Comparison
Diktat vs. Apple Dictation
Apple's Dictation is built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, free and with no separate purchase. The Mac menu command is called "Start Dictation" and types spoken text directly into the open field.
Diktat and Dictation both recognize speech on the device, for many languages. That is where the similarity ends: only Diktat has a history, a clipboard, and its own dictionary. This page compares Apple's Dictation with Diktat for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Mac has its own app.
At a glance.
| Diktat | Apple Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Included in the operating system, no separate purchase |
| Price | from €9.99 at launch, later €19.99. One purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Mac app sold separately: €19.99, later €39.99. | Free, part of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS (as of 6 August 2026) |
| Free to use | 5 dictations a day, permanently, with all recognitions | Completely free on every supported device, permanently |
| Where recognition runs | On the device | Many languages on the device. Other languages and dictation in search fields go to Siri servers per Apple |
| Account | No account | No account needed, just a setting in the system or device settings |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch. The Mac app is a separate purchase. | iPhone, iPad, Mac. The Apple Watch has its own dictation feature too |
| Apple Watch | Included in the purchase | Yes, its own dictation feature for entering text (their claim) |
| What happens after recognition | No language model runs over your text. No word changes unless you ask. | Text lands directly in the open field. No history, no clipboard, no dictionary |
Prices and details checked on 6 August 2026 at support.apple.com. Facts, not scores. What the vendor's site does not say, this page does not say either.
The core difference.
Both recognize speech and type text. The difference starts with processing. Apple's Dictation processes many languages on the device. Other languages, and dictation in search fields, go to Siri servers per Apple. Diktat has no server option, all three recognitions run on the device.
Dictation is part of the operating system, not a standalone tool. It types text directly into the open field, with no history, no clipboard, no dictionary. Diktat runs as its own app. Text is in the field and in the clipboard, with a 7 day history and its own dictionary for replacements.
Dictation costs nothing, it comes with the device. Diktat is a purchase: from €9.99 for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch at launch, later €19.99. The Mac app is separate: €19.99 at launch, later €39.99. The difference is not the price of recognition, it is what is built around it.
When Apple Dictation is the better fit.
You do not want to install or buy anything. Dictation is part of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS and starts right in any text field.
You dictate regularly in more than one language and want to switch mid dictation. On Mac, Apple states you can do that by clicking the language indicator next to the cursor.
It is enough for you if the text lands straight in the field, with no separate app and no history. Dictation types exactly where your cursor is.
When Diktat is the better fit.
You want a history of your dictations, for 7 days. Dictation saves nothing, the text is gone once you dictate again.
You want to set your own replacements, for names or specialist terms for example. Dictation itself has no such dictionary. Only the separate Voice Control accessibility feature has a vocabulary, and that is for a different task.
You want the text reliably in the clipboard, even when an app blocks pasting. Diktat always puts the text in the clipboard too. Dictation only types into the field, with no clipboard.
Questions about the comparison.
Is Apple's Dictation free?
Yes, it is part of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS and costs nothing extra (as of 6 August 2026). There is no purchase and no subscription, just a setting to turn on. Diktat costs from €9.99 for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch or €19.99 for Mac, both as a one-time purchase.
Does Apple's Dictation really run locally?
For many languages, yes: Apple then processes Dictation on the device, with no internet. For other languages, the speech data goes to Siri servers per Apple. Dictation in a search field goes to the search provider instead. Diktat has no server option and never sends dictations online. Diktat only goes online to load a recognition model, Apple's own language assets, unlock the purchase, and check for updates.
What is the main difference day to day?
Dictation types text directly into the open field, with no history and no clipboard. Diktat also puts the text in the clipboard and keeps a 7 day history. It adds its own dictionary for replacements, which Dictation does not have. The question is whether the open field is enough for you, or whether you need a history and a clipboard.
What does Apple's Dictation cost compared to Diktat?
Apple's Dictation costs nothing, it comes with the device (as of 6 August 2026). Diktat for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch is from €9.99 at launch, later €19.99, a one-time purchase. The Mac app is a second one-time purchase: €19.99 at launch, later €39.99. Diktat has no subscription.
Try Diktat.
5 dictations a day are free. No account, no subscription. The purchase is one-time.