Why I'm switching from Wispr Flow to VoiceInk

Disclosure: Armitage is an affiliate of VoiceInk and may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change the price you pay, and I only recommend tools I use myself.

Why I dictate everything

I've never been a quick typist. For years, every email, quote and message took longer than it should have, and I often kept things shorter than I wanted because typing them out felt like a chore.

That became a real problem once I started working with AI tools every day. Getting good results from ChatGPT or Claude means explaining what you want properly, with the background and the detail. At my typing speed, that was painful.

So I started dictating, and it's made a bigger difference to my working day than almost any other tool I use:

• I save time. I speak much faster than I type, so emails and replies that used to take me a while are now done in moments.
• My writing is more accurate. Fewer typos, and I no longer cut corners on detail because typing it felt like too much effort.
• I get more done. Things I used to put off, like a long email to a supplier or a proper brief for a job, I now just get on with.
• I get better results from AI. I can explain what I want at my own pace, in full, and the answers are much better for it.

This isn't the dictation you remember

If you tried voice typing a few years ago, you probably gave up on it. You had to say "comma" and "full stop", fix every other word, and it only worked in certain apps. Today's dictation apps are different:

• They work everywhere. Press a shortcut key, speak, and the text appears wherever your cursor is: email, Word, your accounting software, a ChatGPT window.
• They handle punctuation for you. You talk normally and get proper sentences.
• They tidy up how people really speak, with the pauses and restarts cleaned up, so you're not left editing a transcript.

Why I'm switching

I started with Wispr Flow, and it's excellent. But it's a subscription: $15 a month for Pro. Then I tried VoiceInk. For the way I work, it's every bit as good, and it costs a one-off payment instead of a monthly bill.

So I've cancelled my Wispr Flow subscription. I'm using it until the month I've paid for runs out, then VoiceInk becomes my everyday tool.

Same job, same quality. One costs $15 every month; the other costs $39 once. For me, that made the decision easy.

Wispr Flow vs VoiceInk at a glance

The maths: at $15 a month, Wispr Flow Pro costs $180 a year. VoiceInk's two-Mac version costs $39 once, which pays for itself in under three months, and after that it's free. Even Wispr Flow's yearly plan, at $144 a year, costs more than three times VoiceInk in the first year alone.

Prices checked on each company's website in September 2026. They may change, so check before you buy.

Which should you choose?

• On a Mac with an M1 chip or newer? Try VoiceInk. In my experience it's just as good, and you pay once instead of every month.
• On Windows or Android, or rolling it out across a team? Wispr Flow is the one to go for, because VoiceInk doesn't run there. It's a very good tool. It just costs more over time.

Not sure which chip your Mac has? Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac. If it says "Chip: Apple M1" (or M2, M3 and so on), VoiceInk will work.

Tips for getting started

1. Pick one task. Start with email replies. Once it feels natural, use it everywhere.
2. Speak in full thoughts. Pause, think, then say the whole sentence. It comes out cleaner than speaking in fragments.
3. Use a decent microphone. Your laptop's built-in mic works, but a basic headset makes it more accurate in a noisy room.
4. Give it a week. Talking to your computer feels odd for a day or two. After that, typing feels slow.

See the other tools I rely on, on our Tools we use page.