Willow vs Wispr Flow: Which Voice Dictation App Actually Delivers?

How They Differ

Both apps sit in the background and type wherever your cursor is. Both send your speech through a model that cleans it up: Willow says it removes filler words, fixes punctuation and formats your writing automatically, and Wispr Flow does the same, with a style you can set per app for messages, work chats and email. So the choice rarely comes down to output quality. It comes down to platforms, privacy options and the limits of each free plan.

Willow leans toward privacy. It has an offline mode that runs on your device, says it is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant, and supports over 100 languages. Wispr Flow leans toward reach. It runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, supports 100+ languages, and includes a Notetaker for meetings on Mac and Windows.

Speed and Accuracy

Neither company publishes an independent benchmark. Willow says text appears in as little as 200ms and that it is 3x more accurate than built-in dictation; those are its own figures, not a third-party test. Both do their cleanup in the cloud, so in practice speed depends as much on your connection as on the app.

Accuracy is where the free plans differ. Willow's free plan runs its smaller Frontier Mini model with no word cap; Pro adds Frontier Pro, which Willow calls its smartest model. Wispr Flow's free plan stops at 2,000 words a week on desktop (1,000 on mobile), and Pro removes the cap. If you dictate a lot and want to stay free, Willow's plan lasts longer. Either way, add names and jargon to the app's dictionary early: those are the words every speech model gets wrong first.

Privacy and Pricing

Wispr Flow processes dictation in the cloud. Its privacy page says a Dictation Cloud Storage setting controls whether transcripts, audio and history are kept on its servers, and a separate setting decides whether your data may be used to train its models. Its Growth plan adds HIPAA enforcement with a BAA. Willow offers an offline mode, and its Business plan enforces a zero-retention privacy mode. For legal, medical or confidential work, read each vendor's data page and pick the plan that enforces what you need.

On price the two are identical at the Pro level (checked September 2026): Willow Pro and Wispr Flow Pro both cost $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly, so $144 a year. The team tiers differ: Willow Business is $35 a month ($28 yearly), Wispr Flow Growth is $23 ($18 yearly).

Where Ahsk Fits

Ahsk is a third option if you also translate. Hold fn to dictate into any app with a text cursor, tap it for hands-free, or hold fn + Shift to translate into 50+ languages as you speak. It transcribes with Whisper large-v3 in the cloud, then a second model adds punctuation, removes filler words and applies a voice mode such as Informal or Mail. A personal dictionary keeps names and jargon right, and Option + Shift + R records meeting notes.

One account covers Mac, Windows and iPhone. The first 10,000 words are free with no card, then Pro is €9.99 a month. Audio is not stored on our servers and is not used for training. The trade-offs are plain: Ahsk needs internet, has no offline mode, and has no Android app.

Making the Choice

Choose Willow if you want an offline mode, if your company needs enforced zero retention, or if you want a free plan with no word cap and can live with the smaller model.

Choose Wispr Flow if you use Android, if you want a meeting Notetaker in the same app, or if you want dictation on every phone and computer you own.

Choose Ahsk if you dictate in one language and need the text in another, if you want meeting notes included, or if you want to try 10,000 words before paying anything.

Frequently Asked Questions