You talk three times faster than you type. That means you lose hours every day converting thoughts into typed text. Wispr Flow is an AI-powered speech-to-text tool that makes dictation faster than typing, with automatic formatting and style adjustment that works in every app on your computer or phone.
Who’s behind Wispr Flow?
Wispr AI was founded in 2021 by Tanay Kothari and Sahaj Garg in San Francisco. The two founders became frustrated with how slow typing is compared to the speed at which you speak. Their goal was ambitious: replace the keyboard with a natural voice interface that truly understands what you mean.
That ambition quickly caught the attention of major investors. The company has now raised $1 million from firms like Menlo Ventures, NEA, 8VC, and Notable Capital. Today, Wispr has thousands of users who have collectively dictated hundreds of millions of words. The tool supports more than 100 languages and is growing rapidly, especially among professionals who write a lot and developers who want to code faster.
Who is Wispr Flow for?
Wispr Flow is built for people who write a lot and have little time. Think of professionals who create emails, reports, or notes daily. Content creators who produce scripts, blog posts, or social media updates. And developers who want to code faster or dictate AI prompts instead of typing.
The tool is less suitable if you need to work offline. Wispr Flow processes everything in the cloud and requires an internet connection. For people with strict privacy requirements or who work in environments without internet, this is a dealbreaker.
What can Wispr Flow do?
The free version gives you access to the basic functionality with a limit of 2,000 words per week. For unlimited usage, personal style customization, and advanced editing options, you need a Pro subscription. Here’s what the tool does:
- Lightning-fast dictation: Wispr Flow transcribes your voice three times faster than you can type. The tool easily handles 150+ words per minute. You just speak at your normal pace and the text appears almost instantly on your screen.
- Auto-edits: The AI automatically filters out filler words like ‘uh’, ‘um’, and ‘hmm’ from your dictation. You don’t have to speak perfectly. Wispr automatically turns it into readable text without all those verbal stumbles.
- Command Mode: You can perform text edits with your voice. Say things like “delete the last sentence” or “make this a bullet list” and Wispr executes it. No mouse or keyboard needed for simple edits.
- Multilingual support: With more than 100 supported languages, you can even switch between languages mid-sentence. Handy if you work bilingually or do international communication.
- Personal writing style: The AI learns how you write and adapts your dictation to your style. It recognizes jargon, technical terms, and your personal word choices. The more you use it, the better it gets.
- Universal compatibility: Wispr works in any app where you can enter text. Email, Slack, Google Docs, code editors, your browser – it doesn’t matter. You activate it with a keyboard shortcut and dictate wherever you want.
- Privacy Mode: When you’re dictating sensitive information, you can enable Privacy Mode. Your audio isn’t stored and is deleted immediately after processing.
- Sync across devices: Your settings and personal dictionary sync between Mac, Windows, and iOS. Start on your laptop, continue on your phone.
How much does Wispr Flow cost?
Wispr Flow has a free Basic plan with a limit of 2,000 words per week. That’s enough to try out the tool and see if dictation fits your workflow.
The Pro subscription costs $1 per month with monthly billing. If you pay for a year, you pay $1 total, which comes out to $1 per month. That saves you $1 per year. With Pro, you get unlimited word usage, all advanced features, and access to new features as soon as they’re released.
There’s also a free 14-day trial available. You can test the full Pro version without paying upfront. Plenty of time to see if the tool really saves you time.
What should you watch out for?
Wispr Flow has a few drawbacks you should be aware of:
RAM usage is high. Users report that the app can use up to 800MB of memory while dictating. On older computers or laptops with limited RAM, this can cause slowdowns. Startup time is also slow – it takes 8 to 10 seconds for the tool to be ready to use after pressing the hotkey.
Customer service receives a lot of criticism. Multiple users complain about slow responses or no answer at all to support requests. If you have a problem, you can’t count on quick help.
Privacy is another point of concern. All processing happens in the cloud on servers in the United States. If you work with sensitive data or have legal restrictions on where your data can be processed, this is important to know. Wispr does offer Privacy Mode and promises not to train on your data by default, but for absolute control, a local solution is safer.
The subscription model is a drawback for some. There’s no option for a one-time purchase. You pay every month or every year, otherwise you lose access to the Pro features. For people who prefer to pay once and be done with it, that’s frustrating.
Wispr Flow alternatives
There are other speech-to-text tools that offer similar functionality, but with different trade-offs:
- Superwhisper: Choose this if privacy and offline functionality are crucial. Superwhisper runs entirely locally on your Mac without an internet connection. Your data never leaves your computer, but you’ll miss out on Wispr’s cloud-based AI improvements.
- MacWhisper: Go for this if you’re looking for a one-time purchase. MacWhisper is cheaper in the long run and also works locally, but the auto-edit functionality is less advanced than Wispr Flow.
- Otter.ai: Choose Otter if you primarily want to record and transcribe meetings rather than live dictation. Otter is optimized for meetings with multiple speakers, not for personal dictation across different apps.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about Wispr Flow:
Does Wispr Flow work offline?
No, Wispr Flow requires an internet connection. The tool uses cloud processing for the best accuracy and all AI features. Without internet, you can’t dictate.
Is my data safe?
Wispr claims not to train on your data by default and offers Enterprise options with SOC 2 compliance. However, the Pro version processes all data in the cloud on American servers. For maximum privacy, you can use Privacy Mode, where audio is deleted immediately after processing.
Does it work in all languages?
Yes, Wispr Flow supports more than 100 languages. You can even automatically switch between languages while dictating without adjusting the settings.
Which devices can I use Wispr Flow on?
Wispr Flow works on macOS, Windows, and iOS. There’s no support for Android or Linux. Your settings sync between the supported platforms.
How much faster is dictation really?
Wispr claims that dictating is three times faster than typing. The average typing speed is 40 words per minute, while your speaking speed is 150+ words per minute. In practice, the time saved depends on how much editing you need to do afterwards.
Conclusion
Wispr Flow is a powerful dictation tool that can really save time if you write a lot. The combination of fast transcription, automatic editing, and universal compatibility makes it practical for daily use. The AI that removes filler words and learns your writing style works well according to users.
The downsides are the high RAM usage, slow startup time, and privacy concerns due to cloud processing. The poor customer service is a risk if you run into problems. At $1 per month, it’s not cheap, but if you spend hours typing every day, it pays for itself quickly.
Choose Wispr Flow if you work on Mac, Windows, or iOS and speed is more important to you than privacy. Do you have strict privacy requirements or want to be able to work offline? Then check out Superwhisper or MacWhisper. The 14-day trial gives you enough time to test whether dictation fits your workflow.