Where Apple Dictation is the better pick
You dictate a short message now and then, you don't want to install anything, and the default spelling is good enough. It costs nothing and is already on your Mac.
Nota vs Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is free and already on your Mac. Nota costs $59 once and adds what Apple leaves out: a choice of speech model, a dictionary for your names and terms, and a different style for each app.
Side by side
| Feature | Nota | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59 once for 1 Mac. $89 for 2, $109 for 3. | Free, built into macOS. |
| Three years | $59, plus your provider if you use cloud models ($0 on local models). | $0. |
| Free use | First 5,000 words, with every feature. | Unlimited. |
| Speech models | Local models on your Mac, including Parakeet, Whisper and Apple Speech, plus 11 cloud providers. You pick one per mode. | Apple's own. There is no choice of model. |
| Your own API keys | Yes, in every license. | No. |
| Names and terms | Dictionary: teach it names and jargon, add replacements and snippets. Correct a word once and Nota spells it right from then on. | Apple does not document a custom vocabulary. |
| Style per app | Modes switch by app and by website, each with its own model, language and rewrite. | One setting for every app. |
| Where your audio goes | With a local model, nowhere: it is transcribed on your Mac. With a cloud model, to the provider you chose, under your own key. | Apple says some dictation is processed on the device. Setup asks whether Apple may store your audio recordings. |
| Platforms | Mac. | Mac, iPhone and iPad. |
Competitor details come from their own websites, checked on October 8, 2026. Prices change; follow the link for today's. If something here is wrong, tell me and I'll fix it. Product names are trademarks of their owners; Nota is not affiliated with them. Apple Dictation pricing · Nota pricing
Where Nota is the better pick
You dictate every day and need names and jargon spelled right, a different style in Mail than in Slack, or a choice of model, including ones that run fully on your Mac. Nota does that for $59 once.
Try Nota next to it.
The first 5,000 words are free. No account, no key needed.
5,000 words free
No account needed.
macOS 14.4 or later · Apple silicon and Intel