Voicy vs Aqua Voice: two cloud dictation apps, side by side

Voicy is the cheaper and more flexible of the two: lower prices, a lifetime license, Linux and a Chrome extension, and an offline mode on desktop. Aqua Voice is the one to pick if you write a lot of technical text and want its own Avalon model with screen context, and you're happy to be online for every dictation.

We make Sayburst, a local Mac app we mention at the end. Facts about Voicy come from its own website (homepage FAQ, pricing, offline dictation page and privacy policy); facts about Aqua Voice come from aquavoice.com, its pricing page and its comparison page. Checked October 31, 2026; we haven't tested either app hands-on.

#Side by side

#Price and plans

Voicy keeps it simple: one Pro plan at $8.49 a month, or $82 a year according to its FAQ, or $260 once for life. Students and people with disabilities get 20% off. The catch is the entry point: there's no free tier, only a 30-minute recording trial.

Aqua Voice has a ladder. The free plan gives you 1,000 words, Avalon 1.5 and Deep Context. Pro ($12 a month, $10 billed yearly) adds unlimited words, Custom Instructions and the Personal Dictionary. Max ($24, or $19 yearly) adds Realtime Mode, Voice Commands and early access. Students with a school email get 70% off Pro and Max.

Per year on annual billing: $82 for Voicy Pro, $120 for Aqua Pro, $228 for Aqua Max. Over three years, Voicy's lifetime license ($260) lands just above three years of Voicy Pro ($246), so it only pays off if you keep it longer.

#Where your audio goes

Both are cloud-first, but Voicy has an exit.

• Voicy's privacy policy says recordings go to its servers in the EU and US, and the audio file is sent to the Groq API for transcription and post-processing. It says it doesn't store recordings or transcriptions and that Groq keeps nothing. Turn on offline mode in the Mac, Windows or Linux app and audio is transcribed on your computer and sent to neither. On a Mac, offline mode needs macOS 15 or later.
• Aqua Voice says it runs Avalon in the cloud, so there's no local model and it needs an internet connection. It offers a Privacy Mode under which, it says, nothing is stored on its servers, and its pricing page lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

If you sometimes work without Wi-Fi or with material that shouldn't leave your computer, Voicy's offline mode is a real advantage. For the broader tradeoff, see local vs cloud dictation.

#Features

Aqua Voice is built around its model. It says Avalon was trained for technical vocabulary and reports 97.4% key-term accuracy on its own AISpeak-10 benchmark (it notes this measures key terms, not whole transcripts). Deep Context reads your screen, from code to everyday text, even on the free plan, and Realtime Mode on Max streams text as you speak. The free plan also lists MCP and CLI access, a nod to developers.

Voicy's pages focus on reach: dictation in any app or website on your computer, automatic punctuation and formatting, 50+ languages with automatic detection, and apps on every major platform, plus a browser extension for Chrome. We go deeper in our Voicy review.

For how Aqua stacks up against other apps, see Superwhisper vs Aqua Voice.

#Which should you pick?

• Voicy if price matters, you use Linux or Chrome on shared machines, or you want the option to dictate offline on your desktop.
• Aqua Voice if your writing is full of code, product names and acronyms, you want screen-aware formatting, and you're always online.

#A third option: Sayburst

Sayburst is Mac-only and local by default, which makes it a different kind of answer. Speech recognition runs on your Mac every time, not just in an offline mode, and it costs $29 once for one Mac after a 7-day free trial. No account, no word limit.

Aqua's Personal Dictionary has a counterpart in Sayburst's vocabulary and replacements. Replacements map a phrase you say to text you'd rather not spell out. Set "my email" to your address, then dictate:

"Sure, send the signed lease to my email and, um, I'll countersign it tonight."

What lands:

Sure, send the signed lease to dana@example.com and I'll countersign it tonight.

Vocabulary handles the other half: add names and jargon, and Sayburst spells them your way. More in our guide to custom vocabulary for dictation.

Sayburst doesn't run on Windows, Linux or phones, and it doesn't read your screen by default (window text can be given to its optional writer, switched off unless you turn it on). If you need any of the platforms above, Voicy or Aqua fits better. Every head-to-head is on /compare.

Our take

Voicy wins on price, platforms and its desktop offline mode. Aqua Voice wins on technical vocabulary and screen context, if you accept the cloud and a higher price. If you dictate on a Mac and want everything local without a subscription, Sayburst does it for $29 once.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, Voicy or Aqua Voice?

Voicy. Pro is $8.49 a month or $82 a year, and there's a $260 lifetime license. Aqua Voice Pro is $12 a month or $10 a month billed yearly ($120 a year), and Max is $24 a month or $19 billed yearly.

Does Voicy or Aqua Voice work offline?

Voicy has an offline mode in its Mac, Windows and Linux apps that transcribes on your computer in 25 languages. Aqua Voice runs its Avalon model in the cloud and says it needs an internet connection.

Is there a free version of Voicy or Aqua Voice?

Aqua Voice has a free plan with 1,000 words. Voicy has a free trial with 30 minutes of recording time and says it has no completely free tier.

Do Voicy and Aqua Voice work on Linux?

Voicy lists Linux alongside Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension. Aqua Voice lists Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.