vs
Amical vs Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is the built-in macOS feature that just works when you press a key. Amical covers the same job with AI-aware formatting, consistent behaviour across every app, and Windows support too.
The short version
Pick Amical if…
Pick Amical if you want AI-aware formatting, consistent behaviour across every app, cross-platform support on Windows too, and an open-source pipeline you can inspect rather than a black-box system service.
Pick Apple Dictation if…
Pick Apple Dictation if you only ever use macOS, never want to install anything extra, and basic system-level dictation in Apple-native apps is genuinely all you need.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Amical | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Install required | Yes, small app | No, built into macOS |
| Price | Free | Free with Mac |
| Open source | Yes, MIT licensed | No, proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS · Windows · Android · iOS | macOS · iOS only |
| Cross-app context awareness | ||
| AI text formatting and rewrites | Yes, optional | |
| Local-first by default | Yes, on modern Macs | |
| Custom vocabulary | Limited | |
| Works the same in every app | Varies by app | |
| Active feature development | Open-source roadmap | Tied to macOS releases |
Where Amical wins
Same workflow on Mac and Windows
Amical gives you the same dictation pipeline, hotkey, and behaviour on macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. Apple Dictation is a Mac-only feature that simply does not exist on any non-Apple machine, which matters as soon as you switch between a personal Mac and a Windows work laptop.
Open source and inspectable
Amical is MIT licensed on GitHub. You can read exactly how audio is captured and what happens to the resulting text. Apple Dictation is a closed system service you cannot inspect, fork, or carry to any non-Apple device, so the privacy story is whatever Apple chooses to publish about it.
AI rewrites, custom vocabulary, no waiting
Amical pairs on-device transcription with optional AI rewrites, a real custom vocabulary UI, and a roadmap that ships features continuously. Apple Dictation drops raw text into whatever field has focus and only changes meaningfully on the annual macOS release cycle.
Experience the future of dictation
Local and Cloud Models
Choose from powerful cloud-based AI models or run everything locally for maximum privacy and control. Switch seamlessly between providers to find the perfect balance of speed, accuracy, and security.
Custom Vocabulary
Customize the AI to recognize your specific terminology, jargon, and proper nouns for industry-specific accuracy and personalized transcription results.
Project PhoenixMcConaughey
CI/CD pipelinek8s
SOC2PostgreSQL
JiraROI metrics
⌘Space
⌥⌘A
CtrlAltSpace
Custom Shortcuts
Create personalized voice commands and shortcuts to streamline your workflow and boost productivity with hands-free operation.
Multi Language Support
Transcribe and dictate in 100+ languages with native-level accuracy. Switch between languages seamlessly or use mixed-language dictation.
Frequently asked questions
Other Amical comparisons
Built for the way you work
Loved by builders
From San Francisco to Tokyo — what real users are saying about Amical.
ごめん、勝間さん。
ScribesよりAmicalだわ
This is really an amazing app, and I'm super impressed with how smooth it works, and their amazing support. It's just fast and accurate, and it formats the text depending on what application I'm using. This is really my go-to blathering app, and it makes my day so sweet and easy. Read on AppSumo →
【音声入力】
現状Windowsでも使えるおすすめはこの3つ。
・Amical
・Aqua Voice
・Typeless
個人的には慣れもあるけどAqua Voiceが好き。Typelessは整形キツめなのが難点だけどUIUXが良い。Amicalはローカル完結で無料なのがデカい。
音声入力は移り変わりが激しいので年払いはしない方がいいです。
[Free] Amical for voice input is way too convenient. Reviewing the good and bad of Amical — and walking through installation too.
Translated
有益なアプリをありがとうございます☺️
r/LocalLLMu/todokanai_koi
There's also github.com/amicalhq/amical
Switched to it a couple of weeks back, sleek UI and decent feature set. Works offline and on both windows and mac.
