Pepys Dictate and Lispr
A Lispr alternative that runs on your Mac and costs $9.99 once
Lispr covers older Macs, Intel and Windows, and it translates. Pepys Dictate is the narrower choice: Apple silicon only, with recognition and formatting on the machine.
Is Pepys Dictate a good Lispr alternative?
Choose Lispr if you are on an Intel Mac, macOS 11 or Windows, or want translation built in. Choose Pepys Dictate if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want recognition and formatting on the machine, with a free plan of 2,000 words a week and a one-time $9.99 Pro.
Lispr is a push-to-talk app that lives in the menu bar on Mac and the tray on Windows. Hold the right Option key, speak, release. Add Control to translate. The free plan gives 60 dictation minutes a week, and per its pricing page new installs currently get a 30-day Pro trial.
Pepys Dictate works the same way on the surface: use a shortcut and clean text appears at your cursor. The difference is underneath. Recognition and formatting run on your Mac, Pro is a one-time payment, and the free plan counts words, not minutes.
Pepys Dictate and Lispr, side by side
Lispr facts come from its own pages, read on October 5, 2026. Where something is not publicly stated, the cell is a dash.
| Feature | Pepys Dictate | Lispr |
|---|---|---|
| Price and plans | Free plan, then Pro at $9.99 once, plus tax where applicable | Free ($0, 60 dictation minutes a week); Lispr Pro $79 a year or $7.99 a month |
| Free plan | 2,000 words a week, then one free dictation a day until Monday. Resets Monday. Smart formatting and all 25 languages included. | 60 dictation minutes a week, resetting every Monday; includes translation, custom vocabulary and local history. Per its pricing page, new installs currently get a 30-day Pro trial. |
| Subscription or one-time | One-time. Pro is not a subscription. | Subscription, yearly or monthly. A one-time 12-month pass is planned for selected regions. |
| Where speech recognition runs | On your Mac. By default audio and text are not uploaded; an optional AI-provider setting is off until you turn it on. | Cloud. A short clip goes over HTTPS through Lispr's proxy to Groq, which runs Whisper; translation and formatting add a language-model round trip |
| Works offline | Recognition runs on the Mac. By default it goes online only to download models, activate a licence and check for updates. | No. Lispr says transcription runs in the cloud and suggests macOS Dictation for fully local use |
| Platforms and minimum OS | Mac only: Apple silicon, macOS 13 or later. No Windows. | macOS 11 Big Sur or newer on Apple silicon and Intel; Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit |
| Languages | 25 languages (English and 24 other European languages) | About 99 languages recognised with automatic detection. Lispr also translates by voice, into 32 languages per its homepage |
| Text cleanup | Spoken corrections, list and number formatting, filler and stutter removal. Smart formatting in English, German, French and Spanish. | Plain dictation types what was said verbatim. Per its pricing page AI formatting (paragraphs, lists, concise mode) is listed under Pro; its changelog hints at a limited free allowance |
| Dictionary and customization | Personal dictionary (10 words free, unlimited on Pro). Per-app styles, polished mode and tones come with the 7-day trial and Pro. | Custom vocabulary on the free plan, a configurable trigger key and a hands-free latched mode |
Where Pepys Dictate is different
Words, not minutes
Dictate's free plan allows 2,000 words a week. Lispr's allows 60 dictation minutes a week. The two are not equivalent: how many words fit in an hour depends on how fast you talk.
One payment, no renewal
Dictate Pro is a single $9.99 payment for unlimited words on up to 3 Macs. Lispr Pro is a subscription, yearly or monthly, which removes its weekly minutes cap.
Recognition on the Mac, not through a proxy
Lispr sends a short clip through its proxy to Groq. Dictate does recognition and formatting on your Mac, so by default no audio or text is uploaded, and there is no account.
Spoken corrections and formatting
On the free plan, Dictate handles "Friday, no wait, Monday", lists, spoken numbers and filler words as you talk. It also has per-app styles in the trial and Pro, a searchable history and usage stats.
