Of course, this is even more work than installing Wispr Flow. However, when you’re done, you have a working application with no monthly subscription. I recommend giving it a try.
Some other free options
As I said earlier: AI transcription and LLM are both widely available technologies. So, it should come as no surprise that there are many Wispr Flow alternatives out there now.
For Mac users, the completely free and open source MacParakeet is a great option. It is open source and completely free to download and use without any account. There is also no upselling in the application. Transcribing is controlled using the local model, Parakeet or Whisper, and different types of LLMs – both local and online – are supported for the formatting stage. This is the closest free app I’ve found to Wispr Flow.
VoiceInk, another Mac-only option, is open source and free to use if you download the code from GitHub and compile it yourself. Otherwise the app costs $25 for one time, after which you can use all the features without paying anything. Note that this requires an API key from a service like Gemini, Anthropic, OpenAI, or Cloud for the formatting step.
Windows and Linux users should look at FOSS Voquill, which is completely free, open source software (hence FOSS), and works offline. It doesn’t offer a formatting step, which is disappointing, but I’m including it because it’s the best free Windows and Linux alternative I’ve found without any annoying upselling.
Windows users and Mac users who don’t like the above options for whatever reason have another option: OpenWhispr. This open source tool doesn’t require an account (but you should find a small “Continue without account” button). The app offers a subscription, but you can opt to set up a local model and external API key instead to avoid paying.
Do you really need to type with your voice?
Wispr Flow has its own advantages. For one thing, it’s easy to configure, and it has a consistent user interface. I can understand why someone might choose to pay for a subscription. But if money is tight right now, there are free options available.
I enjoyed exploring this growing field, but I’ll stick to my keyboard. Whisper Flow, and apps like it, promise to let you write at the speed of thought, but I type faster than I think. If I may be philosophical for a moment, writing is How I think. Typing out a sentence, looking at it, and refining it doesn’t have to be an annoying part of the writing process – it’s Is Writing process. And I often don’t know what my opinion is on something until I take the time to refine my thoughts. I can’t help but feel that a lot of this would be lost if I just talked to my computer instead of typing.
But every brain is different, and these tools may work well for you. That’s why I’m glad there are so many options out there.
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