Comparison
JuTalk vs Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation types what you say. JuTalk also removes ums and false starts, applies your corrections and can turn a ramble into an AI prompt, from $3 a month with a free trial.
I build JuTalk. Every Apple fact below links to Apple's own pages. Where I say Apple's guide doesn't mention something, that's all I'm saying. I'm not claiming the feature can't exist.
Prices and features checked on November 13, 2026
Side by side
| What | JuTalk | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | JuTalkA trial of 7 days or 1 hour of audio, then Starter at $3 a month or $30 a year, or Pro at $9 a month or $90 a year. | Apple DictationFree. Built into macOS. |
| Limit | JuTalk3 hours of audio a month on Starter, 10 on Pro. That's up to about 25,000 and 84,000 words. At the cap, dictation pauses until next month or until you upgrade. | Apple DictationNo timeout on length. It stops after 30 seconds with no speech. Apple guide |
| Setup | JuTalkDownload the app, allow the microphone and Accessibility, create an account and sign in. | Apple DictationTurn it on in System Settings, under Keyboard. Apple guide |
| Which Macs | JuTalkApple silicon, M1 or newer, on macOS 14 or later. No Intel. | Apple DictationComes with macOS. The current guide is written for System Settings, and some features need a newer Mac. Apple guide |
| Internet | JuTalkAlways needed, along with an account. If the connection drops, JuTalk keeps the recording on your Mac and retries for up to 7 days. | Apple DictationYou may need it. Keyboard settings tell you whether you do. Apple troubleshooting |
| Where your audio goes | JuTalkYour audio goes through JuTalk's servers to a speech recognition provider. With cleanup on, the default, the text goes to an AI provider. JuTalk's servers don't store either. Privacy policy | Apple DictationKeyboard settings show whether general dictation is processed on your Mac. If not, Apple processes it. Apple doesn't store your audio unless you opt in. Apple privacy |
| How you start it | JuTalkHold Option while you talk, let go to finish, press Esc to cancel. There's no hands-free mode. | Apple DictationPress the Microphone key or a shortcut you choose. Press again or Esc to stop. Apple guide |
| While you talk | JuTalkA small pill shows that it's listening. No text appears until you let go and the finished text arrives. | Apple DictationThe cursor pulses, and in supported languages it adds punctuation as you dictate. On Apple silicon you can type while it listens. Apple guide |
| Ums and false starts | JuTalkRemoved. | Apple DictationApple's guide doesn't mention removing them. Apple guide |
| When you correct yourself | JuTalkApplied in place. "Tuesday, no wait, Wednesday" becomes "Wednesday". | Apple DictationApple's guide doesn't mention this. It underlines unclear words in blue so you can pick another. Apple guide |
| Punctuation and spelling | JuTalkFixed by cleanup, in the language you spoke, unless you turn cleanup off. | Apple DictationAdds commas, periods and question marks in supported languages. An on-device model improves spelling, punctuation and capitalization in English, on M3 or later with 12 GB of memory or more. Apple guide |
| Voice commands | JuTalkjutalk.app doesn't list spoken formatting commands. You hold Option to talk, and press Esc to cancel. | Apple DictationA long list: "new line", "new paragraph", "caps on", "all caps", "no space on", "numeral", symbols by name and, in some languages, emoji. Apple commands |
| Your own words | JuTalkA vocabulary of up to 100 terms, to help it recognize your names and jargon. | Apple DictationApple's dictation guide doesn't mention a word list. Voice Control has one, up to 1,000 terms, but standard Dictation isn't available while Voice Control is on. Apple vocabulary |
| Languages | JuTalk90+ languages, detected automatically. The number is our speech recognition provider's figure. | Apple Dictation63 languages and regional variants on Apple's Dictation list. You add the ones you want and switch by hand. Apple languages |
| Text you already typed | JuTalkPolish what you typed: select text in another app and hold Control (about 0.3 seconds) until it's replaced. Add Shift and it's Make it a prompt. Let go early and nothing changes. ⌘Z in that app brings the original back. Accessibility is required, and the microphone isn't used. Up to 20,000 characters. It works in Google Docs and some terminals. Polish what you typed is free for the first 100 times each day. After that, each one that succeeds uses 5 seconds of your hours, plus 1 second per 150 characters. A polish that fails doesn't use hours. | Apple DictationNot covered in this comparison. |
| AI prompts | JuTalkHold Option and Shift, and a ramble becomes a clear prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or another AI. | Apple DictationNot a feature of Dictation as Apple's guide describes it. |
| Control your whole Mac by voice | JuTalkNo. JuTalk only types. | Apple DictationYes, with Voice Control: open apps, click, scroll and edit text by speaking. Apple Voice Control |
Word counts assume 140 words a minute, and pauses count as time.
A one-minute test
Turn on Dictation in System Settings, under Keyboard. Open Notes, press the Microphone key or your shortcut, and say this the way you'd really say it:
"Let's meet on Tuesday, no wait, Wednesday at, um, three pm and bring the the slides."
Look at what you get. JuTalk's cleanup is built to turn that sentence into "Let's meet on Wednesday at 3 PM and bring the slides." Say it into JuTalk and compare. The trial needs no card.
Choose JuTalk if
- You think out loud, with ums, restarts and changes of mind, and don't want to clean that up afterwards.
- You want a word list for names and jargon while you dictate.
- You want your language detected for you, instead of switching by hand.
- You'd rather hold a key to talk than press once to start and again to stop.
- You write prompts for AI tools and want a ramble turned into a clear prompt.
- You want to polish text you already typed: select it and hold Control, or add Shift to make it a prompt.
Questions
Is Apple Dictation free?
Yes. It's built into macOS. You turn it on in System Settings, under Keyboard. Here's how to use it.
Does Apple Dictation have a time limit?
Not on length. Apple says you can dictate text of any length without a timeout. It stops by itself when it hears no speech for 30 seconds.
Does Apple Dictation work without internet?
It depends on your setup. Apple says you may need a connection, and that the text under Dictation in Keyboard settings tells you whether you do.
Does Apple Dictation remove ums and filler words?
Apple's guide doesn't mention it, so I don't count on it. JuTalk removes them by default. Say a messy sentence into each and compare.
Is JuTalk worth paying for if Apple Dictation is free?
It is if you'd rather not clean up after yourself. JuTalk removes ums and false starts and applies your corrections, from $3 a month. The trial needs no card, so you can find out before you pay.
Does JuTalk process my voice on my Mac?
No. Your audio goes through JuTalk's servers to a speech recognition provider, and with cleanup on, the default, the text goes to an AI provider. JuTalk's servers don't store either, and the providers handle it under their own terms. Read the privacy policy.
Keep reading
Or read how JuTalk works on the homepage.
Built by Jurij Malovrh in Slovenia. Questions come straight to me at support@jutalk.app.
Sources
Apple facts were taken from Dictate messages and documents on Mac, Commands for dictating text, If Dictation doesn't work as expected, Voice Control commands, custom vocabulary, macOS feature availability, and Siri, Dictation & Privacy, checked on November 13, 2026. JuTalk facts are from jutalk.app and the privacy policy.
Not stated on the current dictation guide, so not claimed here: which older macOS releases still include Dictation. The guide I read is the current one, and it mentions macOS 27 for the on-device spelling model.
Try JuTalk on your Mac.
Hold Option, talk, let go. Your words land where you're typing, cleaned up.
JuTalk runs on your Mac
Your free trial only starts when you first sign in on your Mac. No card needed. macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon.
7 days or 1 hour of audio free, whichever runs out first. No card. macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon.