For typing by voice into any app, the best free offline option is the dictation already built into your iPhone’s keyboard. It processes speech on the device in many languages, and Settings tells you whether yours does. For longer recordings, harder audio or a choice of accuracy, Whisper-based apps run entirely offline. Whisper Notes, Spokenly, Aiko and our own Private Transcribe are the ones worth a look. Popular cloud dictation apps such as Wispr Flow are fast, but they send your audio to a server.
Here’s how each option works, what it costs, and who it suits.
Offline iPhone dictation apps compared #
| App | How you use it | Offline engine | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Dictation | Mic button on the keyboard, any app | Apple’s on-device model (supported languages) | Free | Messages, notes, quick replies |
| Whisper Notes | Record in the app | Parakeet V3, Whisper Large V3 Turbo, SenseVoice | $7.99 one-time on iPhone | Long dictation in many languages |
| Spokenly | Dictation app with local models | Whisper, Parakeet | Local models free; Pro $9.99/month for cloud | Free, unlimited offline use |
| Aiko | Record or import audio | Whisper (medium or small on iPhone) | See App Store | Transcribing recordings, subtitle export |
| Superwhisper | Dictation app, local or cloud | Local models plus optional cloud AI | Free tier; Pro $8.49/month or lifetime | People who also use it on Mac or Windows |
| Private Transcribe | Record or import, then copy | Whisper, five model sizes | Free with ads; Pro $7.99 one-time | Voice notes, meetings, lectures, 99+ languages |
Prices are from each developer’s site in September 2026. Check the App Store for your region.
Apple Dictation: the free default #
On supported languages, iPhone dictation runs on the device. Tap the microphone on the keyboard in Notes, Messages, Mail or any other app and speak. Punctuation is added automatically, and you can say “new paragraph” or “question mark” to control formatting.
Apple’s feature availability page lists on-device dictation for Arabic, Cantonese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese and more. To confirm it on your phone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard. Apple’s privacy notice says that screen indicates whether your audio and transcripts are processed on the device rather than sent to Apple’s servers. The quickest real test is to switch on airplane mode and dictate a sentence.
Where it falls short:
- It doesn’t keep the audio, so you can’t re-check a word you think it misheard.
- There’s no choice of model. You get Apple’s accuracy, which is excellent for clear speech and weaker with jargon, heavy accents or noise.
- Names and technical terms often need correcting each time.
For quick messages and shopping lists, nothing beats it. For a 20-minute dictation session or a meeting, a dedicated app is better.
Whisper Notes: long dictation, one-time price #
Whisper Notes runs entirely on the iPhone’s Neural Engine, and its developer states that audio never leaves the device. You pick the engine. Parakeet V3 is the default and is tuned for 25 European languages, Whisper Large V3 Turbo covers 100+ languages, and SenseVoice is specialized for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Cantonese. It costs $7.99 once on iPhone (iPhone 12 or later), with a separate Mac version.
It’s a strong choice if you dictate long passages in one sitting and want a big, accurate model without a subscription.
Spokenly: free and unlimited with local models #
Spokenly gives you on-device Whisper and Parakeet models for free, with no account and no word limit. It also sells a Pro subscription ($9.99 a month or $99.99 a year) for managed cloud models and AI text processing. Switch on its Local Only Mode if you want to be sure nothing goes over the network. It’s a good fit if cost is the main constraint and you’re comfortable checking which mode you’re in.
Aiko: transcribe recordings on-device #
Aiko, by the independent developer Sindre Sorhus, transcribes audio and video on the device with Whisper. It uses the medium or small model on iPhone depending on memory, and supports around 100 languages. It’s better at transcribing a recording than at live typing. You record or share a file into it, and it exports text or subtitle files (SRT) as well as JSON and CSV. It’s a universal purchase across iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Superwhisper: local and cloud in one app #
Superwhisper runs on Mac, Windows and iPhone. It works offline with local models, and Pro users can also connect cloud AI models, including their own API keys. That flexibility is useful, but it means privacy depends on which mode you’ve picked. For confidential dictation, stay on a local model. The free tier covers basic voice-to-text, Pro is $8.49 a month, and there’s a lifetime option.
