VoiceInk is a Mac-first, one-time-purchase, open-source dictation app with local transcription, and it is a strong choice for that job. Hovor offers an iPhone keyboard that types into any app, a Windows beta, account sync of your dictionary and snippets, meetings, and Hovor Cloud (no key needed) through Pro.
VoiceInk sells a one-time license ($25, $39 or $49 depending on how many Macs) and processes transcription locally; Hovor combines a subscription with one-time unlocks and runs on iPhone, Mac and Windows (beta). Both support your own provider keys. The table covers what the vendor states on each side.
| Feature | VoiceInk | Hovor |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac (Apple Silicon, macOS 14.4 or later) and iOS (tryvoiceink.com, checked 5 October 2026) | iPhone, Mac (Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later), Windows (beta) |
| Transcription | "VoiceInk processes all voice transcription locally on your device" (tryvoiceink.com, checked 5 October 2026) | On-device Parakeet or Whisper on supported devices, or Hovor Cloud |
| Pricing model | One-time: $25 (1 Mac), $39 (up to 2 Macs), $49 (up to 3 Macs) (tryvoiceink.com/pricing, checked 5 October 2026) | Pro $7.00/mo or $65.00/yr, plus one-time unlocks |
| Free option | Free trial; length not stated on tryvoiceink.com/pricing | Free plan: 2,000 words per week, shared between cloud and on-device dictation |
| BYOK (bring your own API key) | Keys stored in macOS Keychain; 13 cloud providers listed (tryvoiceink.com/docs/cloud-providers, checked 5 October 2026) | Pro, or the one-time $15.00 BYOK Unlock; keys stay in your device's Keychain |
VoiceInk is the better pick for a Mac-focused buyer who wants to pay once and own the result. The facts below come from the vendor's own pages.
Hovor offers an iPhone keyboard for any app, a Windows beta, account sync, meetings, and Hovor Cloud (no key needed) through Pro. Each is detailed below.
The Hovor keyboard types dictated text into any app on iPhone; it requires Full Access, and the host app does the transcription. Hovor needs iOS 18 or later and runs on iPhone and iPad.
Hovor for Windows is in beta, distributed as an installer from hovor.app/downloads. It pastes dictated text into the app you are using, with a global hotkey you can rebind in Settings. It includes optional on-device Parakeet recognition on PCs with an AVX2-capable CPU: download the model in Settings, and until then cloud recognition is used.
Your dictionary, snippets and usage stats sync with your account across your devices. Workflows do not sync. You sign in to use Hovor.
On iPhone and Mac, Local Unlock or Pro includes Meetings: record a meeting and get a speaker-labelled transcript. On iPhone it is stored on your device and needs a device that can run Parakeet. Meetings are not available on Windows.
Pro includes no weekly word limit on cloud dictation, translation and sync, plus Local and BYOK access, for up to 5 devices. With Pro and your own key, Hovor can fall back to Hovor Cloud automatically if your provider fails; that fallback is Pro-only. Hovor can also translate while dictating, through Hovor Cloud, Apple Translation (iOS 26 or macOS 26 and later), or your own OpenAI key.
The two products charge differently. VoiceInk's one-time tiers are $25, $39 and $49 for 1, up to 2 or up to 3 Macs. Hovor's Pro is $7.00/month or $65.00/year, and its one-time purchases are Local Unlock $20.00, BYOK Unlock $15.00 and the Bundle $30.00. Hovor's one-time unlocks cover different features, so compare what you need rather than the numbers alone.
| VoiceInk | Hovor | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free trial; length not stated on tryvoiceink.com/pricing | 2,000 words per week, shared between cloud and on-device dictation |
| One-time | $25 (1 Mac) · $39 (up to 2 Macs) · $49 (up to 3 Macs); lifetime updates | Local Unlock $20.00 · BYOK Unlock $15.00 · Bundle $30.00 |
| Subscription | "No subscriptions, no recurring fees" | Pro $7.00/mo or $65.00/yr |
| What a one-time purchase covers | The VoiceInk license; "Your VoiceInk license does not include provider charges or credits" | Local Unlock: on-device dictation, replacements, snippets, workflows, Meetings. BYOK Unlock: your own provider keys. Local Unlock does not include cloud dictation or BYOK. |
Pricing source for VoiceInk: the vendor's pricing page (tryvoiceink.com/pricing, checked 5 October 2026) and docs (tryvoiceink.com/docs/cloud-providers, checked 5 October 2026).
Switching takes five steps.
VoiceInk states that it processes all voice transcription locally (tryvoiceink.com, checked 5 October 2026); its docs add that a local model alone does not make every workflow offline (tryvoiceink.com/docs/introduction, checked 5 October 2026). Hovor's on-device models work on supported devices after you download them, and you sign in to use Hovor.
They charge differently. VoiceInk is a one-time $25, $39 or $49 (tryvoiceink.com/pricing, checked 5 October 2026). Hovor Pro is $7.00/month or $65.00/year, with one-time unlocks from the pricing table above.
Both support it. In Hovor it needs Pro or the one-time BYOK Unlock, and automatic fallback to Hovor Cloud is Pro-only.
Yes, under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (github.com/Beingpax/VoiceInk, checked 5 October 2026).
On iPhone and Mac, yes, with Local Unlock or Pro. Meetings are not available on Windows.
VoiceInk requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14.4 or later (tryvoiceink.com, checked 5 October 2026). Hovor's Mac download is for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 15 or later.
iPhone, Mac and Windows (beta). Free plan with 2,000 words per week. On-device dictation on supported devices.
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