Compare
SayWrite vs Wispr Flow
SayWrite is a Wispr Flow alternative for English dictation on your Mac. Hold Fn in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Slack or Mail. Talk, then let go: SayWrite drops the ums, adds punctuation and types at your cursor. Standard plans cost $30 a year or $5 a month, with no word limit, after a 7-day free trial in the app: no card, no account. Cancel anytime.
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. Wispr Flow 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 Spotted something out of date?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 Wispr Flow, compared
| Feature | SayWrite | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Where speech becomes text | On your Mac, on the Apple Neural Engine | In the cloud: “Transcription always happens in the cloud”Source: Wispr Flow privacy policy |
| Works with no internet | Yes, after a one-time speech model download (about 465 MB) | Cloud transcription; its privacy policy describes no offline modeSource: Wispr Flow privacy policy |
| Screen context sent with dictation | None. SayWrite never captures your screen | Context awareness is on by default and can send app info, on-screen text, textbox contents and conversation history (it says it takes no screenshots); you can turn it offSource: Wispr Flow Help Center: Context Awareness |
| Account | No password. Subscription users can sign in by email or activate with a license key. | Sign-in required during setupSource: Wispr Flow Help Center: Setup guide |
| Price | 7-day free trial in the app (no card), then $5/month or $30/year; no word limit | Free with a 2,000-word weekly limit on desktop; Pro $15/month or $12/month billed annually; Growth $23 or $18Source: Wispr Flow pricing |
| AI cleanup engine | Optional AI Polish is off until you enable it. It needs macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence turned on, or a model running on your Mac in Ollama or LM Studio. | Not stated which models it uses; no bring-your-own-model option foundUnverified |
| Platforms | Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later | Mac, Windows, iPhone and AndroidSource: wisprflow.ai |
| Languages | English | 100+ languages, detected automaticallySource: wisprflow.ai |
| Certifications | None claimed; SayWrite isn't a compliance product | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified; HIPAA-ready with a signed BAA (org-wide HIPAA enforcement on Growth and Enterprise)Source: Wispr Flow pricing |
| Speaking vs typing speed stats | Yes: speaking and typing WPM on your Mac, words dictated and time saved | Not verified on its public pagesUnverified |
| Per-app AI Polish rules | Yes: e.g. Slack and Mail always polished, Messages cleaned up, code editors as dictated | Not verified on its public pagesUnverified |
Privacy
Where your audio and on-screen text go
Wispr Flow's privacy policy says transcription always happens in the cloud. (Source: Wispr Flow privacy policy) Its security FAQ says the service processes and stores customer data in the United States. (Source: Wispr Flow Help Center: Security and compliance FAQ) Its Context Awareness feature is on by default and, according to its help center, can send app info, textbox contents, on-screen text and conversation history along with a dictation. It says it doesn't take screenshots, and you can switch it off in Settings › Data and Privacy. (Source: Wispr Flow Help Center: Context Awareness)
SayWrite's speech engine runs on your Mac's Neural Engine, the temporary recording is deleted as soon as it's transcribed, and SayWrite never captures your screen. AI Polish runs on Apple's on-device model or a model you run in Ollama or LM Studio on this Mac. The app only contacts those servers through the Mac's loopback interface.
Model downloads, optional update checks, subscription activation and license checks, billing, and feedback you choose to send can connect to online services. The security page explains what each connection sends.
Connectivity
Offline use
Because SayWrite's speech model lives on your Mac (a one-time download of about 465 MB), dictation keeps working on a plane, in a basement or on a locked-down network. Try it yourself: disconnect from every network, hold Fn and talk. Wispr Flow's cloud transcription needs a connection (Source: Wispr Flow privacy policy).
Price
Price: $30 a year vs $144 a year
Wispr Flow's free plan has a weekly word limit of 2,000 words on desktop. Pro is $15 per user per month, or $12 billed annually, and Growth is $23, or $18 billed annually. (Source: Wispr Flow pricing)
SayWrite has a 7-day free trial in the app (no card, no account), then costs $5 a month or $30 a year, with no word limit and no password. On yearly billing that's less than a quarter of Wispr Flow Pro's $144 a year ($12 × 12). See pricing.
AI Polish
AI cleanup: whose model?
Hold Fn and tap Space while you talk, and SayWrite's AI Polish turns a ramble into what you'd have written with time. It uses Apple Intelligence's on-device model on macOS 26, or a model you run yourself in Ollama or LM Studio. You pick the model, and it runs on your hardware.
