SayControl vs VoiceInk: which Mac dictation app fits you?

If your voice must stay on your Mac, or you’d rather pay once, pick VoiceInk. It runs local models, costs $25 for a Mac, and its code is open for anyone to read and build. We won’t argue with any of that.

Pick SayControl if you want cleanup that works with nothing to set up, and a voice that does things: screenshots and files landing mid-sentence, questions sent straight to ChatGPT or Claude, and coding agents that tell you when they need you.

SayControl and VoiceInk at a glance

Feature	SayControl	VoiceInk
Price	Free for 2,000 words a week a week; Pro $12 a month	$25 once, for 1 Mac
Free to use	2,000 words a week, every week	7-day trial
Stays on your Mac
AI cleanup	Included	Bring a key, Ollama or 16 GB
Style per app
Screenshots, files, links by voice		Your own scripts
Ask ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Perplexity		Its own assistant
Coding agents that talk back		Not available
Transcribe audio files
Languages	60+	Depends on the model

Both type where your cursor is, take out the fillers, switch style by app and use what’s on screen to get names right. VoiceInk calls its styles Modes and lets them switch by website or a spoken trigger word too.

• Hold a key, talk, and it types in any app
• Fillers removed and words cleaned up
• A different style for each app
• A dictionary and replacements
• Uses what’s on screen to get words right

VoiceInk’s transcription is yours from the moment you buy it. The AI cleanup is a separate choice: paste a key for a cloud provider and pay them, run Ollama, or use its own on-device model, which needs a 16 GB Apple silicon Mac. That’s real freedom, and some setting up.

SayControl has no key to paste on any plan. The dictation and the cleanup are both included, the free plan too, and there’s no provider bill on the side. You sign in, hold fn and talk.

SayControl

Nothing to set up

• Dictation and cleanup included, no key
• 2,000 free words every week
• Screenshots, files and links land mid-sentence
• Agents speak up when they need you

VoiceInk

Build it your way

• Dozens of local and cloud speech models
• Cleanup through your own key, Ollama, or on-device
• Modes by app, website or trigger word
• Open code you can build yourself

Say “attach the pdf from the stocks folder in desktop” in the middle of a message and that file is attached. Say “take a screenshot” and the picture is pasted where you are. Say “copy the link” and the page you were reading lands in the sentence.

VoiceInk can get part of the way if you write it yourself: its Custom Command option passes what you said to a shell command. Its Assistant answers questions in its own window, with your API key. SayControl’s controls are built in, work in any app, and come with Pro. See everything you can say.

VoiceInk talks to Claude Code and Codex in one way: its Local CLI option can borrow their command-line tools to clean up your text. It doesn’t tell you what they’re doing.

SayControl does. It sums up what each agent did and says it out loud: finished, stuck on a limit, or waiting for a yes. Answer by voice from across the room and the reply goes into that session.

Free accounts get 10 conversations to try it, and Pro includes 300 a month.

On these, VoiceInk is the better pick, plainly:

• 

  It stays on your Mac. Local models turn speech into text on the Mac, offline. Cloud providers are there only if you choose them. SayControl always uses the cloud.

• 

  You pay once. $25 for one Mac, $39 for two, $49 for three, with updates included and no subscription.

• 

  It’s open source. The code is public under GPL v3, and you can build the app yourself.

• 

  You choose every part. Dozens of local and cloud speech models, cleanup by any provider you have a key for or by Ollama, and modes that switch by app, website or a spoken word.

• 

  It does recordings. It transcribes audio and video files in a queue, and can pipe what you say into a shell command you write.

VoiceInk is $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two. SayControl Pro is $12 a month, so VoiceInk costs less from the third month. Two things to weigh: if you use VoiceInk’s cloud models or cloud cleanup, those providers bill you on top; and SayControl’s free plan, 2,000 words every week, may be all you need.

With local models, VoiceInk’s audio never leaves your Mac, and that’s the strongest reason to choose it. Pick a cloud provider and it goes to them, on their terms. SayControl always sends audio to the cloud, never keeps it on its servers, and keeps your latest clips on your Mac.

