The honest guide to choosing a voice-to-text app
6 apps. 12 features. Side-by-side data so you can decide with confidence.
Last updated: August 2026
Ranked by feature score
All 6 apps ranked by feature coverage. Select any competitor to see pricing, key features, and a direct comparison link.
Superwhisper
mac-dictationAI-powered voice-to-text app for Mac, Windows, and iOS with local Whisper models.
Pricing
$8.49/moFeature score
Key features
Kensi12/12Why Kensi
9 things that set Kensi apart
On-device speech recognition
Audio never leaves your Mac or iPhone. Zero network dependency for transcription.
AI-powered correction
Grammar, filler words, formatting, and domain terms fixed automatically by an LLM.
Screen context awareness
Reads your frontmost app to resolve references like "this error" or "that function".
Works in any app
Global hotkey inserts text at cursor. IDEs, browsers, terminals, Slack, email.
Fully offline AI tier
Privacy tier runs on-device LLM correction via MLX. Not a single byte leaves your machine.
850+ terms across 32 packs
"react hook" becomes useState. "pull request" becomes PR. Code-aware out of the box.
Four input modes
Dictate, Rewrite, Ask, and Ambient. Voice-to-text for every context.
Learns from your corrections
Two matching word corrections teach Kensi the spelling and phonetic form for next time.
macOS + iOS
Native apps for both platforms. Keyboard extension works in any text field on iPhone.
Download for macOS →
Pricing
Four plans. Choose your AI path.
Each plan is clear about its cloud, local, and learning capabilities. No surprise limits.
Voice
On-device STT
Cloud
AI correction
Privacy
Fully offline
Everything
Cloud + Privacy
How competitors price
Wispr Flow
$10/mo
Willow
$15/mo
VoiceOS
$15/mo
Superwhisper
$8.49/mo
Talon Voice
Free (beta) / Patreon
Dragon NaturallySpeaking
$200+
The research
Why voice dictation matters
The data is clear: voice input is faster, healthier, and more natural than typing.
3x
Faster than typing for most people when dictating natural prose
(Stanford Research)
25%
Of developers report RSI or repetitive strain from typing
(Stack Overflow Survey)
850+
Technical terms across 32 vocabulary packs
(Kensi vocabulary catalog)
Frequently asked
Kensi combines on-device speech recognition with AI-powered text correction. Unlike most alternatives, it works in any app via a global hotkey, supports multiple modes (Dictate, Rewrite, Ask, Ambient), and never sends your audio to the cloud.
Yes. Speech recognition runs entirely on-device. Audio never leaves your Mac or iPhone. If you use Cloud correction, only transcribed text is sent — never audio. The Privacy tier uses a fully on-device LLM so nothing leaves your machine at all.
The Voice tier and Privacy tier work completely offline. Speech recognition is always on-device. The Privacy tier adds on-device LLM correction via MLX, so you get full AI-powered correction with zero network dependency.
Kensi Pro runs speech recognition on-device, then Kensi can apply AI correction to fix grammar, remove filler words, and format technical terms. You can also choose sentence-aware Kensi Max for deeper local transcription context.
Absolutely. Kensi includes 850+ terms across 32 vocabulary packs, including dedicated software-engineering packs. It resolves references like "at header component" to actual files in your workspace, formats code references correctly, and handles case conversions. It works in any IDE via the global hotkey.
Kensi is available on macOS 15+ with Apple Silicon and iOS 18+. The Mac app runs as a menu bar app with a global hotkey. The iOS app includes a keyboard extension that works in any text field.
Ready to try Kensi?
Free to start. Plans from $2/mo. Download and start dictating.