LumeVoice vs VoiceInk: Local and Open Source, or Cloud Cleanup?

LumeVoice vs VoiceInk comes down to one trade-off: where your speech becomes text. VoiceInk does it on your Mac, with open-source code and a one-time price that starts at $25. LumeVoice does it in the cloud, then strips filler words and applies your self-corrections, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

A quick disclosure: LumeVoice is our product, and we haven't used VoiceInk ourselves, so nothing below is a hands-on test. What we say about VoiceInk comes from its website, documentation, GitHub repository and App Store listing, all checked on October 20, 2026. Confirm details on its pricing page before you buy. Our other head-to-heads are on the comparisons page.

Who should pick which#

Pick VoiceInk if you:

• want your speech transcribed on your Mac, with no internet connection needed
• like being able to read, audit or build the code yourself
• would rather pay once, from $25, than pay every month or year
• want control: many local and cloud models, Modes that switch by app or website, your own prompts and voice editing
• already pay an AI provider such as Groq, OpenAI or Anthropic and want to use your own API keys

Pick LumeVoice if you:

• use Windows or Android, or want one plan for a Mac, a PC and a phone
• want filler words, stutters and self-corrections ("five, actually six" becomes "six") handled without configuring anything
• don't want to manage model downloads, API keys or a provider's bill
• dictate in many languages: 100, detected automatically
• run an older macOS version (LumeVoice needs macOS 11.5; VoiceInk lists macOS 14.4)

LumeVoice vs VoiceInk at a glance#

VoiceInk details as of October 2026, from tryvoiceink.com, its docs, its GitHub repository and the App Store.

Price and 3-year cost#

VoiceInk sells one license for its Mac app, paid once, and every tier includes lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee (VoiceInk pricing).

Here's what each option costs if you keep it for three years:

On price, it isn't close: VoiceInk costs a fraction of any LumeVoice plan, and nothing at all if you build it yourself. Two things can add to it. Cloud transcription and AI cleanup run on your own API keys, and VoiceInk's license doesn't include that usage, so the provider bills you directly (cloud providers). And the iPhone app is free only during its beta, with a one-time purchase planned after (VoiceInk for iOS); a Mac license doesn't activate it (iOS and macOS licenses).

LumeVoice starts every new account with 3,000 free words, no card required, and Pro Monthly and Pro Annual begin with a 7-day free trial the first time you upgrade in the app (card required). Students and teachers get 50% off, and anyone who finds typing hard because of a disability, injury or health condition gets 50% off, with no proof needed. Codes are entered at checkout on Mac or Windows. See LumeVoice pricing, student pricing and the accessibility discount.

Platforms: where each app runs#

Mac. VoiceInk is a Mac app first. Its pricing page says it works only on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14.4 or later, and its FAQ recommends 8 GB of memory; its installation guide and GitHub README list macOS 15, so check your version before you buy (installation guide). LumeVoice lives in the menu bar: hold fn (Globe), speak and let go. It runs on macOS 11.5 or later. More on LumeVoice for Mac.

Windows. Only LumeVoice. It sits in the system tray: hold Ctrl + Win and talk, tap Space while holding to go hands-free, or press Esc to cancel. It installs per user, with no admin rights needed. VoiceInk has no Windows version; our list of VoiceInk alternatives covers apps that transcribe on a Windows PC. See LumeVoice for Windows.

iPhone and iPad. VoiceInk now has a companion app, VoiceInk: AI Dictation (iOS 17 or later), with its own keyboard. It's free during its beta and averages 4.2 stars from 37 ratings in the US App Store as of October 20, 2026 (App Store). LumeVoice on iPhone is the Lume keyboard (iOS 17 or later): switch to it in any app, tap Start Lume and talk. See LumeVoice for iPhone.

Android. Only LumeVoice: a floating bubble over your keyboard. Tap it, talk, tap the check mark, and you keep your usual keyboard. A GitHub request asking whether VoiceInk will come to Android was still unanswered in October 2026 (issue 993). See LumeVoice for Android.

Linux. Neither. VoiceInk's developer has said it won't come to Linux (GitHub), and LumeVoice has no Linux app.

Features: cleanup, models and Modes#

Both apps type into whatever app has your cursor, keep a custom vocabulary for names and jargon (Vocabulary in VoiceInk, the custom dictionary in LumeVoice), expand short cues into saved text (Word Replacements in VoiceInk, snippets in LumeVoice), and transcribe audio and video files on the desktop.