Amical - Open-source AI dictation app (@amical_app)
Cossmology Profile: dub.sh/Vk7tPkn
Key People: Haritabh Singh, Naomi Chopra (@NaomiChopra)
#SpeechRecognition #OpenSource #OSS #COSS
ごめん、勝間さん。
ScribesよりAmicalだわ
This is really an amazing app, and I'm super impressed with how smooth it works, and their amazing support. It's just fast and accurate, and it formats the text depending on what application I'm using. This is really my go-to blathering app, and it makes my day so sweet and easy. Read on AppSumo →
【音声入力】
現状Windowsでも使えるおすすめはこの3つ。
・Amical
・Aqua Voice
・Typeless
個人的には慣れもあるけどAqua Voiceが好き。Typelessは整形キツめなのが難点だけどUIUXが良い。Amicalはローカル完結で無料なのがデカい。
音声入力は移り変わりが激しいので年払いはしない方がいいです。
[Free] Amical for voice input is way too convenient. Reviewing the good and bad of Amical — and walking through installation too.
Translated
有益なアプリをありがとうございます☺️
r/LocalLLMu/todokanai_koi
There's also github.com/amicalhq/amical
Switched to it a couple of weeks back, sleek UI and decent feature set. Works offline and on both windows and mac.
Amical - Open-source AI dictation app (@amical_app)
Cossmology Profile: dub.sh/Vk7tPkn
Key People: Haritabh Singh, Naomi Chopra (@NaomiChopra)
#SpeechRecognition #OpenSource #OSS #COSS
ごめん、勝間さん。
ScribesよりAmicalだわ
This is really an amazing app, and I'm super impressed with how smooth it works, and their amazing support. It's just fast and accurate, and it formats the text depending on what application I'm using. This is really my go-to blathering app, and it makes my day so sweet and easy. Read on AppSumo →
【音声入力】
現状Windowsでも使えるおすすめはこの3つ。
・Amical
・Aqua Voice
・Typeless
個人的には慣れもあるけどAqua Voiceが好き。Typelessは整形キツめなのが難点だけどUIUXが良い。Amicalはローカル完結で無料なのがデカい。
音声入力は移り変わりが激しいので年払いはしない方がいいです。
[Free] Amical for voice input is way too convenient. Reviewing the good and bad of Amical — and walking through installation too.
Translated
有益なアプリをありがとうございます☺️
r/LocalLLMu/todokanai_koi
There's also github.com/amicalhq/amical
Switched to it a couple of weeks back, sleek UI and decent feature set. Works offline and on both windows and mac.
Amical - Open-source AI dictation app (@amical_app)
Cossmology Profile: dub.sh/Vk7tPkn
Key People: Haritabh Singh, Naomi Chopra (@NaomiChopra)
#SpeechRecognition #OpenSource #OSS #COSS
ごめん、勝間さん。
ScribesよりAmicalだわ
This is really an amazing app, and I'm super impressed with how smooth it works, and their amazing support. It's just fast and accurate, and it formats the text depending on what application I'm using. This is really my go-to blathering app, and it makes my day so sweet and easy. Read on AppSumo →
【音声入力】
現状Windowsでも使えるおすすめはこの3つ。
・Amical
・Aqua Voice
・Typeless
個人的には慣れもあるけどAqua Voiceが好き。Typelessは整形キツめなのが難点だけどUIUXが良い。Amicalはローカル完結で無料なのがデカい。
音声入力は移り変わりが激しいので年払いはしない方がいいです。
[Free] Amical for voice input is way too convenient. Reviewing the good and bad of Amical — and walking through installation too.
Translated
有益なアプリをありがとうございます☺️
r/LocalLLMu/todokanai_koi
There's also github.com/amicalhq/amical
Switched to it a couple of weeks back, sleek UI and decent feature set. Works offline and on both windows and mac.
Amical - Open-source AI dictation app (@amical_app)
Cossmology Profile: dub.sh/Vk7tPkn
Key People: Haritabh Singh, Naomi Chopra (@NaomiChopra)
#SpeechRecognition #OpenSource #OSS #COSS
Not sure why nobody's talking about it, but there's a free AI voice input app that's incredibly usable. It's called Amical — I use it daily.
Translated
tried amical (free & open source) alternative to whispr flow, aquavoice because they both charged me over $10
and the fact that it lets me run everything locally so nothing leaves my machine is crazyyy🤯
r/macappsu/IAM-rooted
nice comparison. been using amical lately and surprised it's not mentioned more. it's open source, runs locally or with cloud models, and actually formats stuff based on what app you're in. feels way more usable than just whisper or vosk on their own.
