Voicy vs Braina: a dictation app or a voice assistant?

If all you want is to talk and have text appear, Voicy is the better fit: it's a dedicated dictation app, it's cheaper for that job, and it runs on every major platform including your phone. Braina makes sense if you want a voice assistant on your Windows PC or Mac that also runs local AI models, automates tasks and transcribes files, with dictation as one feature among many.

We make Sayburst, a Mac dictation app we cover at the end. Voicy facts come from its own website (homepage FAQ, pricing, offline dictation page and privacy policy). Braina facts come from brainasoft.com/braina and its download and editions page. Checked October 31, 2026, from official pages only; we haven't tested either app hands-on.

#Side by side

#Two different products

Voicy does one job: you speak, it types in whatever app or website you're in, with automatic punctuation and formatting, in 50+ languages that it detects automatically. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a Chrome extension. A Team plan is $6.79 per user per month for three or more people. There's less to learn, and less to configure, because there's less of it.

Braina describes itself as an intelligent personal assistant that's also an LLM runner, an automation tool and dictation software. Dictation types into any software or website in 90 languages. Around it sit voice commands and custom commands, a chat interface for local and online AI models, chatting with your own documents, audio and video file transcription that runs on your computer, text-to-speech, notes and reminders. Its Android and iOS apps turn your phone into a wireless microphone for the computer over Wi-Fi, rather than dictating on the phone itself.

So the honest question isn't which dictates better. It's whether you want an assistant at all.

#Price, for dictation

Braina's editions are time-limited licenses, and dictation isn't in the free one:

• Lite: free, one Windows or macOS computer, no dictation.
• Pro: $99 for one year on one PC, Windows only.
• Pro Plus: $199 for two years on up to two Mac or Windows computers.
• Pro Ultra: $299 for three years on up to three computers.

Voicy Pro is $8.49 a month or $82 a year, with a $260 lifetime license and 20% off for students and people with disabilities. Our Voicy pricing guide has every plan.

For two years of dictation on a Mac, that's $164 on Voicy's annual plan against $199 for Braina Pro Plus. Braina's price is easier to justify if you'll use the assistant side too.

#Privacy

Voicy's privacy policy says that in normal use your recording goes to Voicy's servers (EU and US) and to the Groq API for transcription and cleanup, and that neither keeps it. Its desktop offline mode transcribes on your computer instead, in 25 languages; on a Mac that needs macOS 15 or later.

Braina says it keeps most of your data locally, and its file transcription runs offline on your own computer. Its pages don't say whether live dictation needs an internet connection, so check that yourself if it matters to you. Its AI chat can use local or online models, your choice.

#Which should you pick?

• Voicy if you want straightforward dictation at a lower price, on your phone as well as your computer, or on Linux.
• Braina if you want a Windows or Mac assistant that takes voice commands, runs local AI models and automates tasks, and dictation is a bonus.

On a Mac, Apple's own Voice Control also handles spoken commands for free; we explain how it differs from dictation in Voice Control vs Dictation.

#A third option: Sayburst

Sayburst is a Mac app that does dictation and nothing that pretends to be an assistant. Hold fn, speak, let go, and clean text lands where your cursor is. Recognition runs on your Mac, it works offline after the model is downloaded, and it costs $29 once for one Mac, $49 for three, after a 7-day free trial. Not per year: once, with every 1.x update.

Here's an agenda dictated straight into Notes:

"Agenda for Monday. Bullet point, um, Q3 numbers. Bullet point hiring for the, the support role. Bullet point office move, uh, dates."

What Notes gets:

Agenda for Monday.

• Q3 numbers
• Hiring for the support role
• Office move dates

It does have one assistant-like trick: hold the ask shortcut, ask a question, and the answer appears in a small panel with Copy and Insert. Sayburst Writer, its optional AI model, runs on your Mac with no account; we explain the setup in on-device AI dictation. It doesn't control your Mac, run commands or work on Windows, so if you need those, Braina or Voicy is the better fit. See Sayburst vs Voicy and every matchup on /compare.

Our take

Pick Voicy for focused dictation on every device at a lower price. Pick Braina if you want a desktop voice assistant with local AI and automation, and treat dictation as part of the package. If you're on a Mac and only need dictation, Sayburst does it locally for a one-time $29.

Questions people ask

What's the difference between Voicy and Braina?

Voicy is a dictation app: you talk and it types in any app, on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android or in Chrome. Braina is a desktop AI assistant for Windows and macOS that includes dictation alongside voice commands, local AI models, automation and file transcription.

Which is cheaper, Voicy or Braina?

For dictation, Voicy. Pro is $8.49 a month or $82 a year. Braina's free Lite edition has no dictation; dictation starts with Pro at $99 for one year on one Windows PC, and Mac support starts with Pro Plus at $199 for two years.

Does Braina dictation work on a Mac?

Yes, on Apple silicon, with Braina Pro Plus or Pro Ultra. The $99 Pro edition is Windows only, and the free Lite edition doesn't include dictation.

Can Voicy control my computer like Braina?

Voicy's pages describe dictation and formatting, not computer control. Braina includes voice commands, custom commands and PC automation.