Pick Aqua Voice if you dictate code and technical terms all day, want words to appear live as you speak (its Max plan), or want the lowest yearly price ($8 a month billed annually). Pick ahsk if you want translation into 50+ languages as you speak, meeting notes, and a bigger free trial: 10,000 words against Aqua's 1,000. Both run on Mac, Windows and iPhone.
Where Aqua Voice is ahead
Aqua runs its own speech model, Avalon, and markets it to developers dictating into Cursor, Claude Code and VS Code. Its Max plan adds Realtime Mode, which shows words live as you speak, and a "Send it" voice command. Pro costs $8 a month billed yearly or $10 monthly (checked September 2026), which undercuts ahsk's €9.99 on the yearly plan. Its Business plan offers SSO, SCIM and zero data retention.
Where ahsk is ahead
The trial: ahsk gives 10,000 free words; Aqua's Starter plan gives 1,000. Translation: fn+Shift on Mac or Ctrl+Win+T on Windows speaks one language and pastes another; translation is not listed on Aqua's site. Meeting notes: ahsk records meetings into a summary with action items, 10 hours a month on every plan. And the dictionary learns respellings you correct after pasting, on-device.
On price
Aqua Pro is $8 a month billed yearly or $10 month to month; Max, with Realtime Mode, is $24 a month billed yearly or $30 monthly (checked September 2026). ahsk is €9.99 a month with no yearly commitment, and includes translation, AI rewriting and meeting notes. Over a year, Aqua Pro is cheaper if you pay up front.
Who should pick which
Pick Aqua Voice if dictating technical vocabulary is your whole use case, you want live on-screen text, or the yearly price matters most. Pick ahsk if you work across languages, want meeting notes in the same app, or want a longer free trial before paying anything.
How this comparison was made
Prices, platforms and features for the other product are taken from its own website, pricing page or app store listing, last reviewed 26 September 2026, and ahsk facts from the current builds (Mac 6.11.2, Windows 1.19.0, iOS 2.x). If something has changed or we got a detail wrong, email support@ahsk.app and we will fix it. We would rather be accurate than flattering.
Comparison
| Feature | ahsk | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone | Mac, Windows, iPhone (Android waitlist) |
| Price | €9.99/mo | Pro $8/mo yearly or $10/mo (checked September 2026) |
| Free tier | 10,000 words, no card | 1,000 words, no card |
| Text appears | On release, cleaned up | On release; live with Realtime Mode (Max plan) |
| Custom dictionary | Yes, plus learned corrections | Yes, expanded on Pro |
| Translate as you speak | Yes, into 50+ languages | Not listed |
| Meeting notes | Yes, 10 hours/month on every plan | Not listed |
| Custom instructions / AI rewriting | Voice modes, AI rewriting included | Custom instructions on Pro |
Try ahsk next to Aqua Voice
Free for 10,000 words, no card. Dictate a real day of work and then decide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is ahsk a good Aqua Voice alternative?
If you need translation or meeting notes, or want a longer trial before paying, yes. If live on-screen text is the one thing you care about, Aqua offers it on Max; ahsk does not stream, it pastes the cleaned-up result when you release the key.
Which is better for developers?
Aqua markets to developers and tunes its model for technical terms. ahsk learns your identifiers through its dictionary, and its /ai-for/developers page shows the workflow. Honest answer: both work in editors and terminals; try each on your own codebase's vocabulary.
Is ahsk free?
Yes. Every account starts with 10,000 free words and no card. Pro is €9.99 a month for unlimited dictation, translation and AI rewriting, and one subscription covers Mac, Windows and iPhone.
Does ahsk work offline?
No. Transcription runs on Whisper large-v3 in the cloud, a model we chose for accented speech. Audio is not stored on our servers and is not used for training, and your dictionary and learned words stay on your device. If you need fully offline dictation, ahsk is the wrong tool and we say so.
