On a Mac, pick ahsk: Nuance discontinued Dragon for Mac on 22 October 2018, and Dragon Anywhere, the mobile app, stopped being sold on 1 July 2026. On Windows, stay with Dragon Professional if you need full voice control of the computer or a mandated medical or legal edition. For dictating documents and email on Mac, Windows and iPhone without voice training, ahsk is €9.99 a month.
What Dragon still does best
On Windows, Dragon Professional (optimised for Windows 11 and compatible with Windows 10) remains a deep voice-control product: command-and-control of the desktop, custom voice commands, and specialised medical and legal editions with enterprise deployment behind them. If you need hands-free control of the entire computer for accessibility, or your organisation mandates Dragon Medical, that is a real and current answer on Windows.
What changed since Dragon's era
Dragon built its accuracy from a voice profile trained on your corrections. Whisper-class models such as the Whisper large-v3 model ahsk uses need no voice profile. ahsk adds the writing layer on top: fillers removed, punctuation and paragraphs added, your names and jargon from a dictionary, translation as you speak, and meeting notes, for €9.99 a month instead of a one-time licence.
For former Dragon for Mac users
Nuance ended Dragon for Mac in 2018, so there is no current version to buy or update. What most people used it for, dictating documents and email, is well served now. ahsk types into every Mac app at the cursor, needs no training, keeps your custom vocabulary, and the same account works on a Windows PC and iPhone. It requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. What it does not replace is Dragon's voice control of the whole computer; for that on a Mac, use Apple's built-in Voice Control alongside ahsk for the writing.
Who should pick which
Stay with Dragon if you are on Windows and need whole-computer voice control or a mandated medical or legal edition. Choose ahsk if what you need is accurate dictation of documents, email and messages on Mac, Windows or iPhone, without a one-time licence or voice training.
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 | Dragon Professional v16 |
|---|---|---|
| Mac support | Yes (macOS 14+) | Discontinued 22 October 2018 |
| Windows support | Yes (Win 10 1809+ or 11) | Yes (Windows 10 and 11) |
| Mobile | iPhone app, same account | Dragon Anywhere no longer sold since 1 July 2026 |
| Price | Free 10,000 words, Pro €9.99/mo | Paid licence (Windows only) |
| Voice training required | No | Profile improves with training |
| Full computer voice control | No (dictation, ask, translate, meeting notes) | Yes |
| Translate as you speak | Yes, 50+ languages | No |
Dictation without voice training
Free for 10,000 words, no card, no voice training. Hold fn on Mac or Ctrl+Win on Windows and read one paragraph.
Download for MacRelated guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still buy Dragon for Mac?
No. Nuance announced the end of Dragon Professional Individual for Mac on 22 October 2018 and has not released a Mac version since. On Mac, the realistic options are Apple's built-in dictation and Voice Control, or a dictation app such as ahsk.
Is ahsk as accurate as Dragon?
We have not published a benchmark against Dragon, so we make no claim. ahsk needs no voice training and uses Whisper large-v3, chosen for accented speech. For specialised medical vocabulary under enterprise requirements, Dragon Medical remains the incumbent.
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.
