Handy is a free, open-source (MIT) dictation app for Mac, Windows and Linux: press a shortcut, speak, and it pastes your words into whatever field you're in, after transcribing them on your own computer. It had more than 34,000 stars on GitHub as of October 2026, and its README states the idea plainly: one tool, one job. That simplicity is also why people look for Handy alternatives. They want an app on their phone, clean text without wiring up an AI provider, or fewer rough edges with long recordings and on Linux.
Here are seven alternatives, what each is built for and what it costs as of October 20, 2026. LumeVoice is our product and it's on this list, so weigh our view accordingly. We haven't used Handy ourselves; what we say about it comes from its website, documentation and GitHub repository. For the head-to-head, see LumeVoice vs Handy, and for every comparison we've written, our comparisons page.
Why look for a Handy alternative?#
- There's no phone app. Handy's site and repository list Mac, Windows and Linux only (download).
- Clean text takes setup. Handy pastes what its speech model hears. AI cleanup comes from post-processing, an alpha feature behind an experimental toggle that needs an API key from a provider such as OpenAI or Anthropic, Apple Intelligence on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 26, or a model server on your own machine (post-processing).
- Long recordings and meetings. Its FAQ warns that recordings over three to five minutes may fail, and it transcribes only your microphone, not system audio (FAQ).
- Linux has rough edges. The README calls Wayland support limited and lists extra typing tools to install, and the FAQ says the AppImage needs GLIBC 2.38 or later, which rules out Ubuntu 22.04.
- Choosing a model is your job. Parakeet writes numbers as words, Whisper models work best with a graphics chip and can add a stray "thank you" after silence, and several models handle English only (models).
Handy alternatives at a glance#
| App | Runs on | Transcribes on your computer | Free option | Paid price (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokenly | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone | Yes, or cloud | Free local models, no word cap | Local+ $29 once; Pro $9.99/month or $99.99/year |
| Amical | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Yes on desktop, or cloud | Unlimited local dictation | $10/month or $84/year |
| VoiceInk | Apple silicon Macs; iPhone and iPad app in beta | Yes, or cloud with your own keys | 7-day trial; free to build from source | $25, $39 or $49 once |
| Superwhisper | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Yes, or cloud | Unlimited dictation with local Whisper models | $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 once |
| Voicy | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android | Offline mode on desktop, or cloud | 30 minutes of recording | $8.49/month, $82/year or $260 once |
| LumeVoice | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | No, cloud only | 3,000 free words, no card required | $14.99/mo, $79.99/year or $249 once |
| Wispr Flow | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | No, cloud only | 2,000 words a week on desktop | $15/month or $144/year |
| Handy, for reference | Mac, Windows, Linux | Yes | Free and open source (MIT) | Free |
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Prices as of October 2026; vendors change them, so check their sites.
Is there a Handy for iPhone or Android?#
No. If the missing piece is your phone, these options cover it:
- Open source, with phone apps: Amical, on iPhone and Android.
- Free local models on your computer, plus an iPhone keyboard: Spokenly.
- One license for desktop and phone, with local models: Superwhisper (iPhone, and Android 13 or later).
- Linux on the desktop and Android in your pocket: Voicy.
- Cleanup without setup, in the cloud: LumeVoice (the Lume keyboard on iPhone, a floating bubble on Android) or Wispr Flow.
- Built in: on iPhone, Apple's dictation works without internet in many languages; on Android, Gboard has voice typing, and on a Pixel 6 or later its advanced voice typing stays on the phone.
How we compared them#
This list is based on what each vendor documents and charges, not on a lab test: where each app runs, whether it can transcribe on your own computer, what's free, what it costs, and how much setup it takes to get clean text. We don't publish accuracy scores, because results depend on your microphone, accent, vocabulary and hardware. All seven can be tried for free.
Where LumeVoice Fits
LumeVoice is for Handy users who'd trade free, local transcription for finished text without setup, on their phone as well as their computer.
- Four platforms, one plan: Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
- Cleanup as you talk: filler words and stutters removed, self-corrections applied, spoken lists turned into lists.
- No models, prompts or API keys: nothing to download or configure.
- Your audio isn't kept: it isn't stored after processing, your history stays on your device, and nothing you say is used to train models.
- The trade-off: it needs an internet connection, it isn't open source, it has no Linux app, and it costs money once your free words run out.
1. Spokenly#
Spokenly
Verdict: Free Local Models on Mac, Windows and Linux, Plus iPhone
Spokenly is the closest thing to Handy that also reaches your phone. Its Whisper and Parakeet models run on your own computer for free, with no word cap and no account needed, and it has apps for macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS, with deb, rpm and AppImage builds for X11 and Wayland (Spokenly pricing, Spokenly for Linux). It also works with your own API keys from providers such as OpenAI, Deepgram and Groq, with no fee on top, and its modes take your own AI instructions. Its Local Only Mode blocks network requests.