Switching
How to switch from Wispr Flow
- Download SayWrite (the 7-day free trial starts when you open it, no card), allow Microphone and Accessibility access, and download the speech model.
- Quit Wispr Flow so only one app listens to the Fn key, and set System Settings › Keyboard › “Press 🌐 key to” to Do Nothing.
- Hold Fn to talk, or tap it to start and stop. Tap Space while holding Fn to Polish.
- Add names and jargon to the personal dictionary, and recreate your snippets as voice snippets.
- Optional: turn on per-app auto-polish for Slack or Mail so every dictation there is tidied automatically.
- Use both for a week on the same kind of work. If you also dictate on Windows or a phone, Wispr Flow's free plan can cover those while SayWrite handles your Mac.
The honest answer
Which should you choose?
Choose Wispr Flow if…
- You dictate on Windows, iPhone or Android as well as the Mac, and want one app everywhere.
- You speak languages other than English, or switch between them.
- You need a signed HIPAA BAA (Wispr offers one, with org-wide enforcement on its Growth and Enterprise plans), SOC 2 documentation, or team SSO and admin controls.
- You're comfortable with cloud processing in exchange for those features.
Choose SayWrite if…
- You move between ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Slack and Mail, and want one dictation shortcut across them.
- You dictate in English on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 15 or later.
- You want optional AI rewriting on your Mac and have macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, or your own Ollama or LM Studio model.
- You want no word limit for $30 a year or $5 a month after the 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wispr Flow work offline?
Wispr Flow's privacy policy says transcription always happens in the cloud, and we found no offline mode in its documentation as of September 29, 2026. SayWrite transcribes on your Mac and works with no internet connection after a one-time model download.
Is Wispr Flow private?
Wispr Flow sends audio to its cloud for transcription, processes and stores customer data in the United States, and offers privacy controls and certifications such as SOC 2 Type II. Its context awareness feature is on by default and can send on-screen text and textbox contents with a dictation; Wispr says it doesn't take screenshots, and you can turn it off. SayWrite takes a different approach: it never uploads your audio or text.
Is SayWrite cheaper than Wispr Flow?
Yes. SayWrite costs $5 a month or $30 a year after a 7-day free trial, with no word limit and no password. Wispr Flow has a free plan with a 2,000-word weekly limit on desktop, and Pro costs $15 a month or $12 a month billed annually ($144 a year), so SayWrite's yearly plan costs less than a quarter of Wispr Flow Pro's.
How much would I save by switching from Wispr Flow to SayWrite?
On yearly billing, $114 a year per person: Wispr Flow Pro is $144 a year ($12 a month billed annually) and SayWrite is $30. On monthly billing it's $15 a month versus $5. Prices as of September 29, 2026; check both pricing pages for current offers.
Can I try SayWrite before I pay?
Yes. Download SayWrite and the 7-day free trial starts when you open it, with every feature unlocked: no card, no account. You can keep Wispr Flow installed while you compare; quit it or change its shortcut so only one app listens to the Fn key.
Can I use my Wispr Flow habits in SayWrite?
Mostly, yes. Both use the Fn key: hold it to talk and let go to insert text. In SayWrite, tap Space while holding Fn to Polish. Add names and jargon to SayWrite's personal dictionary and recreate your snippets as voice snippets.
Is it Wispr Flow or Whisper Flow?
It's spelled Wispr Flow, though many people search for "Whisper Flow". It's a cloud dictation app by Wispr. If you're looking for a Wispr Flow alternative that runs on your Mac, with no word limit, SayWrite is one option; this page compares the two.
Is Wispr Flow worth it?
It can be if you need Windows, iPhone or Android support, many languages or team features, and you're comfortable with cloud processing. If you work on a Mac in English and want dictation processed on the device, SayWrite costs $30 a year. Optional AI Polish needs macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, or your own Ollama or LM Studio model.
Sources
Accessed .
- Wispr Flow privacy policy (wisprflow.ai/privacy)
- Wispr Flow Help Center: Context Awareness (docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/4678293671-feature-context-awareness)
- Wispr Flow Help Center: Security and compliance FAQ (docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/3467817258-security-and-compliance-faq)
- Wispr Flow pricing (wisprflow.ai/pricing)
- wisprflow.ai (wisprflow.ai)
- Wispr Flow Help Center: Setup guide (docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/3152211871-setup-guide)
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