Private Transcribe: record first, then use the text anywhere #
Private Transcribe is our app, built for when you want more than keyboard dictation. You tap record, speak for as long as you need (a one-line reminder or an hour-long lecture), and get the text within seconds of stopping. Whisper runs on the phone’s processor, so the audio and transcript never leave it. There’s no account, and after a one-time model download it works in airplane mode.
What makes it useful for dictation specifically:
- Auto-copy. Turn it on, and every finished transcript goes straight to the clipboard, ready to paste into Mail or Notes.
- Custom vocabulary. Add names, product terms and jargon once, and they come out spelled your way.
- You choose the accuracy. Five tiers run from Quick (78 MB) for instant notes to Best (574 MB, Whisper large-v3-turbo) when it has to be right.
- 99+ languages, plus translation into English text with the one-time Pro purchase, using the multilingual models up to Professional. The Best tier’s large-v3-turbo model wasn’t trained for translation.
The honest limit is that it isn’t a keyboard. You dictate in the app and paste the result, rather than speaking directly into another app’s text field. For that, use Apple Dictation alongside it. Our guide to private voice notes to text on iPhone shows a record-and-paste routine that works well.
Dictation apps that aren’t offline #
Some well-known dictation tools work well but need a connection because they transcribe on a server:
- Wispr Flow says on its privacy page that “transcription always happens in the cloud,” with a setting that controls whether it stores audio and transcripts.
- Speechnotes hands dictation to the browser’s or operating system’s speech engine, and its paid file transcription runs online.
- Otter and similar meeting tools upload recordings to their own servers.
None of that is hidden, and for non-sensitive text they’re fine. Just don’t pick them if the reason you want dictation is that your words are private.
Which offline dictation app should you choose? #
- Short messages in any app: Apple Dictation, confirmed on-device in Keyboard settings.
- Long dictation, one payment: Whisper Notes.
- Free with no limits: Spokenly in Local Only Mode.
- Recordings, lectures and meetings you want to keep as text: Private Transcribe or Aiko.
- You also dictate on a Mac or Windows PC: Superwhisper or Spokenly, on local models.
If you work in a noisy place, pick an app that lets you choose a bigger model. We explain why in why offline speech-to-text accuracy drops with noise. For a cross-platform list that includes Android, Mac and Windows, see speech-to-text apps that work completely offline.
How to check that any dictation app is really offline #
- Download the app and any speech model it needs while you’re online.
- Turn on airplane mode, and make sure Wi-Fi is off too.
- Dictate a paragraph.
- If it transcribes normally, the speech recognition is on the device. If it stalls or shows an error, it depends on a server.
This takes 30 seconds and settles the question better than any marketing page.
Frequently asked questions #
Does iPhone dictation work without internet? #
Yes, in the languages Apple lists for on-device dictation, which include English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese and many others. Settings > General > Keyboard indicates whether your dictation is processed on the device. Some dictation, such as in search fields, may still use Apple’s servers.
What is the most accurate offline dictation app for iPhone? #
Accuracy depends mostly on the model size. Apps that let you run Whisper Large V3 Turbo, such as Whisper Notes and Private Transcribe (its Best tier), give the most accurate offline results, especially with accents and background noise. They’re slower than Apple’s built-in dictation.
Is there a free offline dictation app for iPhone? #
Apple’s built-in dictation is free. Spokenly’s local models are free and unlimited, and Private Transcribe is free with ads, with a one-time purchase that removes them.
Can I dictate in two languages offline? #
Multilingual Whisper models detect the spoken language automatically, and some apps let you pin one for better accuracy. Apple Dictation handles several languages if you add the matching keyboards. Mixing languages within a single sentence still trips up most engines.
Does offline dictation drain the battery? #
Running a speech model uses the processor, so long sessions with large models use noticeable battery. Short dictation barely registers. For hour-long recordings, a mid-size model is a good balance of accuracy and battery life.