The short answer
- Pick Voice Type when you dictate for minutes at a time, need consistent accuracy, or work on unreliable networks.
- Stick with Apple Dictation for quick one-liners when you do not want to install anything else.
Speed
Voice Type runs entirely on your Mac. When you release the hotkey it finalises the last chunk of audio and displays the text. Apple's built-in tool is fast for short phrases, but for long notes the steady pace of an on-device app usually wins. Want to feel the difference? Try the latency demo on your own connection.
Accuracy
Voice Type conditions the signal before recognition. Loudness is normalised, rumble is reduced, and RNNoise trims empty space. The recogniser receives a cleaner signal so jargon and punctuation land correctly. Apple Dictation works well for short, quiet prompts, but conditioning helps when the environment is noisy or the vocabulary is technical.
Privacy
Both tools prioritise privacy. Voice Type keeps audio local and limits network calls to App Store receipts and optional bring-your-own-key rewrites. Apple benefits from system-level privacy defaults and a long track record. Offline processing gives Voice Type an advantage in regulated environments.
Price and setup
- Voice Type: one-time purchase after a free 7-day trial. See pricing.
- Apple Dictation: included with macOS.
When to pick each
Choose Voice Type if
- •You dictate beyond quick phrases.
- •Your connectivity is inconsistent or offline.
- •You want on-device privacy with no audio uploads.
- •You care about predictable finalisation speed.
Choose Apple Dictation if
- •You only need short snippets.
- •You prefer built-in tools without additional installs.
- •You are comfortable with cloud processing.