Short answer: Handy (handy.computer) costs nothing, is open source, runs its speech models on your device and works on Mac, Windows and Linux. Voice Keyboard Pro is a paid subscription for Mac and iPhone that adds rewriting matched to the app, snippets, AI commands, meeting notes and an iPhone keyboard. If free and offline on any desktop is what you need, pick Handy.
Handy (handy.computer) is a free, open-source dictation app: press a shortcut, speak, and it pastes the text into the field you're typing in. If you want a Handy speech to text alternative, the gaps that matter are an iPhone app, text tidied for the app you're in without setup, snippets and AI commands, and meeting notes. We make Voice Keyboard Pro, a paid app, so weigh that. Every fact about Handy below comes from its own site, docs and GitHub page, checked in October 2026.
What Handy does well
It costs nothing. Handy's site calls it the free and open source app for speech to text, with donations through Stripe and GitHub Sponsors, and its GitHub page shows an MIT license. You can read the code, build it yourself or leave it alone, with no plan to cancel.
Your voice stays on your machine. Its docs say "All models run entirely on your device," and its home page says your voice stays on your computer. For anyone who wants dictation that never touches a server, that settles a lot.
Three desktop platforms are covered. The docs offer downloads for macOS (separate builds for Apple silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux. We make no Windows or Linux app.
It's simple on purpose. Push-to-talk is on by default, so you hold the shortcut, speak and release. The default on macOS is Option + Space, you can remap it, and Escape cancels. If you'd rather press once to start and once to stop, there's a Toggle Mode. Its docs also let you pick a speech model on first launch, including one that covers 99+ languages. There's a Custom Words list for names and jargon it mishears, and an experimental post-processing shortcut (Option + Shift + Space) can run a cleanup pass through a provider you set up.
And it's actively developed. Version 0.9.8 was published on GitHub on October 3, 2026, and the repository had about 35,100 stars when we checked.
Why people look for a Handy alternative
1. There's no phone app
Handy's site and docs list downloads for macOS, Windows and Linux. We didn't find an iPhone or Android app, so if you dictate on your phone, you need something else. Voice Keyboard Pro has a full iPhone keyboard, and one account covers Mac and iPhone.
2. You want the text shaped for where it's going
Handy's site calls it "One tool, one job." Its regular shortcut always gives plain output, and its FAQ says you can't say "period" or "comma" to insert punctuation directly. Cleanup comes from post-processing, which is experimental and needs a provider: a cloud service with your own API key, Apple Intelligence on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 26 or later, or a local server. Voice Keyboard Pro's Smart Rewrite works out punctuation, tidies the text and matches the tone of the app you're in, with no setup, and it can be switched off if you want your words exactly as spoken. It also takes spoken controls such as "new line", "comma" and "period".
3. You want snippets and commands on top of vocabulary
Handy does have a Custom Words list, and its docs are candid that it's "very imperfect" and point to post-processing for better results. Voice Keyboard Pro's personal vocabulary takes the names and jargon you add and learns terms it sees on your screen, and profession modes add tailored vocabulary. Voice snippets drop in a saved signature or standard reply from a short trigger, and AI commands change selected text (shorter, friendlier, a reply). We didn't find snippets or commands on selected text in Handy's docs.
4. You want meeting notes
Handy's FAQ says it only transcribes microphone input, not system audio from video calls, and that live captions aren't available yet. Voice Keyboard Pro records a call or a room meeting live and gives you a transcript with speakers labeled Speaker A and B, then a summary, decisions and action items.
What using Handy involves
On first launch, Handy asks you to pick a speech model to download, and its docs recommend one for English and European languages and another for broad multilingual support. The choice affects speed and quality on your machine, and the docs give guidance, so it's worth reading before you pick.
On a Mac it also needs permissions. The docs list Microphone access and Accessibility, which is what lets it type the transcribed text into other apps.
Afterwards it sits in the menu bar. Handy's own demo notes that when no text field is active, it just does nothing, so keep a field focused while you talk.
None of this is hard, and an app you control is the whole appeal. The trade is a model choice you make yourself, and, if you want cleanup, a post-processing provider you configure.
What to look for in an alternative
- Whether you want free and open source, or are happy to pay for added features.
- Whether audio can stay on your machine.
- Hold-to-talk or press-to-start, and whether you can pick.
- An iPhone keyboard, if you dictate on your phone.
