Is Mac dictation free?

Yes. The built-in Dictation on a Mac costs nothing extra, because it comes with macOS and you do not buy or install anything to use it. Free apps can give you more, such as offline speech models, but some free plans limit how much you can dictate. Pay for an app only when the built-in tool lacks something you need. If you are new to the feature, what Dictation on a Mac is explains it first.

The built-in Dictation has no purchase step

Dictation is a feature of the Mac, not a separate product. Apple introduced it with OS X Mountain Lion in 2012, and from the start it could type anywhere you could type ¹. Setup involves no payment. In System Settings, you choose Keyboard, go to Dictation, turn it on and click Enable if that button appears ². Apple's Dictation guide describes the feature and its steps without mentioning a charge.

Free apps are free to start, but their limits decide the real cost

The options most people compare differ in how they process speech and how much you can use them. The table sets out the main ones.

Whether the internet matters can matter more than the price

Apple says Dictation on a Mac may need an internet connection, and that Keyboard settings show whether you need one ³. So "free" and "works offline" are two separate questions. Check that setting on your own Mac before you rely on the built-in tool with no network. If you need the speech to stay on the device, read about on-device speech recognition, then test an offline app such as Handy on the same paragraph. The free dictation apps for Mac question compares these options in more detail.

Free plans have caps, so heavy use can cost you

A free plan is free until you reach its limit. Wispr Flow's free plan allows 2,000 dictated words a week on desktop ⁶. That limit may suit short messages, but not long reports dictated every day. The Superwhisper free plan lists unlimited dictation with local Whisper models ⁵, so it suits steady daily use if its feature limits are acceptable to you. Vendors change their plans, so read the current terms before you depend on either one.

Paid apps charge for features, and Dragon for Mac updates were set to end in 2018

A paid app makes sense when you need something the built-in tool does not do. VoiceInk's Solo license costs $25 once and covers one Mac ⁷, so there is no monthly bill. Check the vendor's page before you buy, because prices change.

If an older guide recommends Dragon for Mac, note that Nuance said it would stop providing updates for Dragon Professional Individual for Mac after 22 October 2018 ⁸. For current paid and free options, see the guide to the best dictation app for Mac.

Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, so it belongs in the same comparison. Its current plans are on our pricing page, and you can download it to test it against the built-in tool.

What to do

1. Turn on the built-in Dictation and use it for a week in the apps you write in most. The full steps are in how to use Dictation on a Mac.
2. Check the Keyboard settings on your Mac to see whether Dictation needs the internet there.
3. If you need offline use, or more words than a free cap allows, test one free app on the same paragraph and count the errors you have to fix in each.
4. Pay only when a feature you need is missing, and check the current price on the vendor's page before you buy.