Edict vs VoiceInk, honestly.
VoiceInk is the app we get compared to most, and for good reason: one-time pricing, local processing, macOS-native. Start with where it beats us.
VoiceInk is a $25 one-time, open-source (GPL-3.0) macOS dictation app that processes locally by default, with optional bring-your-own-key cloud providers. Edict is $29 one-time with no cloud path at all: its speech models ship inside the app and no dictation audio can leave the Mac.
Edict adds agent-workflow features VoiceInk doesn’t document: a built-in MCP server, a wrong-window guard, and diarized file transcription to SRT or VTT.
Last verified 2026-07-11
Where VoiceInk wins
It’s cheaper: $25 one-time for one Mac ($39 for two, $49 for three), with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. It’s open source under GPL-3.0 with an active GitHub repository, which means you can read the code, build it yourself for free, and trust that it can outlive its developer. Its update promise (lifetime) is more generous than ours (free updates across this version). It also supports macOS 14.4+, one major version further back than Edict’s macOS 15 requirement.
If open source is a requirement, or every dollar counts, VoiceInk is a genuinely good choice and this page won’t talk you out of it.
The architectural difference
VoiceInk processes locally by default and says so plainly. It also offers optional cloud transcription and AI-enhancement providers (Groq, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, AssemblyAI, per its own docs) where you bring your own API key. That’s flexibility, and for many users it’s a feature.
Edict makes the opposite choice: there is no cloud path in the app at all. No optional provider, no API-key field, no mode where dictation audio can leave the Mac. The speech models ship inside the app itself, which is why the download is 500 MB and why dictation works on first launch with networking off. Which philosophy you prefer is a real choice; we built Edict for the person who wants the guarantee, not the option.
Side by side
Competitor cells verified against VoiceInk’s site and docs on the stamped date.
| VoiceInk | Edict | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $25 / $39 / $49 one-time (1 / 2 / 3 Macs) | $29 one-time, per person across your Macs |
| Open source | Yes, GPL-3.0; free if you build it yourself | No |
| Updates | Lifetime of updates | Free updates across this version |
| Cloud path | Local by default; opt-in BYOK cloud providers | None exists in the app |
| Models | Downloaded in-app | Bundled inside the app; offline from first launch |
| MCP server for agents | Not documented (as of the stamped date) | Built in: transcripts, dictionary, file transcription |
| Auto-send to agents | Yes: a mode setting presses Return or Cmd+Return after paste (no per-app allowlist) | Yes, per-app allowlist with an on-pill signal |
| Wrong-window guard | Not documented (as of the stamped date) | Yes: if focus moved, text stays on the clipboard |
| File transcription | Yes, audio and video files; no SRT/VTT or speaker labels documented | Drop in audio or video: SRT, VTT, or text with speaker labels |
| macOS | 14.4 or later, Apple Silicon | 15 or later, Apple Silicon |
How to choose
Pick VoiceInk if you want open source, the lowest price, or older-macOS support, and you’re happy with local-by-default plus cloud as an option.
Pick Edict if you want the hard guarantee that dictation audio cannot leave the machine, models in the box instead of a setup download, and you spend your day driving coding agents by voice: the wrong-window guard, auto-send, and the MCP server exist for exactly that. Both apps have trials; the honest advice is to run both for an afternoon.
Common questions
Is VoiceInk cheaper than Edict?
Yes. VoiceInk is $25 one-time for one Mac; Edict is $29 one-time licensed per person across the Macs you personally use. Both are one-time purchases, not subscriptions.
Is VoiceInk offline like Edict?
By default, yes: VoiceInk processes locally. The difference is that VoiceInk offers optional bring-your-own-key cloud providers, while Edict has no cloud path in the app at all.
Which is better for Claude Code and coding agents?
Edict was built for that workflow: wrong-window guard, auto-send to allowlisted agents, and a local MCP server your agent can call. VoiceInk documents an auto-send keystroke option, but no MCP server or wrong-window guard as of the stamped verification date.
Is Edict open source?
No. If open source is a requirement, VoiceInk is the right answer and its GPL-3.0 repository is public.
Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · macOS 15 Sequoia or later · 7-day full trial · one-time purchase