Willow and ahsk are the same kind of product: hold a key, speak, and cleaned-up text lands at your cursor in any app on Mac, Windows or iPhone. Willow leads with speed (text in as little as 200 ms, by its own claim) and per-app context formatting. ahsk leads on price, accuracy on accented English, and translation as a first-class gesture. The free tiers are shaped differently enough that the right answer may just be to try both.
Where Willow is ahead
Latency: Willow claims text appearing in as little as 200 ms, and it feels fast in practice. It advertises an offline mode powered by on-device models, which ahsk does not offer. Willow Scribe turns rough spoken thoughts into structured writing as a dedicated feature. It lists over 100 dictation languages, and its team plans come with shared dictionaries and admin controls that are further along than ahsk's.
Where ahsk is ahead
Price: €9.99 a month against Willow's $15, both covering Mac, Windows and iPhone. Free tier shape: ahsk gives 10,000 words once with no card, Willow gives 2,000 words per week — for a real trial week, ahsk's is five times larger. Translation: hold fn+Shift on Mac or Ctrl+Win+T on Windows, speak your language, paste another; Willow dictates in 100+ languages but does not translate between them as a gesture. And accents: ahsk transcribes on Whisper large-v3, chosen after measuring it on Indian, Italian and German English — the case most "3x more accurate" marketing numbers are not measured on.
On the free tiers
Willow's 2,000 words per week never runs out, so if you dictate a little forever, it is genuinely free forever. ahsk's 10,000 words arrive all at once, so you can spend a whole working day dictating for real before deciding. Neither needs a card. If you are evaluating seriously, ahsk's shape gives you the more honest test; if you only ever dictate a few messages a week, Willow's shape costs you nothing indefinitely.
Who should pick which
Pick Willow if raw latency is your first criterion, you want an offline mode, or your team needs admin controls today. Pick ahsk if you speak English with an accent, write in more than one language, or want the lower price for the same three platforms. Both install in a minute; dictate the same paragraph into each and let your own voice decide.
How this comparison was made
Prices, platforms and features for the other product are taken from its own website and pricing page in September 2026, and ahsk facts from the current builds (Mac 6.7, Windows 1.13, 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 | Willow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone | Mac, Windows, iPhone | |
| Price | €9.99/mo, all platforms | $15/mo or $144/yr | |
| Free tier | 10,000 words once, no card | 2,000 words/week | |
| Translate as you speak | Yes, one shortcut | No (dictates in 100+ languages) | |
| Offline mode | No | Yes (on-device) | |
| Accented English | Whisper large-v3, chosen for it | "3x more accurate than built-in" (own claim) | |
| Keeps recording on mic/device change | Yes, automatic recovery | Not documented | |
| AI rewriting and answers | Included | Willow Scribe (included) | |
| Team plans | Yes, per-seat | Yes, with admin controls |
Try ahsk next to Willow
Free for 10,000 words, no card. Dictate one real email in each and compare what lands at the cursor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is ahsk a good Willow alternative?
If you want a lower price, a bigger up-front free trial, live translation or better accented-English accuracy, yes. If your priority is offline dictation or the fastest possible latency, Willow has the stronger claim and you should test it.
Willow says it is 3x more accurate than built-in dictation. Is ahsk?
Both products are far more accurate than Apple or Windows built-in dictation; that bar is low. The difference that matters is accented and non-native English, where ahsk's cloud-hosted Whisper large-v3 holds up better than small on-device models. Try both on your own voice — it is the only benchmark that counts.
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, which is why accuracy on accented and non-native English is as good as it is. Your custom dictionary and learned words stay on your device. If you need fully offline dictation, ahsk is the wrong tool and we say so.