- Pricing: Free | Local+ $29 once (extra recording styles, settings sync, priority support) | Pro $9.99/month or $99.99/year, for hosted cloud models and AI cleanup without your own keys
- Catch: no Android app yet (there's a waitlist), and cleanup still means setting up modes or turning on its optional local cleanup
Skip it if: you need Android. More in LumeVoice vs Spokenly and Spokenly alternatives.
2. Amical#
Amical
Verdict: Open Source and Local-First, With Phone Apps
Amical shares Handy's open-source (MIT) roots but includes more: it can transcribe with local models on your computer or with cloud models, adds AI formatting and custom vocabulary, and lists 100+ languages (Amical). The desktop app runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs and on Windows 10 or later, and there are mobile apps for iPhone and Android (download).
- Pricing: Free (unlimited local dictation, plus 2,000 cloud words a week) | Premium $10/month or $84/year
- Catch: its phone apps are new; the iPhone keyboard app only reached the App Store on October 14, 2026
Skip it if: you're on Linux. Amical's desktop app is for Mac and Windows.
3. VoiceInk#
VoiceInk
Verdict: Open Source and Local, for Apple Silicon Macs
If you're on a Mac and like that Handy's code is open, VoiceInk is another open-source (GPLv3) option. It transcribes on your Mac with Parakeet, Whisper and other models, and adds what Handy deliberately leaves out: Modes that switch by app or website, AI enhancement with your own keys or an Ollama model, and a Refine model that cleans up text on the Mac itself (VoiceInk). A companion iPhone and iPad app is free during its beta.
- Requirements: an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14.4 or later (its install guide says macOS 15); Refine needs 16 GB of memory
- Pricing: $25 once for one Mac, $39 for two or $49 for three, with a 7-day trial; free if you build it yourself with Xcode
- Missing compared with Handy: Windows and Linux
Skip it if: you use Windows or Linux. More in LumeVoice vs VoiceInk and VoiceInk alternatives.
4. Superwhisper#
Superwhisper
Verdict: Local Models on Desktop and Phone, Without Linux
Superwhisper runs speech models on your own computer, as Handy does, and adds modes that switch by app or website, cloud models when you want them, and apps for iPhone and Android (Superwhisper). One Pro license covers your Macs and Windows PCs plus your phone (plans).
Its free plan gives unlimited dictation with local Whisper models; Pro adds hosted cloud models, more local models, AI modes, file transcription and meeting recording on macOS.
- Platforms: macOS, Windows 10 and 11, iPhone, Android 13 or later (phones only)
- Pricing: Free plan | Pro $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 once. Verified students, educators and non-profits get 40% off.
- Missing compared with Handy: Linux, and open-source code
Skip it if: you're on Linux, or open source is the reason you chose Handy. More in the best Superwhisper alternatives.
5. Voicy#
Voicy
Verdict: Linux and an Offline Mode, Plus Phone Apps
Voicy covers the platforms Handy does, plus phones: apps for Mac, Windows and Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and an AppImage), an iPhone keyboard, an Android floating microphone and a Chrome extension (Voicy pricing). Its desktop apps have an offline mode that transcribes on your computer in 25 languages after a one-time model download (macOS 15 or later on a Mac), and it adds Custom Modes and a Rewrite Mode for editing text by voice.
- Pricing: 30 minutes of recording free | Pro $8.49/month or $82/year | Lifetime $260 on its website. Students and people with disabilities get 20% off, and refunds are available within 7 days.
- Missing compared with Handy: free, unlimited use
Skip it if: you don't want to pay for dictation at all. More in LumeVoice vs Voicy and Voicy alternatives.
6. LumeVoice#
LumeVoice
Verdict: Best for Finished Text Without Setup
LumeVoice takes the opposite approach to Handy: speech is transcribed in the cloud by Whisper large-v3-turbo running on Groq, with Mistral's Voxtral as a fallback, and a language model cleans it up before it lands. Filler words and stutters disappear, self-corrections are applied, spoken lists become lists, and grammar is fixed, with no models, prompts or API keys to set up.
On Mac it lives in the menu bar (hold fn), and on Windows in the system tray (hold Ctrl + Win); double-press the shortcut for hands-free. On iPhone it's the Lume keyboard, and on Android a floating bubble over your keyboard.
