AI Dictation Apps That Run on Linux, Windows, Mac and iPhone (2026)

Most "best dictation app" lists are written for Mac and Windows, and Linux is where they fall apart. If you need one dictation setup across a Linux workstation, a Windows or Mac laptop and an iPhone, the list of candidates is short. This page checks what each vendor publishes as of 18 September 2026, with a link to the page it was checked against.

The platform matrix

App	Linux	Windows	macOS	iPhone	Android	Checked against
Vibe Typer	Yes, AppImage, Wayland and X11	Yes	Yes	Yes, keyboard on the App Store	Not yet	vibetyper.com/downloads
Spokenly	Yes, deb, rpm and AppImage, X11 and Wayland	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not listed	spokenly.app/linux
OpenWhispr	Yes	Yes	Yes	Listed	Not listed	openwhispr.com
Wispr Flow	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	wisprflow.ai/pricing
Superwhisper	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	superwhisper.com
Willow Voice	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Coming soon	willowvoice.com/pricing
Aqua Voice	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Waitlist	aquavoice.com/pricing
Handy	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	github.com/cjpais/Handy
Voxtype	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	voxtype.io
Vocalinux	Yes	No	No	No	No	vocalinux.com

OpenWhispr's site says it is "available for macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS". We have not tested its iPhone app, so it is listed as the vendor states it.

How the three differ

The split is where transcription runs. Spokenly and OpenWhispr run models on your machine, which keeps audio local and makes the result depend on your hardware: the large models that transcribe best are slow on a laptop CPU, and the small ones that keep up miss more. Vibe Typer runs on our servers, so the result is the same on any machine, and it adds cleanup, rewrite and reply on top.

Vibe Typer

The one that just works. Install, set a hotkey, talk. Hold the hotkey and Magic Formatter has stripped the ums, the false starts and the self-corrections by the time the text lands at your cursor, in whatever app is in front, terminals and code editors included. Let go and it is typing before your hand is back on the keyboard.

It is also the most configurable of the three where it matters: custom instructions that Magic Formatter applies to every dictation, three tone settings, a dictionary with smart matching that offers to learn from your corrections, per-app paste rules, and Reply and Rewrite commands on desktop. Dictation works in 99 languages with automatic detection.

Transcription runs on our servers, on large speech models and inference hardware built for speed, not on your CPU. That is why quality and speed are the same on a five-year-old laptop as on a workstation: the models that give the best accuracy are the ones consumer hardware runs slowest. Audio is processed in memory and never stored.

On Linux it is one AppImage for Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Arch and Mint, native on both Wayland and X11. On iPhone it is a dictation keyboard from the App Store, iOS 17 or later, with the same Magic Formatter, custom instructions and dictionary. Android is in development.

Free for 2,000 words and 20 AI operations a month, with Magic Formatter and custom instructions included. Pro is $8 a month billed annually or $10 month to month, one plan across all four platforms.

Spokenly

Free with local Whisper and Parakeet models or your own API keys, with no account required. Pro, which uses Spokenly's own cloud transcription, is $99.99 a year. The Linux app ships as deb, rpm and AppImage, for Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40 and Debian 13 or later (the AppImage goes back to Ubuntu 20.04), and the vendor states it works on X11 and Wayland with the caveat that global shortcuts and text insertion vary by compositor. The right choice if audio must never leave your machine and you are happy to manage models and accept the hardware trade-off.

OpenWhispr

Open source and free. Local models by default, with optional cloud transcription through your own API keys, and it works offline. Desktop builds for macOS, Windows and Linux, and iOS is listed on its site. The right choice if you want to own the whole stack and tune it yourself.

The ones that skip Linux

Each of these is a good product on the platforms it supports. None has announced a Linux build.

• Wispr Flow. Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Pro is $12 a month billed annually or $15 monthly. See Wispr Flow on Linux.
• Superwhisper. Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Pro from $8.49 a month, with yearly and lifetime licences. The Linux request on its public roadmap is open with no date. See Superwhisper on Linux.
• Willow Voice. Mac, Windows and iOS, Android listed as coming soon. Pro is $12 a month billed annually or $15 monthly. See Willow Voice on Linux.
• Aqua Voice. Mac, Windows and iOS, Android on a waitlist. Pro is $8 a month billed annually or $10 monthly.

Which one to pick

• Install it and forget it, with clean text and AI rewrite, at the same speed on every machine you own: Vibe Typer.
• Audio must never leave the machine: Spokenly or OpenWhispr, with the hardware trade-off above. Spokenly is the more packaged of the two on Linux.
• Desktop only, no iPhone needed: Handy joins the list. Free, offline, Mac, Windows and Linux.
• Android is a must: Wispr Flow or Superwhisper, and give up Linux.

For the full field of Linux tools, checked against Wayland, X11, offline support and install effort, see Linux dictation software: 15 tools that actually run. For a head-to-head, see Wispr Flow vs Vibe Typer.

FAQ

Which AI dictation app works on Linux, Windows, Mac and iPhone?

Vibe Typer, Spokenly and OpenWhispr each list all four platforms as of September 2026. Vibe Typer transcribes on its own servers and cleans up the text before it lands, so speed and accuracy do not depend on your hardware. Spokenly and OpenWhispr run local models by default and can also use your own API keys.

Does Wispr Flow work on Linux?

No. Wispr Flow's pricing page lists Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Linux is not on it.

Does Superwhisper have a Linux version?

No. Superwhisper ships macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. A Linux request has been open on its public roadmap for over a year with no date.

Is there a free AI dictation app for all four platforms?

Spokenly is free with local models or your own API keys, and OpenWhispr is free and open source. Vibe Typer's free plan covers 2,000 words and 20 AI operations a month on every platform.

Does Vibe Typer have an Android app?

Not yet. Android is in development. Vibe Typer runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and iPhone today. Wispr Flow and Superwhisper cover Android but not Linux.

Does the Vibe Typer iPhone keyboard need the desktop app?

No. The keyboard installs from the App Store on its own, on iOS 17 or later, and uses the same account and plan as the desktop app.