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Apple Dictation vs TypeMic
Apple Dictation is free, built into every Mac, and good. It stops at the Mac. TypeMic runs on Linux and macOS with one hotkey and one engine, adds a cleanup pass, and keeps the two side by side on a Mac: nothing to uninstall.
Every Apple Dictation number on this page was read from Apple Dictation’s own website on September 3, 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
| Criterion | TypeMic | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Built Linux-first: a signed .deb for Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and Pop!_OS, self-updating. Available now, and macOS ships too. | No. Dictation is a feature of macOS and stays there. |
| What happens to your voice | Processed, typed, discarded. Never stored, never used to train. No voice logs. | Per Apple's guide, general text Dictation can be processed on the device and not sent to Siri servers on supported Macs; Keyboard settings show which applies. Sharing audio recordings with Apple is a separate opt-in. |
| The engine | TypeMic’s own Predator engine, running on Cloudflare’s global infrastructure, certified to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II,: load-balanced across numerous nodes worldwide, so users everywhere are served close to where they are by the same engineering. Benchmarked at 0.9 seconds from release to text, about a second at any dictation length. | Apple's, inside macOS. Availability and features vary by language and region, per Apple. |
| Cleanup | A cleanup pass punctuates and capitalizes, so what lands at the cursor reads as typed. | Auto-punctuation in supported languages; ambiguous words are underlined for you to correct. |
| Price | $12/mo, or $114/yr ($9.50/mo effective) | Included with macOS. |
| Free tier | First 7 days unlimited, then 2,000 words/week, forever | Included with macOS. |
“With Dictation, you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type it.”
, Apple, Dictate messages and documents on Mac, retrieved September 3, 2026
What it costs over time
Over 3 years, TypeMic’s annual plan is $90 less than paying monthly.
Common questions
How is TypeMic different from Apple's built-in dictation?
Apple Dictation belongs to macOS. TypeMic is one global hotkey and one engine on Linux and macOS, with a cleanup pass that punctuates and capitalizes, and it never stores a word: each utterance is processed by TypeMic's own Predator engine, typed at your cursor in terminals, browsers, IDEs and chat, and discarded. On a Mac, Apple's dictation stays available beside TypeMic.
Is Apple Dictation private?
Apple's own guide says general text Dictation can be processed on the device and not sent to Siri servers on supported Macs, and that Keyboard settings show which applies; sharing audio recordings with Apple is a separate opt-in. TypeMic's promise is simpler to check: processed, typed, discarded, never stored, never used to train, and the app tells you so at every start.
Is there an Apple Dictation for Linux?
No. As of September 3, 2026 Dictation is a macOS feature. TypeMic is built for the Linux desktop first, as a signed .deb for Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and Pop!_OS, and ships on macOS too, so the same hotkey and the same engine follow you between machines.
Why pay for TypeMic when Apple Dictation is free?
For Linux, for the cleanup pass, for one engine on every machine, and for what runs it: TypeMic's own Predator engine on Cloudflare's global infrastructure, benchmarked at 0.9 seconds from release to text, built in Rust by the founders of CyberLink Security. TypeMic Pro is $12 per month or $114 per year, and every account starts with 7 days unlimited and keeps 2,000 dictated words a week free forever.
TypeMic Pro is $12/month or $114/year. Free Google sign-in, no card, first 7 days unlimited.
See TypeMic pricing →Sources, all retrieved September 3, 2026: Apple: Dictate messages and documents on Mac · TypeMic pricing