Willow Voice alternative for Mac
Glide vs Willow
Both start when you hold Fn and type what you say into any app. They differ in what the free plan gives you, where your voice is processed and what else the app can do.
Willow facts checked October 18, 2026 on Willow's own website. Plans and features change, so check theirs before you decide.
The short answer
Choose Glide if you want your dictation turned into text on your Mac and unlimited on every plan, plus an assistant in the same app that sees your screen, answers out loud and does tasks for you.
Choose Willow if you also dictate on Windows or iPhone, need more than 25 languages, want writing that learns your style and words, or your company needs SOC 2 and HIPAA.
Side by side
| Glide | Willow | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac (macOS 14 or later) | Mac, Windows, iPhone. Android is coming soon |
| Free dictation | Free and unlimited on every plan | Unlimited on a smaller model (Frontier Mini). The best model is a Pro feature |
| Paid plans | Dictation is never a paid feature | Pro $15 a month ($12 billed yearly), Business $35 a month ($28 yearly), Enterprise custom |
| Where your speech is processed | Dictation: on your Mac. Assistant: sent to AI providers to answer, and not stored on Glide’s servers | In the cloud, on servers in the US, with an offline mode that runs on your device |
| Start dictating | Hold Fn | Hold Fn, or double-tap it for hands-free |
| Languages | 25 European languages | 100+ |
| Cleanup | Removes filler words, fixes punctuation and casing, tidies grammar on Macs with Apple Intelligence | Removes filler words, fixes punctuation and formatting, and matches your writing style |
| Personal dictionary and shortcuts | Not yet | Yes, and it learns names and terms on its own |
| Turns rough notes into polished writing | Dictation types what you said, cleaned up | Yes, Willow Scribe (20 uses a week on the free plan) |
| Assistant that sees your screen and answers out loud | Yes | No |
| Points at things on screen, step by step | Yes | No |
| Does tasks in other apps | Yes: Calendar, Notes, Reminders and 12 connected apps, and it asks before anything is sent | No |
Where Glide is different
- The full dictation is free. Every Glide plan gets the same dictation, unlimited. Willow’s free plan runs on its smaller model, and its best model starts at $12 a month billed yearly.
- Your voice stays on your Mac. Glide turns speech into text with a speech model that runs on your Mac, every time. Willow processes dictation on its cloud servers, with an offline mode as the exception.
- More than dictation. Hold Control and Option, ask about what is on your screen, and Glide answers out loud and points at what it means. Hand it a task and it finishes it in the background.
Where Willow is stronger
- More devices: Mac, Windows and iPhone on one account, with Android on the way. Glide is Mac only.
- More languages: 100+, against Glide’s 25 European languages.
- Writing extras: style matching that learns how you write, a dictionary that learns your names and terms, saved shortcuts, and Scribe for turning rough notes into finished text.
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and enforced zero data retention on its Business and Enterprise plans.
Switching from Willow
Both apps dictate while you hold Fn, so the habit carries straight over. Run one at a time, or move Willow to another key in its Hotkey settings while you try Glide.
- If macOS has Fn set to show emoji or start Apple’s dictation, set Press fn key to to Do Nothing in Keyboard settings. Glide shows you where.
- On first launch Glide downloads its speech model, about 460 MB, so dictation can run on your Mac.