- Rewriting, vocabulary and snippets, or a plain transcript.
- Your platforms: Windows and Linux narrow the field quickly.
Voice Keyboard Pro
To be plain: Voice Keyboard Pro is a paid subscription. Handy costs nothing, and we don't. On our website it's $4.99 a month (the monthly plan starts with a 3-day free trial), $34.99 a year or $1.99 a week. Every plan has the same features, you can cancel anytime, and there's a 14-day refund. App Store prices differ, and there's no free plan or one-time price.
On Mac it's a menu bar app. Hold a key (Left Control by default), speak, let go, and the text is typed at your cursor in whatever app has focus. Like Handy by default, it only listens while you hold the key. It has no toggle mode on Mac. In Terminal and code editors it keeps commands literal, with no capital and no closing period, and it never sends anything until you press Return. It supports 19 languages with automatic detection, and Offline Mode on Apple silicon Macs runs transcription entirely on the Mac. On Intel Macs it uses the cloud, which is one place Handy's on-device design is simpler.
On iPhone it's a keyboard: tap Speak, talk, tap Stop. iOS doesn't let keyboards use the microphone directly, so tapping Speak may briefly open the app to start listening. Setup needs Allow Full Access, which our Full Access guide walks through. It's not an offline tool on iPhone. For other ways to dictate on a Mac, see our comparison of Mac dictation apps and the post on offline voice to text on Mac.
Head to head
| What | Handy | Voice Keyboard Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Costs nothing, donations welcome | Paid subscription (website prices above) |
| Source | Open source, MIT license | Closed, commercial app |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac and iPhone (iPad too) |
| Start dictating | Hold Option + Space on Mac, or toggle | Hold a key you choose, release |
| Where audio goes | Stays on your device | Cloud, or on the Mac with Offline Mode on Apple silicon |
| Rewriting | Experimental post-processing, provider you set up | Smart Rewrite matched to the app |
| Vocabulary, snippets | Custom Words list; no snippets in its docs | Personal vocabulary and voice snippets |
| iPhone | No app listed | Full keyboard with a built-in microphone |
| Meeting notes | Microphone input only, no call audio | Live transcript, summary, action items |
Handy facts are as listed on handy.computer and its GitHub page in October 2026.
When Handy is the better pick
Pick Handy if free is the point, if you want open source you can inspect, or if you use Windows or Linux. Pick it if you want every bit of audio kept on the machine on any Mac, Intel included. If all you need is words in a text field from a shortcut, it does exactly that, and paying for features you won't use makes no sense.
Choose Voice Keyboard Pro if:
- You dictate on iPhone as well as Mac and want one plan across both.
- You want text matched to the app you're in without setting up a provider.
- You'd use voice snippets, AI commands or a profession mode every day.
- You want meeting notes in the same app.
For more on the hold-to-talk style both apps share, see hold to speak dictation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Handy really free?
Yes. Its site says it's free and open source, with optional donations, and its GitHub page shows an MIT license. Voice Keyboard Pro is paid by subscription.
Does Handy work offline?
Yes. Its docs say all models run entirely on your device, and its FAQ says the only network requests are for model downloads and update checks, unless you turn on post-processing with a cloud provider. Voice Keyboard Pro can also transcribe fully on the Mac with Offline Mode, but only on Apple silicon Macs.
Is there a Handy app for iPhone?
We didn't find one. Handy's site lists macOS, Windows and Linux downloads only. Voice Keyboard Pro's iPhone keyboard is on the App Store.
What is Handy's default shortcut?
On macOS, Option + Space to transcribe, Option + Shift + Space to transcribe with post-processing, and Escape to cancel. On Windows and Linux the transcribe shortcut is Ctrl + Space. You can remap them in its settings.
Can I use both?
Yes, nothing stops you from using Handy on a Windows or Linux machine and Voice Keyboard Pro on your Mac and iPhone. They're separate apps with separate settings.
The bottom line
Handy is a good answer to a narrow question: free, private, push-to-talk dictation on a desktop. Voice Keyboard Pro answers a wider one, as a subscription: dictation that shapes text for each app, drops in snippets, records meetings and also works on your phone. If the first question is yours, use Handy. If the second is, you can see our plans or download the Mac app.
Hold a key, speak, let go, and the text lands at your cursor. The same plan adds an iPhone keyboard.
3-day free trial on the monthly plan · Apple Silicon & Intel
