Wispr Flow vs Aqua Voice, and where Kana fits
Both of these send your audio to a server and both give back text that is already written rather than merely transcribed. They are tuned for different vocabularies, and that is the whole comparison.
The honest read on Wispr Flow
Wispr Flow is the better general writer. It infers tone from the app you are in, covers 100+ languages, runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android under one account, and carries a HIPAA-ready BAA on every plan with SOC 2 Type II for Enterprise. If most of what you dictate is email, messages and documents in ordinary language, this is the stronger product and the extra few dollars a month buy something real.
The honest read on Aqua Voice
Aqua Voice is the better technical writer. Its own Avalon model is trained for code identifiers, acronyms and product names, which is exactly where a general model guesses and then commits to the guess. Pro holds a custom dictionary of up to 800 terms, it covers 49 languages, it runs on Mac, Windows and iPhone, and it ships a native Intel Mac build. It is also the cheaper of the two at $8 a month on annual billing.
What actually decides it
Look at the last ten things you dictated. If they contain function names, drug names, ticker symbols or an internal codename, Aqua's dictionary is worth more than Wispr's tone matching. If they are sentences, it is the other way round.
Side by side
| Wispr Flow | Aqua Voice | Kana | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recognition runs | In the cloud | In the cloud | On your Mac |
| Works with no network | No | No | Yes |
| Technical vocabulary | General model | Model trained for it | General model, plus your own word list |
| Languages | 100+ | 49 | 22 |
| Account required | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cost to dictate | Free plan, then $12 to $15 a month | 1,000 words free, then $8 a month | $9.99 once |
Where Kana fits
Kana is the option where the audio does not go anywhere, and that is the only axis on which it beats either of these. Recognition runs on the Neural Engine inside your Mac, so dictation works with the wifi off and there is nothing to sign in to. Custom vocabulary catches the names both of these would guess at, though it is a list you keep by hand rather than a model trained on your field. Wispr Flow writes better prose and Aqua reads technical speech more accurately. If either of those matters more to you than where the recording goes, Kana is the wrong pick.
Which one to pick
- Wispr Flow
- You write in ordinary language across several operating systems, and somebody at work is going to ask about SOC 2.
- Aqua Voice
- You dictate code, jargon or clinical terms and want a model trained for them rather than a word list you maintain.
- Kana
- The recording is not allowed to leave your Mac, or you would rather stop paying monthly for dictation at all.
Wispr Flow pricing: Free plan, Pro $12 a user a month on annual billing or $15 monthly, Enterprise quoted. Checked against wisprflow.ai on 7 August 2026.
Aqua Voice pricing: Free for 1,000 words, then Pro $8 a month on annual billing or $10 monthly. Max $24, Team $12 a user. Checked against aquavoice.com on 7 August 2026.