Private offline dictation, without the cloud
Wispr Flow's AI cleanup is impressive — but it requires your audio to travel to their servers every single time you speak. Echo runs entirely on your device using Whisper and Parakeet models. Free, open source, and truly private — your voice never leaves your machine.
Download Echo FreeFeature by feature
| Feature | Echo | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ✓Free forever | ✗Free (2,000 words/week) · $15/mo · $144/yr |
| Audio Processing | ✓100% local — nothing leaves your device | ✗Cloud-based — audio sent to Wispr servers |
| Open Source | ✓MIT License — fully auditable | ✗Proprietary closed source |
| Account Required | ✓Never | ✗Mandatory signup |
| Platforms | —macOS, Windows, Linux | ✓macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Global Shortcut / Auto-Paste | —Push-to-talk, pastes anywhere | ✓Yes — global shortcut auto-paste |
| LLM Post-Processing | —Optional AI refinement | ✓AI smart cleanup (removes um/uh) |
| 100+ Languages | —Yes — Whisper supports 100+ | ✓Yes |
| Free Tier Limits | ✓Unlimited — no caps ever | ✗2,000 words/week limit on free plan |
| Data Sovereignty | ✓Your audio never touches a server | ✗Audio processed on Wispr servers |
| Mobile Apps | —Desktop only | ✓iOS and Android apps available |
| Command Mode (edit by voice) | —Not available | ✓Yes — edit text by voice commands |
Why choose Echo for private dictation
True Privacy — Zero Compromise
Wispr Flow has SOC 2 Type II certification, but that doesn't change a fundamental fact: your audio travels to their servers. Echo processes everything locally using Whisper. What you say never leaves your machine — not even encrypted.
No Subscription, No Limits
Wispr Flow's free tier caps you at 2,000 words per week. Echo has no limits of any kind. Use it all day, every day, forever — without paying $15/month or worrying about word counts.
Fully Open Source
Wispr Flow raised $81M and is valued at $700M — meaning their business model depends on your data flowing through their infrastructure. Echo is MIT-licensed: the code is public and you can verify exactly how your audio is handled.
Ready to switch to truly private dictation?
No account. No cloud. Free forever.
Download Echo FreeFree forever · MIT License · Open source on GitHub