Where Lispr is the better choice
Older Macs, Intel and Windows
Lispr runs on macOS 11 Big Sur or newer, on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and has a Windows build for Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit. Dictate needs an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 13 or later, with no Windows version.
Built-in translation and more languages
Lispr translates on the same push-to-talk gesture, and per its pricing page the free plan includes translation into 32 languages. It also recognises about 99 languages against Dictate's 25.
A free tier with custom vocabulary, and no account
Lispr's free plan gives 60 dictation minutes a week with custom vocabulary and translation included, and the pages we read say no account is needed to dictate. Dictate's free plan has a 10-word dictionary.
A small install, a refund window and a no-recording default
Lispr's download is about 6 MB, while Dictate's models take about 1.5 GB. Its refund page gives a 14-day money-back guarantee on a first Pro purchase. Its homepage says it keeps no recording by default and none trains a model.
Choose Pepys Dictate if
- You have an Apple silicon Mac and want recognition and formatting to run on it.
- You would rather pay $9.99 once than subscribe.
- You want spoken corrections and filler removal on a free plan that counts words.
- You only need a Mac, and want an app with no account.
Choose Lispr if
- You are on an Intel Mac, or on macOS 11 or 12.
- You also dictate on Windows 10 or newer.
- You want to translate by voice, including on the free plan.
- You want a 14-day refund window and a very small download.
Common questions about Lispr and Pepys Dictate
Is Pepys Dictate a good Lispr alternative?
Choose Lispr if you are on an Intel Mac, macOS 11 or Windows, or want translation built in. Choose Pepys Dictate if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want recognition and formatting on the machine, with a free plan of 2,000 words a week and a one-time $9.99 Pro.
Is Lispr free?
Partly. Lispr's free plan is $0 forever with 60 dictation minutes a week, resetting every Monday, and it includes translation, custom vocabulary and local history. Per its pricing page, new installs currently also get a 30-day Pro trial with no card. Pepys Dictate's free plan allows 2,000 words a week.
How much does Lispr Pro cost?
Lispr's pricing page lists $79 a year or $7.99 a month. Pro removes the weekly minutes cap and adds one account across devices. Its pricing page lists AI formatting under Pro, though its changelog hints at a limited free allowance. Pepys Dictate Pro is $9.99 once, plus tax where applicable, not a subscription.
Does Lispr work offline?
No. Lispr says transcription runs in the cloud and points people who want fully local use to macOS Dictation. Pepys Dictate runs recognition on your Mac and by default goes online only to download models, activate a licence and check for updates.
Does Lispr work on Intel Macs and Windows?
Yes to both. Lispr's download page lists macOS 11 Big Sur or newer on Apple silicon and Intel, plus Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit. Pepys Dictate needs an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 13 or later.
Where does Lispr send my audio?
A short clip goes over HTTPS through Lispr's transcription proxy to Groq, which runs Whisper. Translation and formatting add a language-model round trip. Lispr's pages describe retention in different ways. Its help page says audio is discarded immediately, its homepage says the provider may hold it up to 30 days for abuse review, and its privacy policy says Lispr holds it only momentarily in memory. By default Dictate does not upload audio, unless you turn on its optional AI-provider setting.
Where these facts came from
- Lispr pricing (read October 5, 2026)
- Lispr download (read October 5, 2026)
- Lispr privacy policy (read October 5, 2026)
- Lispr help (read October 5, 2026)
- Lispr refund policy (read October 5, 2026)
- Lispr homepage (read October 5, 2026)
Products change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Compare more dictation apps
Try Pepys Dictate on your Mac
Free for 2,000 words a week, or $9.99 once, plus tax where applicable, for unlimited use on up to 3 Macs. Speech recognition and formatting run on your Mac.
Apple silicon, macOS 13 or later. More about Pepys Dictate