Wispr Flow and Willow Voice both transcribe in the cloud by default and offer a genuine free plan. Wispr Flow ships Android and states dictation always needs the internet. Willow advertises an offline mode, default Private Mode with transient processing, and iOS with Android coming soon. WhisperJot, our app, starts on-device.
Facts come from each vendor's public pages, linked in Sources. The date above is the earlier of the two registry checks.
| Feature | Wispr Flow | Willow Voice | WhisperJot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where audio is processed | In the cloud. Wispr Flow states that transcription always occurs in the cloud. | In the cloud by default with Frontier Mini or Frontier Pro. Willow's homepage also advertises an offline mode. | On your device by default with Jot Local or Jot Local Pro. Jot Cloud is optional and opt-in behind explicit consent, used only while selected, and audio is never stored on our servers. |
| Works fully offline | No. All dictation requires an internet connection. | The homepage advertises an offline mode; the Frontier Mini and Frontier Pro cloud models require internet access. | Yes, with the local engines. |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android; no Linux app. | macOS, Windows, and iOS. Android is listed as coming soon, and no Linux app is offered. | macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon and Windows 10+ x64 are stable; Debian/Ubuntu Linux on x64 and arm64 is beta. |
| Price | Free at $0 with word caps; Pro is $12/user/month billed annually or $15/user/month billed monthly; Enterprise pricing is custom. No one-time option. | Basic is free. Pro is $144/year, or $15/month. Business is $336/year, or $35/month. | $99/year flat; no free tier. |
| Trial and free access | The free plan needs no card. The default Pro trial is two weeks, while qualifying new desktop users start on the free plan instead. | Basic is free with unlimited Frontier Mini use, limited personalization and dictation length, and 20 Scribe uses per week. | No free tier; a 30-second browser demo is available. |
Usage limits. Free: 2,000 words/week on desktop, 1,000/week on iPhone, and unlimited on Android. Pro includes unlimited dictation.
Dictation tools. Filler-word removal and formatting, a personal dictionary and snippets, per-app tone, 100+ languages, and Command Mode voice editing on Mac and Windows with Pro.
Privacy approach. Private Mode is the default: audio and text are processed transiently and are not retained by Willow or its service providers. Transcripts are stored locally on-device; text-based training is opt-in.
Writing assistance. Auto-learning dictionary, style matching, 100+ languages, quiet Whisper mode, and Scribe for turning speech into formal writing.
You need an Android app today, not a coming-soon listing.
You want Command Mode voice editing on Mac and Windows with Pro.
You want a free plan with no card and Pro unlimited dictation.
You want default Private Mode, with audio and text processed transiently.
You want Scribe, style matching, and an auto-learning dictionary.
You want Basic free with unlimited Frontier Mini, even with Scribe caps.
You prefer speech processing on your computer by default, not a cloud default.
You want fully offline local engines after a one-time model download.
You want unlimited dictation for $99/year, including a Linux beta.
Wispr Flow has the widest platform coverage here, with Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android apps. It offers a genuinely free tier with no card, polished AI formatting and Command Mode, and support for more than 100 languages. The tradeoffs are that audio must leave the device for cloud transcription, there is no offline mode or Linux build, and unlimited desktop and iPhone use requires an ongoing Pro subscription.
Willow combines a real free tier with polished formatting, style matching, and mobile dictation on iOS. Its default Private Mode is a genuinely privacy-forward posture for a cloud product: dictated audio and text are processed transiently without retention by Willow or its service providers. Support for more than 100 languages and Scribe add flexibility for varied writing tasks.
Wispr Flow says a Dictation Cloud Storage setting controls whether it stores transcripts, audio, and history on its servers, and that content sharing for model training is a user choice. Willow's default Private Mode processes dictated audio and text transiently and says neither Willow nor its providers retain them. WhisperJot, our app, runs Jot Local and Jot Local Pro on-device by default.
Wispr Flow states that transcription always occurs in the cloud, so dictation requires an internet connection. Willow's homepage advertises an offline mode, but Frontier Mini and Frontier Pro are cloud models that require internet access. WhisperJot's Jot Local and Jot Local Pro engines run on-device by default and work fully offline after a one-time model download (about 500 MB on Mac, around 600 MB on Windows and Linux).
Willow Basic is free. Willow Pro is $144 per year, or $15 per month; Business is $336 per year, or $35 per month. Wispr Flow's free plan is word-capped; Pro is $12 per user per month billed annually, or $15 billed monthly. WhisperJot, our app, costs $99 per year with unlimited dictation and no free tier.
Neither offers a Linux app. Wispr Flow supports macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Willow supports macOS, Windows, and iOS, and lists Android as coming soon. WhisperJot, our app, offers beta Debian and Ubuntu builds on x64 and arm64 alongside stable Mac and Windows apps.
See the full WhisperJot comparison with Wispr Flow or Willow Voice. For a three-way table, visit the dictation app comparison.
Sources, checked August 24, 2026: Wispr Flow pricing, Wispr Flow data controls, Wispr Flow plans (help center), Willow Voice, Willow Voice pricing, Willow Voice privacy policy. Pricing and features change — check each vendor's site for the current numbers.
Use local transcription by default, or explicitly opt in to Jot Cloud when you select it.