I was using VoiceDash, currently I'm using Blip AI, and now I'm testing Amical. So far, Amical is really, really good in recognizing my language and fantastic in recognizing the English language. I'm really impressed in this short period of time of using it. Read on AppSumo →
Amical for voice input is great — runs locally so it's super fast. I was on Aqua Voice but the 0.5s lag between speaking and seeing text was stressful every time. Local model accuracy is slightly lower but well within acceptable.
Translated
🎊 Big news! Amical @amical_app reached 1,000 stars on GitHub! High five! 🙌
Type 10x faster with AI-powered voice dictation
openalternative.co/amical
Not sure why nobody's talking about it, but there's a free AI voice input app that's incredibly usable. It's called Amical — I use it daily.
Translated
tried amical (free & open source) alternative to whispr flow, aquavoice because they both charged me over $10
and the fact that it lets me run everything locally so nothing leaves my machine is crazyyy🤯
r/macappsu/IAM-rooted
nice comparison. been using amical lately and surprised it's not mentioned more. it's open source, runs locally or with cloud models, and actually formats stuff based on what app you're in. feels way more usable than just whisper or vosk on their own.
I was using VoiceDash, currently I'm using Blip AI, and now I'm testing Amical. So far, Amical is really, really good in recognizing my language and fantastic in recognizing the English language. I'm really impressed in this short period of time of using it. Read on AppSumo →
Amical for voice input is great — runs locally so it's super fast. I was on Aqua Voice but the 0.5s lag between speaking and seeing text was stressful every time. Local model accuracy is slightly lower but well within acceptable.
Translated
🎊 Big news! Amical @amical_app reached 1,000 stars on GitHub! High five! 🙌
Type 10x faster with AI-powered voice dictation
openalternative.co/amical
Not sure why nobody's talking about it, but there's a free AI voice input app that's incredibly usable. It's called Amical — I use it daily.
Translated
tried amical (free & open source) alternative to whispr flow, aquavoice because they both charged me over $10
and the fact that it lets me run everything locally so nothing leaves my machine is crazyyy🤯
r/macappsu/IAM-rooted
nice comparison. been using amical lately and surprised it's not mentioned more. it's open source, runs locally or with cloud models, and actually formats stuff based on what app you're in. feels way more usable than just whisper or vosk on their own.
I was using VoiceDash, currently I'm using Blip AI, and now I'm testing Amical. So far, Amical is really, really good in recognizing my language and fantastic in recognizing the English language. I'm really impressed in this short period of time of using it. Read on AppSumo →
Amical for voice input is great — runs locally so it's super fast. I was on Aqua Voice but the 0.5s lag between speaking and seeing text was stressful every time. Local model accuracy is slightly lower but well within acceptable.
Translated
🎊 Big news! Amical @amical_app reached 1,000 stars on GitHub! High five! 🙌
Type 10x faster with AI-powered voice dictation
openalternative.co/amical
Not sure why nobody's talking about it, but there's a free AI voice input app that's incredibly usable. It's called Amical — I use it daily.
Translated
tried amical (free & open source) alternative to whispr flow, aquavoice because they both charged me over $10
and the fact that it lets me run everything locally so nothing leaves my machine is crazyyy🤯
r/macappsu/IAM-rooted
nice comparison. been using amical lately and surprised it's not mentioned more. it's open source, runs locally or with cloud models, and actually formats stuff based on what app you're in. feels way more usable than just whisper or vosk on their own.
I was using VoiceDash, currently I'm using Blip AI, and now I'm testing Amical. So far, Amical is really, really good in recognizing my language and fantastic in recognizing the English language. I'm really impressed in this short period of time of using it. Read on AppSumo →
Amical for voice input is great — runs locally so it's super fast. I was on Aqua Voice but the 0.5s lag between speaking and seeing text was stressful every time. Local model accuracy is slightly lower but well within acceptable.
Translated
🎊 Big news! Amical @amical_app reached 1,000 stars on GitHub! High five! 🙌
Type 10x faster with AI-powered voice dictation
openalternative.co/amical