Apple's built-in dictation runs fully on-device on Apple Silicon with no time limit and no cost. WWDC 2026 added on-device auto-punctuation and formatting.
Apple Dictation is the baseline every paid Mac dictation app is measured against, and it is better than its reputation. On Apple Silicon it runs entirely on-device once the language model downloads: no audio leaves the Mac, it works offline, and there's no time limit — the old "Enhanced Dictation" restrictions are gone. It's free, it's already installed, and at WWDC 2026 Apple added a new on-device model that handles capitalisation, punctuation, and formatting automatically.
At a glance
Platforms
macOS and iOS
Pricing
Free, built in
Processing
Fully on-device on Apple Silicon (M1 and later)
Offline
Yes, once the language model is downloaded
Time limit
None. Stops after roughly 30 seconds of silence
Languages
Many, downloadable per language
New in 2026
On-device automatic capitalisation, punctuation, and formatting
Costs nothing and is already there. Before subscribing to anything in this directory, spend a week with the tool on your machine. A meaningful share of people who try the paid apps would have been fine here.
Genuinely private. On-device on Apple Silicon, no server round trip. That's the same guarantee superwhisper charges $249 for, minus the configurability.
No time limit. A persistent myth says Apple Dictation cuts off after 60 seconds. It doesn't — it stops after about 30 seconds of silence and resumes when you speak again.
Auto-formatting as of 2026. The new on-device model closes part of the gap with the AI tools, adding punctuation and capitalisation without you speaking the commands.
Everywhere on the system. Every text field on both macOS and iOS, with no per-app configuration.
Where it falls short
No AI cleanup pass. Even with 2026's formatting improvements, it transcribes what you said. Filler words, false starts, and rambling all survive. That gap is the entire value proposition of Wispr Flow and its competitors.
No custom vocabulary. Names, jargon, and product terms will be wrong repeatedly with no way to teach it. This is the single biggest practical difference from the paid tools.
Accuracy trails frontier models. Fine for everyday prose, weaker on technical vocabulary and accented speech.
Apple Silicon for the good version. Intel Macs fall back to server-based dictation, which is neither private nor offline.
No history, no modes, no shortcuts. It types what you say. No dictation log, no per-app behaviour, no snippet expansion.
Pricing
Free with macOS and iOS.
Who it's for
Everyone, as a first stop — start here and find out whether you actually need more. Move on when you hit a specific wall: needing a custom dictionary for names, wanting filler words removed automatically, or wanting per-app output styles. Those are the real reasons to pay, and if none of them bite you, the built-in tool is genuinely sufficient.
Last verified: 9 August 2026.
Similar to Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation: Free, on-device, already installed — try this before you pay for anything – Dictation Database
Five platforms and an AppSumo lifetime deal, with the risks that implies
General Dictation
Cloud dictation across Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, and Android with zero-retention processing. Free tier is 1,000 words a month; Pro is $12/month annually.
