Cofactor, side by side with the apps you've heard of.
28 plain questions about cost, privacy, offline use, editing and more. Each answer comes from the company's own pages, so you can check it yourself.
Swipe the table sideways to see every app. The questions stay put.
| Question | Cofactor | Apple Dictation | Wispr Flow | Superwhisper | Willow Voice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where Cofactor stands alone | |||||
| Can I dictate as much as I want without paying? | Yes. No word cap or weekly limit, on iPhone and Mac. (Free) | Yes. Built in, with no length cap. It stops after 30 seconds of silence. (Free) | No. Free is 2,000 words a week on a computer and 1,000 on a phone. Unlimited is Pro. | Yes. Local models only. Cloud and AI modes are Pro. (Free) | Partly. Unlimited dictation on its lighter model. The smarter model is Pro. (Free) |
| Does it work with no signal (subway, plane, cabin)? | Yes. After a one-time model download, dictation and polish run on the device. (Free, iPhone and Mac) | Yes. In many languages, processed on the iPhone with no internet. | No. Transcription always happens in the cloud, and the iPhone keyboard shows “No Network.” | Yes. Local models work offline, on Mac and iPhone. Cloud models need internet. (Free) | Yes. Willow says its offline mode runs entirely on your device. |
| Does my voice stay on my phone or computer? | Yes. Audio is never uploaded, on any plan. Text leaves the device only if you turn on sync, the Automation API or your own AI provider. (Free) | Mostly. Audio is processed on the iPhone in many languages. Text typed into a search field may go to the search engine. | No. Audio goes to Wispr's servers and is deleted after transcription unless cloud storage is on. A switch that lets Wispr use your dictations to improve its models is on by default. | Yes with local models. No with cloud models, which send audio to the provider. | Partly. Transcription runs in the cloud by default, and no audio is stored after transcription. Audio stays on the device only in offline mode. |
| Can I use it without creating an account? | Yes. An account is needed only for sync, Teams, the Automation API or buying outside the App Store. (Free) | Yes. It's built in, and Apple says requests aren't tied to your Apple Account. | No. You must sign in to dictate. | Partly. Free local use isn't listed as needing an account. Pro and API keys do. | Not listed. |
| Can I mix Spanish and English in the same sentence? | Yes, on iPhone. Auto runs English and Spanish recognition together on each dictation. On Mac, Auto picks one language per dictation. (Free) | Not listed. You switch dictation language by switching keyboards. | No. “Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word.” | Partly. It auto-detects, but its docs warn this can turn non-English speech into English and suggest one language per mode. | Not listed. It covers 100+ languages, but mixing them in one sentence isn't documented. |
| If a dictation fails, is the recording kept so I can try again? | Yes. Audio is saved before transcription, History has a Retry button, and Retry works offline. Recordings are kept 30 days by default, or until you delete them. (Free, iPhone and Mac) | Not listed. | Partly. Failed takes of 5 seconds or more can be retried for 14 days. Retry needs internet. | Yes. Every dictation's audio is saved and can be retried from History. | No. Willow says no audio is stored after transcription, so there is nothing to retry. |
| After I dictate, can I redo it at a different polish level, or as bullets, a paragraph, shorter or more formal? | Yes. A Redo chip after each dictation offers Light, Normal or Aggressive, or Bullets, Paragraph, Shorter or More formal. It also works on selected text. (Free, iPhone keyboard) | No. Rewriting is Apple Intelligence Writing Tools, a separate feature. | Partly. Transforms (beta) rewrites highlighted text on desktop. In-place editing doesn't work on iPhone. | Partly. You can rerun a past recording through a different mode from History. | Partly. Scribe lets you select text and say what to change. There is no redo of the last dictation at another level. (Free: 20 a week. Pro: unlimited) |
| Can I see exactly what the AI changed, and go back to my own words? | Yes. History shows Original next to Polished, and you can keep either. In the keyboard, say “undo AI edit.” (Free, iPhone) | No. Plain dictation doesn't rewrite your words, so there is no before and after. | Yes, on desktop. “Undo AI edit” in History shows your raw words. | Yes. History keeps both the transcription and the AI result. | Not listed. |
| Is it a full typing keyboard with dictation built in? (iPhone) | Yes. Letters, autocorrect, next-word suggestions, an emoji panel, accents, and swipe typing (Beta, off by default). (Free) | Yes. It is Apple's own keyboard and stays open during dictation. | Partly. It opens on a numbers-first layout, and the letter layout appears only when it's available for your account. | Not listed. Its docs describe a dictation keyboard with a record button. | Not listed. Its App Store listing describes a microphone-first keyboard. |
