Nuance discontinued Dragon Professional Individual for Mac on 22 October 2018 and shipped no updates after that date. Former users want one of three things: live dictation into real apps, hands-free control of the Mac, or transcription of recordings. Separating those three decides the replacement.
Short answer
- Dragon Professional Individual for Mac was discontinued on 22 October 2018. Nuance states it is no longer available for purchase and that no updates would follow that date. Perpetual licences kept working, telephone support ran 90 days from activation in North America and 180 days elsewhere.
- Start with Apple Dictation. It is free, already installed, and Apple documents that general text dictation is processed on the device with no length limit.
- Voice Type is $19.99 once and is the closest match for the Dragon habit of speaking straight into the app in front of you, with a custom vocabulary for names and jargon.
- Use Voice Control for hands-free command of the Mac. Apple states that while Voice Control is on, standard macOS Dictation is not available, so the two are alternatives rather than companions.
Pick the replacement by job
| If what you need is... | Start with... | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Live dictation while writing | Voice Type | Closest match for the "speak into the active app" habit, with a custom vocabulary for names and jargon. |
| Occasional built-in dictation | Apple Dictation | Good enough for light use, already on the Mac. |
| Hands-free control and commands | Voice Control | Apple ships this for that job. Note that standard Dictation is unavailable while Voice Control is on. |
| Meeting or recording transcription | MacWhisper or Otter | Those products are built around file or meeting transcription instead of live writing. |
What most former Dragon users actually mean
Most Dragon replacement searches are about dependable live dictation, not about recovering a feature list. That points to a dedicated dictation product, not to transcription software or a general AI writing tool with speech somewhere in the stack.
For lighter use, Apple Dictation is the honest baseline: free, built in, processed on the device for general text, and documented by Apple as having no length limit. For controlling the whole Mac by voice, Voice Control is the correct category.
Dragon status, checked
| Voice Type | Dragon for Mac 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | On sale, $19.99 one time | Discontinued 22 October 2018, no longer available for purchase |
| Updates | Included, no subscription | Nuance states no updates after 22 October 2018 |
| Support | See the Voice Type support page | Telephone support up to 90 days from activation in North America, up to 180 days in EMEA and Asia-Pacific |
| Existing licences | Not applicable | Perpetual version 6 licences continued to work, without updates |
Checked 2026-08-29 against Nuance: Dragon Professional for Mac 6 end-of-life dates, Voice Type pricing. Prices change. Confirm on the vendor page before buying.
Where Voice Type loses
Where Voice Type loses
Voice Type does not replace Dragon feature for feature. Dragon shipped voice commands for editing and navigation, custom command macros, and profile training over time. Voice Type does none of that: it dictates text and keeps a vocabulary list. Anyone who relied on Dragon for hands-free control should use Apple Voice Control, and anyone who relied on macros has no direct replacement on macOS today.
Should you use Voice Type?
Yes, if...
- •The habit worth replacing is speaking directly into the app already open.
- •Names and jargon need a custom vocabulary so they come out spelled right.
- •Dictation should be part of daily writing again, not an export workflow.
No, if...
- •Apple Dictation already covers it, which is free and needs no install.
- •The real need is full voice-command control of macOS rather than text entry.
- •The work starts from recorded files, meetings, or interviews.