Aqua Voice or Dictaty for Mac?
Aqua Voice sends your audio to its servers and bills you monthly or yearly. Dictaty turns your speech into text on your Mac and costs €29 once. Here’s how to tell which one fits the way you work.
The short answer
Go with Aqua Voice if you also dictate on Windows, an iPhone, or Android, or if you want an app that reads what’s on your screen and formats your text to match. It needs an internet connection to work.
Go with Dictaty if you work on one Mac, want your voice to stay on that Mac, and would rather pay once than keep paying for a subscription. Dictaty doesn’t rewrite your text, and it only runs on the Mac.
Try it free for 7 days.
After the 7 days, Dictaty is €29 once, VAT included. No subscription, no account. One license covers one Mac, and every version 1 update is included.
Dictaty is a Mac app. Save this link and open it on your Mac.
Needs a Mac with an M1 chip or later and macOS 14 or later. The first download is about 630 MB.
What each app does and what it costs
The Aqua Voice column repeats what Aqua Voice says on its own website. This isn’t an accuracy test.
| Feature | Aqua Voice | Dictaty |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan with 2,000 words. Pro is $10 a month billed yearly or $12 month to month. Max is $19 a month billed yearly or $24 month to month. | €29 once for one Mac, VAT included. Every version 1 update is included. No subscription. |
| Free to try | 2,000 free words, no credit card needed. | 7 days free with every feature. No account and no credit card. |
| Where speech becomes text | On Aqua’s servers. Aqua says it processes audio server-side. | On your Mac. Dictaty sends no recordings and no text to a Dictaty server. |
| Works offline | No. Aqua says it requires an internet connection. | Yes, once your license is activated and the speech files are downloaded (about 630 MB). License checks and updates use the internet. |
| Devices | Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. One subscription covers Mac, iPhone, and Android. | Macs with an M1 chip or later on macOS 14 or later. One license covers one Mac. |
| Languages | 49 languages. | 25 languages with the built-in speech recognition, plus more where macOS offers on-device recognition. |
| Custom words | A custom dictionary, expanded on the Pro plan. | Custom words for names and terms, stored on your Mac. |
| What it does | Dictation in any app, reads your screen to format text, custom writing rules. Max adds live word display and a “Send it” voice command. | Live dictation into most text fields, a clipboard copy, and a local History. No AI rewriting, no meeting or audio file transcription. |
Aqua Voice details checked October 10, 2026; prices and the free-word limit read again on November 12, 2026. Prices are in US dollars. Plans and prices change, so check Aqua’s website before you buy.
When Aqua Voice is the better pick
- You also dictate on a Windows PC, an iPhone, or an Android phone.
- You want the app to read your screen and format things like code to match.
- You want voice commands, like sending a message when you’re done (Max plan).
- You’re always online when you dictate anyway.
When Dictaty is the better pick
- You don’t want your voice to leave your Mac.
- You dictate on trains, on planes, or anywhere the Wi‑Fi is shaky.
- You’d rather pay €29 once than $120 or more every year.
- You work on one Mac and don’t need an app for Windows or your phone.
Common questions
Does Dictaty work offline?
Yes. Activate your license and let Dictaty download its speech files first. After that, your Mac turns your voice into text without an internet connection. You’ll need to be online to activate and check your license, download files, and update the app.
Does Dictaty rewrite or polish what I say?
No. Dictaty types what you said. It doesn’t rewrite text with AI. If that’s what you want, Aqua Voice and Wispr Flow are built for it.
Will Dictaty run on my Mac?
You need a Mac with an M1 chip or later, running macOS 14 or later.
What happens after the 7 days?
To keep dictating, you buy a license: €29 once for one Mac, VAT included. There’s no subscription, and every version 1 update is included.
Sources
Aqua Voice changes its plans and features over time. These are the Aqua Voice pages we read on October 10, 2026, and we read the pricing page again on November 12, 2026.
- Aqua Voice: pricing
- Aqua Voice: comparison with Mac Dictation, including its offline and server answers
- Aqua Voice: home page with Privacy Mode and plans
Aqua Voice is a product of another company. Dictaty isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Aqua Voice. No Aqua Voice logo appears on this page.