A VoiceInk alternative that's free to download.
VoiceInk and Hush are both open-source, on-device dictation apps for Apple Silicon Macs. VoiceInk's ready-made app costs $25 for one Mac after a 7-day trial, or nothing if you build it yourself from the GPL source. Hush's download is free, MIT licensed and needs no license key. VoiceInk does more today, including file transcription, screen context and an iPhone app.
Free and open source · Apple Silicon Macs · No account
Why people look for a VoiceInk alternative
- 1
A license for each Mac
VoiceInk costs $25 for one Mac, $39 for two and $49 for three. Hush is free on every Mac you own, with no trial and no license key.
- 2
MIT instead of GPL
Both are open source. Hush's MIT license lets you reuse the code anywhere, including closed-source projects; VoiceInk's GPL-3.0 requires distributed derivative work to stay GPL.
- 3
Live preview from a local model
Hush's Live preview model streams your words into view while you talk, on your Mac. VoiceInk's docs say real-time text needs a streaming model and doesn't work with local Whisper.
Hush vs VoiceInk
Feature by feature, including what Hush doesn't do yet. Hover or tap a cell for details.
| Feature | Hush | VoiceInk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $25 one-timeFor 1 Mac; $39 for 2 Macs, $49 for 3. |
| Free version | Everything | 7-day trialFree if you build it yourself from the GPL source. |
| Open source | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Account | Not needed | Not neededActivates with a license key. |
| On-device speech recognition | ✓Parakeet, Whisper, Moonshine, Canary and other open models run locally. | ✓Cloud providers optional. |
| Works offline | ✓Only the optional AI clean-up with a cloud provider needs a connection. | ✓With local models. |
| Usage analytics | None | ?Their privacy policy doesn't say either way. |
| Live preview | ✓ | ◐Only with streaming models, not local Whisper. |
| AI clean-up | ✓Optional, with your own provider key or Apple Intelligence. | ✓ |
| Bring your own key | ✓Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Cerebras or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. | ✓ |
| On-device AI option | ✓Apple Intelligence on supported Macs. | ✓VoiceInk Refine or Ollama. |
| Handles self-corrections | ✓Part of the AI clean-up. | ✓ |
| Per-app styles | ✓Default, Message, Email, Code and Raw. | ✓ |
| Voice snippets | ✓ | ✓Through word replacements. |
| Edit selected text by voice | Not yet, Coming next | ✓ |
| Context awareness | Not yet, Coming next | ✓Selected text, clipboard and screen text. |
| Learns from your corrections | Not yet, Coming next | ✓ |
| File transcription | Not yet, Coming later | ✓ |
| Mac (Intel) | Not yet, Coming later | ✗ |
| iPhone | ✗Not on the roadmap yet. | ✓ |
VoiceInk details come from its own website, docs and terms, checked October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Open an issue.
Where each one is ahead
Where Hush is ahead
The ready-to-run app is free on every Mac, with no trial or license key. The MIT license is more permissive than the GPL. Live preview works with an on-device model. And the privacy policy states plainly that there is no telemetry; VoiceInk's doesn't say either way.
Where VoiceInk is ahead
VoiceInk does more today. It edits selected text, uses your clipboard and on-screen text as context, learns new words automatically, transcribes audio files, and has an iPhone app. Voice editing, context and a learning dictionary are next on the Hush roadmap, and file transcription comes later.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Hush if
- You want a free, ready-to-run download with no license key
- You prefer the MIT license
- You want live preview from an on-device model
Stay with VoiceInk if
- You want screen and clipboard context or voice editing today
- You transcribe audio files as well as live dictation
- You want an iPhone app too
Switching from VoiceInk
Install Hush
Download Hush, drag it to Applications and grant Microphone and Accessibility access. If VoiceInk uses the same shortcut, quit it or change one of the keys.
Keep your local AI setup
If you use Ollama for clean-up in VoiceInk, point Hush at the same server: AI clean-up works with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Apple Intelligence works too, on supported Macs.
Bring your words across
Hush has no importer. Add your vocabulary as custom words, and turn word replacements that expand text into Hush snippets.
Hush and VoiceInk: questions
Is VoiceInk free?
Is Hush open source like VoiceInk?
Can I use Ollama with Hush, like in VoiceInk?
Comparing more apps? See the full comparison with OpenWhispr, Spokenly, Willow and Apple Dictation, or read Hush as a Wispr Flow alternative or a Superwhisper alternative.
You talk faster than you type.
About three times faster. Hush turns that into text you can actually send, for free, without your voice leaving your Mac.
Apple Silicon Macs · Free and open source