| Does a number pad appear for phone and number fields? (iPhone) | Yes. It opens on numbers for number, phone, postal, card and one-time-code fields. Email and web fields get @, “.” and “.com” keys. (Free) | Yes. Apps tell Apple's keyboard which layout each field needs. | Partly. In number, phone and email fields, Flow switches to the system keyboard. | Not listed. | Not listed. |
| Can I send my dictations and notes to other apps automatically (API and webhooks)? | Yes. API tokens, plus webhooks for “dictation completed” and “note created.” Off until you turn it on, and it needs an account. (Free, iPhone and Mac) | No. | Partly. A read-only connector covers meeting notes, not dictations. No public API is documented. | Partly. A Mac command-line tool, an MCP server and start and stop links. No webhooks listed. | Partly. “Advanced usage dashboards and API” are Enterprise. No webhooks listed. |
| Everyday dictation quality | |||||
| If I correct myself mid-sentence, does it keep only the correction? | Yes. “Let's meet at 5, actually 6” becomes “Let's meet at 6.” Cues like “actually,” “I mean” and “no wait” swap a number, day or name, and the on-device model handles longer fixes. (Free) | No. You have to issue a command afterwards: “Change … to ….” | Yes. Its “Backtrack” turns “Let's meet at 2… actually 3” into the corrected time. | Not listed. | Not listed. |
| Can I say “numeral 2” to get the digit 2? | Yes. It works even when the recognizer already wrote “2.” Times, money, percentages and dates also become digits automatically. (Free) | No. There is no number command in Apple's list. | Partly. It turns spoken numbers into numbered lists. Digits in ordinary sentences aren't documented. | Not listed. | Not listed. |
| Does it drop “um” and “uh”? | Yes. (Free) | Not listed. | Yes. | Yes. Filler words are removed automatically. | Yes. “Removes filler words.” Plan not stated. |
| Does it add punctuation for me? | Yes. A pause mid-sentence doesn't end the sentence. (Free) | Yes. Commas, periods and question marks in supported languages. It can be turned off. | Yes. It infers punctuation from pauses and tone, and you can also say “comma.” | Partly. Message and Mail modes fix punctuation. Plain Voice to Text keeps the model's own. | Yes. “Fixes punctuation.” |
| Can I say “new line,” “new paragraph,” “bullet point” or “scratch that”? | Yes. (Free) | Yes. “New line,” “new paragraph,” punctuation, capitals and emoji. | Partly. Spoken punctuation such as “comma” and “question mark,” plus numbered lists. | Not listed. | Not listed. |
| Editing and your words | |||||
| Can I save text replacements or snippets (say or type a short phrase, get a longer text)? | Yes. Saved Phrases insert by tap, by a typed trigger, or by saying the phrase anywhere in a sentence. Organize them with tags. Team plans share them. They are separate from Apple's Text Replacement list. (Free, iPhone and Mac) | Partly. Apple's Text Replacement works when typing. Expanding a shortcut while dictating isn't documented. | Yes. A spoken cue inserts a block of text, rich text on desktop and plain text on phones. (Free) Sharing with a team is Pro. | Yes. Replacements run after transcription and ignore capitalization. (Free) | Yes. “Save phrases you use often and insert them instantly with a simple command.” Plan not stated. |
| Can I teach it names and jargon? | Yes. Add a word plus its common misspellings and mispronunciations. The keyboard offers an “add to dictionary” chip. Team plans share the dictionary. (Free, iPhone and Mac) | Not listed. | Yes. It learns from your corrections, and you can add words by hand. (Free) A shared dictionary is Pro. | Yes. (Free) | Yes. An auto-learning dictionary remembers names, product terms and abbreviations. Business plans add a shared dictionary. |
| Does the writing style change to fit the app (email vs chat)? | Yes. On iPhone it recognizes Mail, Slack, Telegram and similar apps. Email gets a greeting, short paragraphs and a sign-off. Chat stays casual. On Mac, writing your own per-app rules is Pro. (Free) | No. | Partly. Styles are only available in English and on desktop. Since iOS 26.4, iPhone styles no longer auto-adjust by app. | Partly. AI modes use the current app as context. Switching modes automatically by app isn't listed. (Pro) | Partly. Scribe drafts are matched to the app. Per-app rules aren't listed. |
| Can I edit or rewrite text just by saying so? (“Make this more formal”) | Yes. In the iPhone keyboard, say “Change Tuesday to Thursday,” “Delete the last sentence,” “Make this a list,” “Make it more formal,” “Translate this to Spanish” or “Undo that.” On Mac, hold the Transform shortcut to rewrite your selection or draft new text. (Free) | Partly. “Change … to …,” “Select …,” “Delete …” and “Undo” work in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later. It does no rewriting. | Partly. Command Mode on Mac and Windows is off by default. On iPhone it only opens a web search. (Pro or trial) | Partly. Super mode uses your selected text as context. (Pro) | Yes. Scribe: “Select any text and say what to change.” Translation isn't listed. (Free: 20 a week. Pro: unlimited. Mac, Windows, iPhone) |
