The built-in one is already free. Here's when it's not enough.
macOS already ships a dictation feature, free, with no install. This isn't a case against it — it's an honest look at where it's genuinely enough, and where Plainsay's vocabulary, model choice, and cleanup pass earn a second app.
The short version
Both are free. This page isn't about price — Apple's Dictation costs nothing, same as Plainsay.
Plainsay lets you add names and jargon it should recognize. We found no equivalent in Apple's own Dictation documentation.
Apple's Dictation transcribes with basic auto-punctuation. Plainsay adds an optional pass that removes filler words and fixes phrasing.
Side by side
| Plainsay | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no install decision — it's a separate app you choose to add. | Free, built into macOS, nothing to install. |
| Where it runs | Always on your Mac — Whisper or Parakeet via Core ML, verifiable in the open-source code. | Configurable — Apple's own docs say to check Keyboard settings for whether your voice is processed on-device or sent to Siri servers. Not an unconditional local guarantee. |
| Custom vocabulary | Yes — add names, jargon, and product terms. | Not found in Apple's documentation. |
| Cleanup pass | Optional — removes filler words, fixes phrasing, keeps your wording. Switchable to your own key or off. | Automatic punctuation only (commas, periods, question marks) — no filler-word removal or rephrasing. |
| Model choice | Yes — Whisper (language breadth) or Parakeet (fast, strong Polish + English). | Single built-in engine, no alternative. |
| Time limit | None. | None currently, per Apple's docs — "dictate text of any length without a timeout." |
| Source | MIT licensed, fully public. | Closed, part of macOS. |
macOS Dictation figures from Apple's own support documentation, 2026. Apple's docs — check the source links below.
"Processed on your device" is a setting, not a guarantee
This is the one place we want to be precise rather than score a point. Apple's own support documentation says you can check Keyboard settings to see whether your dictation is processed on-device or sent to Siri's servers — it's something you can configure and verify, not an unconditional promise either way.
Plainsay's transcription is always on your Mac, by design and in the open-source code — there's no setting to check because there's no cloud path for transcription to begin with. If knowing exactly where your voice goes without checking a settings pane matters to you, that's the practical difference.
A vocabulary, and a real cleanup pass
Apple's Dictation is solid raw transcription with light, automatic punctuation — genuinely good for short text. It doesn't appear to support a personal dictionary for names or jargon, and it doesn't rewrite what you said.
Plainsay adds two things on top of transcription: a vocabulary you control, so uncommon names and terms stop getting misheard, and an optional cleanup pass that removes filler words and false starts while keeping your own wording — not just punctuation, an actual second draft.
Where macOS Dictation is the better pick — honestly
- You want zero installs and zero third-party trust — it's already there, from Apple, system-wide.
- You only need short, occasional dictation without a vocabulary or cleanup pass.
- You'd rather not choose a model or think about where processing happens at all.
If instead you want a vocabulary Plainsay actually remembers, a real editing pass beyond punctuation, and a choice of transcription engine, in an open-source app — that's Plainsay.
Try the one with a vocabulary.
Download for macOS Free · MIT licensed · macOS 15+, Apple siliconSources
macOS Dictation guide — support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mh40584/mac
Plainsay source — github.com/conrader/plainsay
macOS Dictation figures were current as of 2026 and are quoted from Apple's own documentation. Apple updates macOS regularly — verify at the link above.