- Platforms: Mac (macOS 11.5+), Windows 10 and 11, iPhone (iOS 17+), Android
- Extras: custom dictionary, snippets, writing styles, output language, audio and video file transcription on desktop, 100 languages
- Privacy: audio isn't stored after processing, history stays on your device, and nothing you say is used to train models
- Pricing: 3,000 free words, no card required to start | Pro Monthly $14.99/mo | Pro Annual $79.99/year | Lifetime $249, with one plan for all four platforms (pricing). Students get 50% off, and anyone who finds typing hard gets 50% off (accessibility discount).
- Missing compared with Handy: transcription on your own computer, open-source code, Linux, and a price of zero
Skip it if: you chose Handy because it's free, open source or keeps your audio on your computer. Details in LumeVoice vs Handy.
7. Wispr Flow#
Wispr Flow
Verdict: Polished Cloud App With a Free Weekly Allowance
Wispr Flow is a cloud dictation app for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that removes filler words, fixes grammar and formats your text with no setup, with a dictionary, snippets, 100+ languages and a meeting Notetaker on Mac and Windows (Wispr Flow pricing). Wispr says transcription always happens in the cloud (data controls), so there's no offline mode.
- Pricing: Free (2,000 words a week on Mac and Windows, limited weekly use on phones) | Pro $15 per user per month, or $12 a month billed annually ($144 a year). Students new to Pro get 3 months free with a .edu email, then 50% off.
- Missing compared with Handy: transcription on your own computer, open-source code and Linux
Skip it if: privacy was your reason for choosing Handy. More in our Wispr Flow pricing guide.
Also worth a look#
- Hex: another open-source (MIT) app that transcribes on Apple silicon Macs (macOS 15 or later), with Windows and Linux betas (Hex).
- Buzz: free and open source (MIT) on Mac, Windows and Linux, built for transcribing audio and video files rather than typing at your cursor; see our roundup of open-source Whisper apps.
- Built-in dictation: Apple Dictation on Mac and iPhone, and Windows voice typing (Windows + H), which needs an internet connection; on Copilot+ PCs, its Fluid dictation also removes filler words in English (Microsoft's guide).
When to stay with Handy#
Some of Handy's strengths are hard to beat:
- You want free, for good. No trial, no word cap and no subscription.
- Your audio must stay on your computer. Transcription happens on your device, and network traffic is limited to model downloads and update checks.
- You use Linux, including on ARM.
- You value open source. MIT code you can read, fork or build. Amical, VoiceInk and Hex are the other open-source picks here.
- You like it simple. One shortcut, one job.
- You're happy to wire up your own cleanup with post-processing and a model you choose.
Price comparison#
| App | Free option | Monthly | Yearly | One-time | Cheapest paid route over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handy | Free and open source | No | No | No | $0 |
| Spokenly | Free local models | $9.99 | $99.99 | $29 (Local+) | $29 |
| Amical | Free plan | $10 | $84 | No | $252 |
| VoiceInk | 7-day trial; free from source | No | No | $25 to $49 | $25 |
| Superwhisper | Free plan | $8.49 | $84.99 | $249.99 | $249.99 (lifetime) |
| Voicy | 30 minutes of recording | $8.49 | $82 | $260 | $246 |
| LumeVoice | 3,000 free words, no card required | $14.99 | $79.99 | $249 | $239.97 on yearly billing |
| Wispr Flow | 2,000 words a week (desktop) | $15 | $144 | No | $432 |
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Prices as of October 2026; vendors change them, so check their sites.
Nothing on this list beats Handy's price. Spokenly, Amical and Superwhisper keep local dictation free, and the paid plans make sense when they solve something Handy doesn't: a phone app, cleanup without setup, or meetings.
How to switch from Handy#
- Copy your custom words from Handy's Advanced settings into the new app's vocabulary or dictionary.
- Save any post-processing prompts you wrote. Spokenly, VoiceInk and Superwhisper modes take instructions like these; Wispr Flow and LumeVoice clean up without one.
- Free up your shortcut. If you keep Handy installed, give the new app a different shortcut so the two don't both start recording.
- Try the new app on real work for a few days, using its free plan, allowance or trial.
- Keep Handy as a backup. It's free, so there's no cost in keeping it for times without a connection.
Final verdict#
- Free local models on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone: Spokenly
- Open source with phone apps: Amical
- Open source on an Apple silicon Mac: VoiceInk
- Local models on desktop and phone: Superwhisper
- Linux plus phone apps, with an offline mode: Voicy
- Finished text without setup, in the cloud: LumeVoice
- Polished cloud app with a free weekly plan: Wispr Flow
And if free, open source and on your own computer are what matter most, Handy itself is still hard to beat.
