Is there a Wispr Flow alternative that works offline?

After the initial approximately 2.2 GB model download, Loquen runs speech to text and AI cleanup on the Mac's own chip, so dictation works offline. Licence validation and update checks can still use the network and carry no audio or text.

How do the prices compare?

At September 2026 list prices, Wispr Flow Pro is $144 a year, and its free plan allows 2,000 words a week on desktop. Loquen is $19 once, with no word limits, every vocabulary pack and updates included, and a 7-day free trial.

Does Loquen run on Windows or iPhone?

Not yet. Loquen needs an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) on macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built and has a waitlist. If you need dictation on Windows, iOS or Android today, Wispr Flow covers all four.

Can Loquen use a cloud model too?

Only if you choose to. Enhanced mode is opt-in and sends the text of a dictation, never the audio, to a cloud model you pick with your own API key. Any app, an EHR for example, can be kept in Private mode.

Alternatives / Wispr Flow

A Wispr Flow alternative that works offline

If you like Wispr Flow's hold-a-key dictation but would rather your voice never left the computer, Loquen does the same job offline on a Mac. Wispr Flow says its transcription always happens in the cloud; Loquen turns speech into clean text on the Mac's own chip, for $19 once instead of $144 a year.

At the keyboard the two feel alike: hold a key, talk, let go. The differences are where the work happens, what it costs over time, and which devices it runs on, including the cases where Wispr Flow is the better choice.

Is Wispr Flow private?

Wispr Flow's privacy page is clear about how it works. Transcription always happens in the cloud, and audio is sent to Wispr's servers over an encrypted connection (TLS 1.2 or later). Wispr says your audio is deleted as soon as it is transcribed, unless you turn on its dictation cloud storage, and you can switch off the setting that lets your dictations train its models. Its business plans advertise HIPAA-ready dictation with a signed business associate agreement.

Those are real controls. They are policy controls, though: your voice still travels to a server to become text. Loquen's promise is about where the work is done. In Private mode, the default, speech to text and AI cleanup both run on the Mac, and nothing you say (no audio, no text) leaves it.

The initial approximately 2.2 GB model download uses the network and carries no dictation. After setup, licence validation can send the licence key and an instance id, and update checks can send the app version; neither carries audio or text. There is no account, no telemetry, and no screenshots, ever.

Wispr Flow and Loquen side by side

	Loquen	Wispr Flow
Price over a year	$19 once. No word limits, every pack and updates included	Pro $144 a year. Free plan: 2,000 words a week on desktop, 1,000 on mobile
Where speech is processed	On the Mac's own chip	In the cloud, on Wispr's servers
Works offline	Yes, on a plane included	Transcription needs the cloud
Languages	28, detected from the sound, so you can switch mid-sentence	100+
Specialty vocabulary	Twelve medical packs, 5,862 terms, in the box; write your own pack as one JSON file	Learns your words and names, or you add them; snippets for text you type often
Platforms	Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built	Mac, Windows, iOS and Android

List prices, September 2026. Wispr Flow details from wisprflow.ai, checked October 2026.

When Loquen is the better fit

What you dictate should stay on the computer. Patient notes, client matters, private messages. With Loquen there is no server in the path to trust.
You work without a reliable connection. A plane, a train, a clinic with patchy wifi. Loquen processes speech and cleanup on your Mac, with or without the internet.
You would rather pay once. $19 against $144 a year. Over three years that is $19 against $432, at September 2026 list prices.
Your words are clinical. Twelve medical packs ship in the box, built around drug names, generic and brand. The AI is told not to "correct" pack terms, so metoprolol no longer comes out as "metropolis", and "met foreman" becomes metformin.
You want tone per app. Casual in chat, formal in Mail, code in the terminal, with your own rules for any app or site. Phrases paste a whole block of text, untouched by the AI, when you say their name.

When Wispr Flow is the better fit

You need it on more than a Mac today. Wispr Flow covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Loquen is Mac only for now.
You dictate in many languages. Wispr lists more than 100. Loquen has 28, and its vocabulary packs are English only so far.
Your Mac is older. Loquen needs an M1 or later and macOS 15. It does not run on Intel Macs.
Your organisation wants a signed agreement with a cloud vendor. Wispr offers one on its business plans. Loquen's approach is different: nothing leaves the Mac in Private mode, so there is no vendor server holding your notes.
You dictate a little and are happy with the cloud. Wispr's free plan may be all you need.

What switching looks like

The gesture is the same. Hold Globe/fn (or right Option or right Command, set in Settings), talk, and let go. Double-tap for hands-free; Esc cancels and nothing is pasted. It works in any app with a text field, from Mail and Slack to an EHR in the browser.

If you liked the polish a large cloud model gives, Loquen's Enhanced mode is there when you want it. It is opt-in, it sends the text of a dictation, never the audio, to a cloud model you choose with your own API key, and any app, your EHR for example, can be held in Private mode.

Questions

Is Wispr Flow private?: Wispr Flow's privacy page says transcription always happens in the cloud and that audio is deleted as soon as it is transcribed, unless you turn on its cloud storage. You can also opt out of model training. Your voice still leaves the computer to become text. With Loquen in Private mode, the default, no audio and no text leave the Mac.
Is there a Wispr Flow alternative that works offline?: After the initial approximately 2.2 GB model download, Loquen runs speech to text and AI cleanup on the Mac's own chip, so dictation works offline. Licence validation and update checks can still use the network and carry no audio or text.
How do the prices compare?: At September 2026 list prices, Wispr Flow Pro is $144 a year, and its free plan allows 2,000 words a week on desktop. Loquen is $19 once, with no word limits, every vocabulary pack and updates included, and a 7-day free trial.
Does Loquen run on Windows or iPhone?: Not yet. Loquen needs an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) on macOS 15 or later. Windows is being built and has a waitlist. If you need dictation on Windows, iOS or Android today, Wispr Flow covers all four.
Can Loquen use a cloud model too?: Only if you choose to. Enhanced mode is opt-in and sends the text of a dictation, never the audio, to a cloud model you pick with your own API key. Any app, an EHR for example, can be kept in Private mode.

Sources

Competitor details are from each company's own pages, checked October 2026. Prices are list prices, September 2026. Products change; check the source before you decide.

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