OctaflowWispr Flow is a well-loved dictation app, and its free plan is generous. But it caps you at 2,000 words a week on desktop. Octaflow’s dictation has no word limit and costs nothing, because it runs on your Mac. If you’re on a Mac and write in English, it’s the free alternative. If you need other languages or other devices, Wispr Flow is still the better pick.
Side by side
| Octaflow | Wispr Flow Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Word limit | None | 2,000 words a week on desktop, 1,000 on mobile |
| Languages | English for now | 100+ languages |
| Devices | Mac with Apple silicon | Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android |
| Paid plan | Octaflow Pro, $20 a month, for doing tasks by voice | Pro, for unlimited dictation and team features |
Wispr Flow details are from its pricing page in October 2026 and may change. Wispr Flow is a trademark of its owner, and Octaflow isn’t affiliated with it.
Where Octaflow is better
- No word limit, ever. Dictation is free without a weekly cap, so you never get cut off mid-week.
- Your voice stays on your Mac. Speech is turned into text on your Mac. The audio is never uploaded, and dictation works offline.
- No account to dictate. Download it, hold Right ⌘ and talk.
- It can do more than type. With Octaflow Pro, you can ask it to do things across your apps, like “reply to Sam and say Thursday works” or “turn on Dark Mode”. It asks before anything is sent.
Where Wispr Flow is better
- Languages. It supports more than 100. Octaflow is English only for now.
- Devices. It runs on Windows, iPhone and Android as well as Mac.
- Polished writing. Its AI rewrites what you say into clean, polished text as you go.
- Teams. Shared dictionaries, admin controls and meeting notes.
Switching takes a minute
- Download Octaflow and drag it into Applications.
- Allow the microphone and Accessibility. Here’s why each one is needed.
- Hold Right ⌘ and talk into any text field. That’s it.
More on how dictation works: Free dictation for Mac.
Questions
What’s the best free Wispr Flow alternative for Mac?
If you’re on a Mac and dictate in English, Octaflow’s dictation is free with no weekly word limit, and speech is turned into text on your Mac. If you need other languages or Windows and phone support, Wispr Flow’s free plan may suit you better.
Does Octaflow have a word limit?
No. Dictation is free with no word limit, because it runs on your Mac.
Is Wispr Flow free?
Wispr Flow has a free plan with a weekly word limit (2,000 words a week on desktop, according to its pricing page in October 2026) and paid plans for unlimited use.
Can I use both?
Yes. Octaflow dictates with Right ⌘ by default, and you can change its keys in settings if they clash with another app, so you can try it without removing Wispr Flow.
What do I need for Octaflow?
A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later.