Kensi vs Willow
AI-powered voice dictation for Mac, Windows, and iPhone with smart formatting.
Last updated March 2026
Kensi
12/12
Willow
6.5/12
The bottom line
Willow is a strong AI dictation app with cross-platform support, smart formatting, and context awareness. It shares several features with Kensi including AI correction and iOS support. Kensi differentiates with Ambient mode for meetings, deeper screen context with @-mention resolution, Ask mode for content generation, per-app vocabulary with bundle ID matching, and a lower starting price ($2/mo vs $15/mo).
Feature comparison
Feature by feature
All 12 voice-to-text capabilities compared
| Feature | Kensi | Willow |
|---|---|---|
| On-device speech recognition | Yes | Partial |
| AI/LLM text correction | Yes | Yes |
| Screen context awareness | Yes | Partial |
| Works in any app | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient/background mode | Yes | No |
| Custom personas | Yes | Partial |
| Privacy-first (no cloud required) | Yes | Partial |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Partial |
| Rewrite/edit mode | Yes | Partial |
| Ask/generate mode | Yes | No |
| Technical vocabulary | Yes | Partial |
| iOS support | Yes | Yes |
Pricing
Pricing at a glance
Kensi
Free during alpha, no credit card
Willow
2,000 free words (no credit card)
Bottom line: $3/mo less with Ambient mode, Ask mode, and per-app vocabulary included
Willow strengths
- AI correction with smart formatting, punctuation, and filler word removal
- Context awareness — reads what you''re working on for better accuracy
- Cross-platform: Mac, Windows, and iOS with AI keyboard
- Custom vocabulary for company names, industry terms, and jargon
- Quiet/whisper mode for dictation in silent environments
- 100+ language support
Kensi strengths
- On-device speech recognition — audio never leaves your device
- Screen context awareness with @-mention resolution
- 80+ technical term mappings with per-app vocabulary
- Fully offline AI tier (Privacy plan)
- Ambient mode for always-on meeting transcription
Which tool fits you?
Choose Willow if you...
- Want cross-platform dictation across Mac, Windows, and iOS
- Need AI correction with smart formatting and filler removal
- Work in quiet environments and need whisper mode
Choose Kensi if you...
- Need always-on meeting transcription (Ambient mode)
- Want deep screen context with @-mention resolution
- Need Ask/generate mode for content creation
- Want per-app vocabulary with bundle ID matching
Kensi vs Willow asked
Both apps offer AI-powered dictation with correction and formatting. Willow supports Mac, Windows, and iOS with context awareness and custom vocabulary. Kensi adds Ambient mode for meeting transcription, deeper screen context with @-mention resolution, Ask mode, per-app vocabulary with bundle ID matching, and starts at $2/mo vs Willow''s $15/mo.
Willow offers an optional offline mode with a local model for Mac and iOS, but it uses a smaller model than the cloud version. Kensi''s Privacy tier ($18/mo) runs both transcription and AI correction fully on-device with no quality compromise.
Willow starts at $15/mo (with 2,000 free words to try). Kensi starts at $2/mo for Voice, $12/mo for Cloud with AI correction. Kensi includes Ambient mode and Ask mode at every tier.
Ready to try Kensi?
Free during alpha. No account required. Download and start dictating in under a minute.
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