| Everywhere you work | |||||
| Does it have notes and voice notes? | Yes. Notes on iPhone and Mac with search and a 30-day restore. Voice notes on iPhone, where the title is a short summary. (Free) | No. | Yes. Notes on iPhone. Scratchpad (beta) on desktop. | Partly. “Note” mode organizes a dictation. | Not listed. |
| Can I transcribe an audio or video file? | Yes. Share the file to Cofactor. (Free, iPhone) | No. | Not listed for files. | Yes. (Pro) | Not listed. |
| Can I start it from Shortcuts, widgets, Control Center or the Lock Screen? (iPhone) | Yes. Shortcuts actions start a dictation, get the last dictation or create a note. Home and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center controls, and a Live Activity while recording. (Free) | Not listed. | Yes. Action Button and Shortcuts actions, a Lock Screen widget and Control Center. | Partly. iPhone has a shortcut to start dictating anywhere. Mac has start and stop links. Widgets and Control Center aren't listed. | Not listed. |
| If a call, Siri or another app grabs the mic, does it recover? | Yes. It retries a stuck start, and Auto prefers a worn headset mic. (Free) | Not listed. | Yes. “Never lose a transcription: if a call, Siri, or the time limit cuts a dictation short.” | Not listed. | Not listed. |
| On a Mac, can I hold a key to talk, or go hands-free? | Yes. Hold Fn (or another key you choose), plus a hands-free shortcut and an “insert last dictation” shortcut. (Free) | Partly. The Mic key or a custom shortcut. Hold-to-talk isn't listed. | Yes. Fn to talk, Fn+Space or a double-tap for hands-free. | Yes. Toggle or hold-to-talk, with shortcuts per mode. | Partly. Hold the Willow hotkey to talk, and you can choose the hotkey. A hands-free toggle isn't documented. |
| Plans and privacy | |||||
| What does the paid plan cost, and what does it add? | Pro: $8.49 a month or $67.99 a year direct, or $9.99 / $79.99 in the App Store. Team: $6 per seat per month. Pro adds the Best recognition model, Maximum polish, custom writing modes, advanced insights and your own per-app rules on Mac. | Free. Built in. | Pro: $15 a month or $12 a month yearly. Students $7.50. Growth $23 or $18. Pro adds unlimited words and team sharing. | Pro: $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once. It adds AI modes, cloud models and file transcription. | Pro: $15 a month or $12 a month yearly. Business: $35 or $28. Pro adds the smarter model, unlimited Scribe, writing-style memory and longer dictations. |
| Is my data used to train AI? | No. Audio is never uploaded, and dictation text is never sent for training. Anonymous crash reports are on by default and can be turned off. | Only if you opt in to “Improve Siri and Dictation.” | Yes, by default. The first two privacy switches are on unless restricted. Enterprise has it locked off. | No for cloud providers under its API agreements. | No, by default. Privacy Mode is on by default, and your data is “not used to improve AI models without your consent.” |
| Does it have team plans? | Yes. Shared dictionary and Saved Phrases. | No. | Yes. Pro, Growth and Enterprise, with SSO, HIPAA, SCIM and usage analytics. | Enterprise only. | Yes. Business adds zero data retention, HIPAA and admin controls. Enterprise adds SSO and an API. |
Checked October 9, 2026 against each company's own pages. Apple Dictation means the microphone key on Apple's keyboard, not Voice Control. We chose these apps by App Store ratings, website traffic and how often 2026 dictation roundups list them. “Not listed” means we couldn't find the feature in that company's own pages, which is different from saying the app can't do it. Features and prices change, so check theirs before you decide.
Apple Dictation: dictate on iPhone, dictation commands, dictation on Mac, Mac commands, Siri and Dictation privacy, text replacements, Writing Tools, keyboard types.
Wispr Flow: pricing, features, what's new, iPhone keyboard, keyboard layouts, Command Mode, languages, retry, data sharing, privacy, data controls, App Store, notes, Action Button, hands-free, MCP connector, plans, privacy mode.
Superwhisper: home, plans, iOS, voice models, built-in modes, custom modes, language detection, changelog, command line, history, sensitive data, iOS 26 keyboard, App Store, vocabulary, settings.
Willow Voice: home, pricing, dictation, Scribe, security and privacy, download, App Store, time limit, microphone indicator, iOS app return, transcription failures, changelog.
How we chose: Similarweb: Wispr Flow, Similarweb: Superwhisper, Similarweb: Willow Voice, Guideflow roundup, Laxis roundup, Mac roundup.