Skip to content
effecthub

Acousmos vs Whisperly

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Acousmos starts at $12.99, Whisperly at $14. Only Whisperly has a free tier.

AcousmosMac dictation app that saves every transcription to a private, searchable local archive instead of throwing it away.WhisperlyHotkey dictation app that turns spoken words into cleaned-up text at your cursor in any desktop application.

Side by side

FactAcousmosWhisperly
CategorySpeech-to-Text & TranscriptionSpeech-to-Text & Transcription
Pricing modelPaidFreemium
Starts at$12.99 month$14 month
Public APINoNo
PlatformsmacOSmacOS, Windows
CompanyArrway LtdEvgeny Alexeev (sole proprietor)
Launched2023—
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 1, 2026

What our research says

Acousmos

Acousmos does what most dictation apps do, but the searchable local archive of past dictations is a real differentiator if you ever need to find something you said last week rather than retype it. The privacy-mode tier is the more interesting option for anyone wary of cloud transcription, though it asks you to bring your own API keys or run models locally.

Pros

  • Searchable local archive of past dictations, not just one-off transcription
  • Custom dictionary support for names and technical terms
  • Separate privacy-mode tier for user-supplied keys or local models
  • Cross-language dictation with translation built in

Cons

  • Mac-only, with no Windows or Linux version
  • Two-tier pricing (Plus vs. Pro) adds a decision most competitors don't require

Whisperly

Whisperly is a straightforward dictation tool aimed at people who type slower than they think, with a cleanup mode that's genuinely useful for turning rambling speech into readable text. It's a one-person operation without an enterprise track record, which matters if you're evaluating it for a team rather than personal use.

Pros

  • Works inside any text field across dozens of apps rather than a single editor
  • Three distinct modes (raw, cleaned-up, translate) instead of one fixed output style
  • Custom vocabulary support for names and technical terms
  • Free tier gives 2,000 words a week with no time limit

Cons

  • Run by a single proprietor, not a company with a dedicated support team
  • No Linux or mobile support

Which one fits

Choose Acousmos if you need

  • Mac users who want a searchable history of everything they've dictated
  • people who need cross-language dictation with translation
  • privacy-conscious users willing to supply their own API keys for local processing

Choose Whisperly if you need

  • writers and non-native speakers who compose faster by talking
  • developers who want voice input inside their existing editor or terminal
  • anyone tired of retyping filler-word-heavy voice memos

More comparisons

Browse all Speech-to-Text & Transcription →