Best free speech-to-text apps 2026
Most usable without paying — real free tier, no trial wall.
Wispr Flow ranks #1 for free speech to text (2,000 words/week (Mac & Windows), 1,000/week on iPhone). 2 apps tested on identical audio; the full ranking and what each is best for is below.
The ranking
# App free speech to text Overall
1
Wispr Flow Free tier with privacy mode
2,000 words/week (Mac & Windows), 1,000/week on iPhone
6.2 / 10
2
Willow Voice Generous weekly free tier
2,000 words per week
7.5 / 10
—
Aqua Voice Cloud-comfortable Mac or Windows users who want highly accurate dictation with punctuation and filler-removal handled automatically
1,000 words total (one-off, not recurring) — not a real free tier
7.9 / 10
—
SuperWhisper Power users willing to dig past default settings and switch to Whisper Standard
No free tier
7.1 / 10
Why these rank where they do
- 2,000 words/week on desktop, same model as paid.
- A privacy mode with zero data retention is available.
- Account required even to download.
- 2,000 words a week on the free plan, no credit card.
- Full formatting and custom vocabulary included for free.
- Free tier is cloud-only; tracking can’t be disabled.
How we ranked this
Ranked by free-tier quality — whether there is a real free tier (not just a trial) and how usable it is. Apps with no free tier are listed at the bottom.
Full methodology →