Roundhand and Wispr Flow
Two dictation apps, compared on where each runs, where speech is recognised, what it stores and how it is priced.
Choose Roundhand if you want speech recognised on your own Mac, dictation that keeps working offline, and writing styles built in for code editors and terminals. Choose Wispr Flow if you need dictation on Windows, iPhone or Android as well as the Mac, in more languages, or with a shared team workspace and single sign-on.
| Compared on | Roundhand | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac only: Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 14 or later. | Wispr Flow offers dictation on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.Source: wisprflow.ai/pricing |
| Where speech is recognised | On the Mac. Audio is never uploaded. | Wispr Flow says its transcription always happens in the cloud.Source: wisprflow.ai/privacy |
| Stored dictation | Dictation history stays in a database on the Mac. Roundhand's own servers never receive audio or transcript text. | Wispr Flow has a setting that controls whether it stores dictation transcripts, audio and history on its servers.Source: wisprflow.ai/privacy |
| Languages | 25 languages, detected automatically, or up to three you choose in Settings. | Wispr Flow lists speech to text in 100+ languages on every plan.Source: wisprflow.ai/pricing |
| Writing style per app | Four built-in styles (Terminal, IDE and AI chat, Chat, Prose) picked by the app you are in, and changeable per app. | Wispr Flow lets you set a different style for messages, work chats, emails and more, with Formal, Casual and Very casual options.Source: wisprflow.ai |
| Personal dictionary | A Dictionary where you set how words you say are written, such as a product name. | Wispr Flow says it learns your words and names automatically, or lets you add them yourself.Source: wisprflow.ai |
| Pricing model | Free to download with a cloud cleanup trial, then Pro or Power plans, billed monthly or yearly. | Wispr Flow has a free plan with a weekly word limit and paid plans billed monthly or yearly.Source: wisprflow.ai/pricing |
| Teams | Plans are for one person: Free, Pro and Power. | Wispr Flow's paid plans include a shared team workspace, and its Growth plan adds single sign-on with SAML.Source: wisprflow.ai/pricing |
Each Wispr Flow statement is taken from the Wispr Flow page it links to, as that page read on 2026-09-27.
Where your speech is recognised, and what that means offline
Roundhand recognises speech on your Mac. After the speech model has downloaded once, dictation and the built-in cleanup keep working with Wi-Fi off, on a plane or behind a strict network. Your audio is never uploaded or saved to disk. Wispr Flow's privacy page says its transcription always happens in the cloud (wisprflow.ai/privacy). If you dictate mostly at a desk with a steady connection, that difference may not matter to you. If you work offline often, or would rather your voice stayed on the machine, it is the main difference between the two.
What each app stores
Roundhand keeps your dictation history in a database on your Mac, where you choose how long it is kept or clear it. Roundhand's own servers hold your account, never audio or transcript text. If you turn on cloud cleanup, the text of each dictation (never the audio) goes to the cleanup provider to be tidied. Wispr Flow has a Dictation Cloud Storage setting that controls whether it stores transcripts, audio and dictation history on its servers for cross-device features, and says you decide whether your data can be used to train or improve its models (wisprflow.ai/privacy).
How each one writes for the app you are in
Roundhand looks at the app your cursor is in and picks one of four writing styles. Chat apps such as Slack get short, casual messages. Mail, Notes, Pages and Google Docs get full sentences, which cloud cleanup can also split into paragraphs. Visual Studio Code, Cursor, Xcode, Windsurf and Zed get the IDE and AI chat style, and terminals get a single line with commands and paths left as you said them. You can change the style for any app, or switch Roundhand off for one. Wispr Flow sets a style per category, such as messages, work chats and emails, with Formal, Casual and Very casual options (wisprflow.ai). Wispr Flow says it handles camelCase, snake_case and acronyms (wisprflow.ai/developers).
Platforms and what you need
Roundhand is a Mac app for Apple silicon, running macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported, and a Windows version is in development. Wispr Flow offers dictation on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android (wisprflow.ai/pricing). If you switch between a Mac and a Windows PC or want dictation on your phone, Wispr Flow covers more of that today.
How the pricing works
Roundhand is free to download, and dictation with the offline cleanup stays free with no end date. A new account gets a 15-day trial of cloud cleanup. After it, Pro includes a monthly allowance of managed cloud cleanup, and Power lets you use your own API key, with your provider billing you directly. Both are billed monthly or yearly. Wispr Flow has a free plan with a weekly word limit, and paid Pro and Growth plans billed monthly or annually, plus Enterprise on custom pricing (wisprflow.ai/pricing). Current Roundhand prices are on the pricing page.
Questions about switching
- Does Wispr Flow work offline?
- Wispr Flow's privacy page says its transcription always happens in the cloud (wisprflow.ai/privacy, checked on 2026-09-27). Roundhand recognises speech on your Mac instead, so once its speech model has downloaded, dictation and the built-in cleanup work without an internet connection. Cloud cleanup, sign-in and checkout still need one.
- Can I move my Wispr Flow dictionary to Roundhand?
- Roundhand has no import from Wispr Flow, so you add your words to Roundhand's Dictionary yourself. Each entry sets how a word you say is written, such as a name or product spelled your way.
- Is Roundhand available on Windows or iPhone?
- No, Roundhand is Mac only for now, on Apple silicon. A Windows version is in development with no release date; there is no phone app.
- Does Roundhand have a free plan like Wispr Flow?
- Yes, Roundhand's free plan has dictation and offline cleanup with no time limit. Paid plans add cloud cleanup; see the pricing page for what each includes.