Where they differ:

Cleanup. In LumeVoice, cleanup is the point: it removes filler words and stutters, applies self-corrections ("let's meet at five, actually six" becomes "Let's meet at six."), turns spoken lists into numbered or bulleted lists, and fixes grammar and spelling, with nothing to set up. VoiceInk's default Dictation Mode pastes a fast transcript after removing filler sounds such as um and uh from an editable list (filler words). For more, you turn on AI enhancement with a provider you connect, an Ollama server, or VoiceInk Refine, a built-in model that removes repetition and resolves self-corrections on an Apple Silicon Mac with at least 16 GB of memory (VoiceInk Refine).

Models. This is VoiceInk's strong suit. It can run Parakeet, Nemotron, Whisper (from Tiny up to Large v3 Turbo), Cohere Transcribe, SenseVoice and, on macOS 26, Apple's own speech engine, all on your Mac (local models). It also connects with your own API keys to cloud services such as Groq, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Gemini and Mistral (cloud providers). LumeVoice makes the choice for you: 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 then does the cleanup. Connect VoiceInk to Groq and you can pick the same Whisper Large v3 Turbo model.

Modes and voice editing. A VoiceInk Mode bundles a model, a language, an AI prompt and an output, and can switch on automatically by app, by website in supported browsers, by a phrase you say, or by shortcut (Mode triggers). A Rewrite Mode reworks text you've selected, and an Assistant Mode answers questions inside the recorder instead of pasting. LumeVoice does none of that: it writes down what you said, with preset writing styles (Default, Casual, Excited and Casual Lowercase on desktop) and an output-language setting, so you can speak English and get Spanish.

Languages. LumeVoice works in 100 languages and detects them automatically. In VoiceInk it depends on the model (Parakeet V2 is English-only; Whisper's multilingual models cover many more), and there's no published overall count.

Privacy: where your voice goes#

• VoiceInk: with a local model, your audio is processed on your Mac and your history is stored there; VoiceInk says it doesn't keep transcriptions or audio on its servers (privacy policy). Cloud features are opt-in: cloud transcription sends audio to the provider you pick, AI enhancement sends the transcript plus any context you enabled (selected text, clipboard or on-screen text), and Dictionary Auto Learn, on by default, sends your corrections with a few surrounding words to its AI provider (privacy and data).
• LumeVoice: your audio is sent for processing, isn't stored after processing, and is never used to train models. Your dictation history stays on your device. It needs an internet connection.

The real difference is where transcription happens. Set VoiceInk up to stay on your Mac (local transcription, enhancement off or on Refine or Ollama, Auto Learn off or on Ollama) and nothing you say has to leave your computer, which LumeVoice can't offer. If your work requires that, choose VoiceInk; our guide to dictation for legal and medical work covers what to check.

Where VoiceInk is the better choice#

• Transcription on your own Mac, with no connection needed once the models are downloaded.
• Open-source code under GPLv3 that you can read, audit or build yourself.
• Price: $25 once for one Mac, or nothing if you compile it.
• Control: many models, Modes that switch by app or website, your own prompts, an Assistant and shell-command output.
• Editing by voice: select text and say how it should change.
• Mouse-button recording (shortcuts), useful if holding keys is hard.
• Your own API keys, if you already pay an AI provider.

Where LumeVoice is the better choice#

• Windows and Android, plus Mac and iPhone, on one plan.
• Cleanup by default: filler words, stutters and self-corrections handled without choosing models, writing prompts or adding keys.
• Older macOS versions: it runs on macOS 11.5 or later, and there are no speech models to download or memory to budget for.
• 100 languages, detected automatically, plus an output-language setting.
• Published discounts: 50% off for students and teachers, and 50% off for anyone who finds typing hard.

Switching from VoiceInk to LumeVoice#

1. Keep VoiceInk for times without a connection, or for material that must stay on your Mac.
2. Export your dictionary. VoiceInk saves Vocabulary and Word Replacements to a JSON file (import and export). Use it as a checklist: add names and terms to the LumeVoice custom dictionary on Mac or Windows, and recreate text expansions as snippets.
3. Use your free words on real work for a few days, on your computer and your phone.
4. Ask for your discount before you buy. Email hello@lumevoice.com for the student or accessibility code, then upgrade on Mac or Windows.
5. Bought VoiceInk recently and changed your mind? Its refund window is 14 days from purchase (terms).

For more, see our VoiceInk alternatives, VoiceInk vs Wispr Flow, VoiceInk vs Superwhisper, the roundup of open-source Whisper apps for Mac, and LumeVoice vs Voicy.

The bottom line#

VoiceInk is the better deal for a Mac user who wants dictation that stays on the computer: open source, a one-time price from $25, and plenty of models and Modes. LumeVoice is for people who want finished text without the setup, on Windows and Android as well as Mac and iPhone, and who are fine with the cloud. If dictating without a connection or auditable code is a must, choose VoiceInk. If not, dictate a week of real writing in both and keep the one you edit less.