Compare
SayWrite vs Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is free and supports many languages; SayWrite adds cleanup, AI Polish, snippets and commands on top of on-device dictation, but it is English-only.
7 days free · no card, no account · then $30/year or $5/month · no word limit
On your phone? SayWrite runs on a Mac. Send yourself the link and download it there.
Not affiliated; trademarks belong to their owners. Apple Dictation is a trademark of its owner, and SayWrite is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Competitor details come from their public websites and documentation as of . Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
- ≈0.2 s warmstop to result in an archived M5 Pro speech test. Test conditions
- 0 bytesof your audio uploaded for transcription. What does go online
- Offlinedictation keeps working on a plane, with the speech model downloaded and ready
- $30/yrafter a 7-day free trial, with no word limit
Side by side
SayWrite and Apple Dictation, compared
| Feature | SayWrite | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Where speech becomes text | Always on your Mac | On-device for supported Macs and languages; Keyboard settings show whether yours is processed on your deviceSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| How you start it | Hold Fn and talk, or tap Fn to start and stop; Control-Option-D also works | The Microphone key, a keyboard shortcut you choose, or Edit › Start DictationSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| Length | Hold as long as you like, or tap to start and stop | Any length; stops after 30 seconds without speechSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| Punctuation and commands | Automatic punctuation; “new line”, “new paragraph”, “scratch that” and voice snippets | Auto-punctuation in supported languages, plus spoken punctuation, formatting and capitalization commandsSource: Apple Support: Commands for dictating text on Mac |
| Cleanup and rewriting | Filler-word removal, AI Polish, “do what I say” rewrites and per-app style | Apple's dictation guides describe punctuation and formatting commands, not filler removal or rewritingSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| History and stats | Searchable History and speaking-speed Stats, stored on your Mac | Not described in Apple's dictation guideUnverified |
| Languages | English | Many languages; availability varies by language and regionSource: Apple: macOS feature availability |
| Price | 7-day free trial, then $5/month or $30/year; separate download | Free and built into macOSSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| Speaking vs typing speed stats | Yes: speaking and typing WPM on your Mac, words dictated and time saved | No speed stats described in Apple's guideSource: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac |
| Per-app AI Polish rules | Yes: e.g. Slack and Mail always polished, Messages cleaned up, code editors as dictated | No rewriting, so no per-app polishSource: Apple Support: Commands for dictating text on Mac |
Privacy
Both can run on your Mac
Apple says you can check Keyboard settings to see whether your voice input and transcripts for general dictation are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. (Source: Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac) On a supported Mac and language, Apple Dictation is private too. SayWrite is on-device every time, in English, on any Apple silicon Mac running macOS 15 or later.
Cleanup
What SayWrite adds on top
Apple Dictation adds punctuation automatically in supported languages and understands spoken commands for punctuation, formatting and capitalization. (Source: Apple Support: Commands for dictating text on Mac) SayWrite starts there and keeps going:
- Hold-to-talk on Fn, with text typed at your cursor after you let go. SayWrite never presses Return.
- Filler-word removal for um, uh, er, ah and hmm.
- AI Polish and “do what I say” rewriting, using Apple Intelligence or your own local model.
- Voice snippets, a personal dictionary and per-app style.
- History and Stats, stored only on your Mac.
Setup
Using both
If you dictate in other languages, keep Apple Dictation for those and give it a different shortcut. SayWrite uses the Fn (Globe) key, so set “Press 🌐 key to” to Do Nothing. The Fn key guide walks through each option.
The honest answer
Which should you choose?
Choose Apple Dictation if…
- You dictate in a language other than English, or in several.
- You only dictate occasionally and don't need cleanup or rewriting.
- You'd rather not install anything or grant an extra app Accessibility access.
Choose SayWrite if…
- You want to hold one key and talk, with no timeout and no double-press.
- You want um and uh removed and a rambling paragraph turned into clean writing, on your Mac.
- You reuse phrases often (snippets) or want a searchable history of what you dictated.
- You want to know it's on-device every time, not only on supported configurations.
Frequently asked questions
Is Apple Dictation private?
Apple says you can check Keyboard settings to see whether your voice input and transcripts for general dictation are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. On supported Macs and languages it runs on-device. SayWrite always runs on your Mac.
Can I use SayWrite and Apple Dictation together?
Yes, but not on the same key. SayWrite uses the Fn (Globe) key, so set "Press 🌐 key to" to Do Nothing and give Apple Dictation a different shortcut if you still want it for other languages.
Does Apple Dictation remove filler words?
Apple's dictation guides don't describe filler-word removal. SayWrite can drop um, uh, er, ah and hmm automatically, and AI Polish can rewrite a ramble into clean sentences on your Mac.
Sources
Accessed .
Keep reading
Say it messy. We'll write it neat.
Try it free for 7 days in the app: no card, no account. Then $30 a year or $5 a month, charged when you buy. No word limit.
On your phone? SayWrite runs on a Mac. Send yourself the link and download it there.
7-day free trial · no card, no account · macOS 15+ · Apple silicon