself does not need Local+: Spokenly's free plan already includes unlimited offline dictation with Whisper and Parakeet models, in 100+ languages, with no account needed.
What HyperWhisper costs
HyperWhisper has no paid app tier to compare Local+ against. The app is free and open source under Apache-2.0, and local, offline transcription costs nothing, forever.
You pay only if you want HyperWhisper's own cloud transcription beyond the free 5 minutes a day. HyperWhisper Cloud is pay-as-you-go: you top up from $5 (1,000 credits per $1) and spend credits only as you transcribe, at the providers' own processing cost with no markup on transcription. Checkout adds a flat 6% payment-processing fee. There is no monthly fee and nothing to cancel. Credits expire 12 months after purchase.
Or skip the cloud credits and bring your own API key from providers such as OpenAI, Groq, Deepgram, AssemblyAI, ElevenLabs, Mistral, Soniox or Google Gemini, and pay the provider directly.
Cloud transcription: subscription or pay-as-you-go
This is where the two differ most.
- Spokenly includes managed cloud transcription (its pricing page names GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova 3 and Soniox) and hosted AI text processing in Pro, a subscription billed $99.99 a year.
- HyperWhisper sells cloud transcription as credits you buy when you need them, with 12 transcription providers to choose from. If you dictate a little, you pay a little; nothing renews.
Both apps let you avoid paying them for cloud use at all by connecting your own provider API keys.
Platforms
Both apps cover all three desktop operating systems. HyperWhisper runs on macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows 10 and 11 (x64 or ARM64), and Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+ on amd64). Spokenly lists apps for macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. If you need dictation on an iPhone, Spokenly has an app there; HyperWhisper is a desktop app.
Which should you pick?
- You only dictate offline: both are free. Spokenly's Local+ adds recording styles, settings sync and priority support for $29; HyperWhisper has no paid tier for local use.
- You want built-in cloud accuracy without a subscription: HyperWhisper Cloud's pay-as-you-go credits start at $5 and never renew.
- You want an iPhone app as well: Spokenly lists one; HyperWhisper is desktop-only.
- You want to read the source: HyperWhisper, app and cloud backend, is open source on GitHub.
Download HyperWhisper for free on macOS, Windows or Linux and try it alongside whatever you use today.