AmicalvsWindows Voice Access

Amical vs Windows Voice Access

Windows Voice Access is Microsoft's built-in accessibility-first feature in Windows 11. Amical sits next to it with a writing-focused dictation flow, AI rewrites, and the same workflow on macOS too.

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The short version

Pick Amical if…

Pick Amical if you want uniform dictation across every app, AI rewrites, an open-source codebase, and the same workflow on macOS too, while keeping audio local-first on your own machine.

Pick Windows Voice Access if…

Pick Voice Access if you specifically need its accessibility-first design to control your whole computer by voice, navigate the UI hands-free, or rely on its command grammar for keyboard replacement.

Feature comparison

FeatureAmicalWindows Voice Access
Install requiredYes, small appNo, built into Windows 11
PriceFreeFree with Windows
Open sourceYes, MIT licensedNo, proprietary
PlatformsmacOS · Windows · Android · iOSWindows 11 only
Primary focusWriting and dictation flowAccessibility and full PC control
AI text formatting and rewritesYes, optional
Uniform behaviour in any appVaries by app
Local-first by default
Custom vocabularyLimited
Active feature developmentOpen-source roadmapTied to Windows updates

Where Amical wins

Writing-first, uniform across apps

Amical is designed around the moment you want to compose a sentence and have it land cleanly in whatever editor, browser, or chat app you are in. It behaves the same in every app on day one, where Voice Access dictation quality can vary noticeably depending on the application you happen to be using.

Open source and cross-platform

Amical is MIT licensed on GitHub and runs on both Windows and macOS with the same local-first pipeline. Voice Access is a closed Windows 11 feature you cannot inspect or carry to other operating systems. If you switch between a Mac and a PC, Amical gives you one tool that works the same on both.

Free and community-built

Amical is free with no paid tier and is developed in the open by the people who use it. New features ship continuously rather than waiting for a major Windows release, and you can suggest changes, file issues, or contribute pull requests directly to the project on GitHub at any point.

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.

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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
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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

Use Amical with the apps you already work in

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

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