What SayControl and VoiceInk keep

Feature	SayControl	VoiceInk
Where speech becomes text	In the cloud	On your Mac, unless you pick a cloud provider
Audio kept on servers?	Never	Not with local models; cloud providers by their own terms

Our privacy policy has the whole round trip.

Dictation

• Dictate into any app

  Hold a key, talk, let go.

  SayControlYes

  VoiceInkYes

• AI cleanup

  Fillers, false starts and spoken corrections.

  SayControlIncluded, nothing to set up

  VoiceInkYour own API key, Ollama, or its on-device model (16 GB Macs)

• Style for each app

  SayControlPersonal, Work, Email, Agents tones

  VoiceInkModes, by app, website or trigger word

• Dictionary and replacements

  SayControlDictionary and phrases

  VoiceInkDictionary and replacements; learns from corrections

• Uses what’s on screen

  SayControlNames read off your screen

  VoiceInkSelected text, clipboard and window text, with AI cleanup on

• Where speech becomes text

  SayControlIn the cloud

  VoiceInkOn your Mac, or a cloud provider you choose

• Works offline

  SayControlNo

  VoiceInkWith local models

• Languages

  SayControl60+

  VoiceInkDepends on the model

Doing things with your voice

• Spoken controls mid-sentence

  Screenshots, files, links, terminal and apps, in any app.

  SayControlPro

  VoiceInkYour own shell scripts

• Ask an AI a question

  SayControlOpens in ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or Perplexity, already asked (Pro)

  VoiceInkIts assistant answers in its own window, with your API key

• Coding agents that talk back

  Claude Code and Codex say when they need you; you answer by voice.

  SayControl10 free, 300 a month on Pro

  VoiceInkNot available

• Transcribe audio and video files

  SayControlNo

  VoiceInkYes

Privacy

• Your audio

  SayControlNever kept on our servers; recent clips on your Mac

  VoiceInkStays on your Mac with local models

Price

• Free

  SayControl2,000 words a week, every week

  VoiceInk7-day trial, or build it yourself from the source

• Paid

  SayControl$12 a month

  VoiceInk$25 once for 1 Mac, $39 for 2, $49 for 3

• Cloud AI costs

  SayControlIncluded

  VoiceInkYour provider bills you, if you use cloud models

• Teams

  SayControlEnterprise, priced with you

  VoiceInk$159 once for 10 Macs

Where it runs

• Platforms

  SayControlmacOS 13 and later

  VoiceInkmacOS 15 and later; local models need Apple silicon

SayControl and VoiceInk, line by line

Feature	SayControl	VoiceInk
Dictation
Dictate into any appHold a key, talk, let go.	Yes	Yes
AI cleanupFillers, false starts and spoken corrections.	Included, nothing to set up	Your own API key, Ollama, or its on-device model (16 GB Macs)
Style for each app	Personal, Work, Email, Agents tones	Modes, by app, website or trigger word
Dictionary and replacements	Dictionary and phrases	Dictionary and replacements; learns from corrections
Uses what’s on screen	Names read off your screen	Selected text, clipboard and window text, with AI cleanup on
Where speech becomes text	In the cloud	On your Mac, or a cloud provider you choose
Works offline	No	With local models
Languages	60+	Depends on the model
Doing things with your voice
Spoken controls mid-sentenceScreenshots, files, links, terminal and apps, in any app.	Pro	Your own shell scripts
Ask an AI a question	Opens in ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or Perplexity, already asked (Pro)	Its assistant answers in its own window, with your API key
Coding agents that talk backClaude Code and Codex say when they need you; you answer by voice.	10 free, 300 a month on Pro	Not available
Transcribe audio and video files	No	Yes
Privacy
Your audio	Never kept on our servers; recent clips on your Mac	Stays on your Mac with local models
Price
Free	2,000 words a week, every week	7-day trial, or build it yourself from the source
Paid	$12 a month	$25 once for 1 Mac, $39 for 2, $49 for 3
Cloud AI costs	Included	Your provider bills you, if you use cloud models
Teams	Enterprise, priced with you	$159 once for 10 Macs
Where it runs
Platforms	macOS 13 and later	macOS 15 and later; local models need Apple silicon