Free dictation · Windows 10 / 11

Free dictation software
for Windows.

What others charge $8 to $699 for, you get for $0. Unlimited words, 99 languages, AI cleanup, runs offline. No account. No card. No cap.

Download for freeCompare to paid alternatives →
● ~28 MB · Win 10/11● Portable ZIP also available● Open install, no signup
01 — what "free" actually means here

Five things most "free" dictation apps quietly skip.

✓ No word cap
Wispr Flow's free tier stops at 2,000 words a week. VoxWave never stops. Dictate as much as you want, every day.
✓ No account
Download the .exe (or portable ZIP), run it. No email signup, no OAuth, no 'verify your phone'. Your data stays on your machine.
✓ No credit card
Most freemium voice tools ask for your card 'just in case'. VoxWave never asks — there's nothing to upgrade to.
✓ No telemetry creep
Anonymous opt-in usage stats only. Turn them off in Settings → Advanced. Your dictations never leave your machine in local mode.
✓ No installer ads
Many 'free Windows software' downloads bundle adware via offers. VoxWave's installer is clean. The portable ZIP doesn't install anything at all.
✓ No trial timer
It's not a 7-day or 30-day demo. There's no Pro plan you eventually need to buy. The 'free' is the product.
02 — what you actually get

Every feature. In the free version.

Unlimited dictation, forever
Whisper transcription (Groq cloud or local)
AI cleanup via GPT-4o-mini
99 languages with auto-detection
Offline mode (zero outbound traffic)
Code-aware profile for VS Code / Cursor / terminals
Bring-your-own Groq key (BYOK) for unlimited cloud
Custom prompts per app
Remappable hotkeys (any combo, any function key)
Drops text directly into any app via clipboard
Lifetime free updates
Email + GitHub issue support
03 — common questions about "free"

"What's the catch?"

Fair question. Here's everything you should know before installing.

Is VoxWave really free, or is there a hidden paywall?

Really free. No tier above 'Free Forever' exists today. No account, no credit card, no 30-day trial that becomes a subscription. The Windows installer is signed-free and the portable ZIP works without any installation at all.

How is a fully free voice dictation app possible in 2026?

Two reasons. (1) The transcription model (Whisper) is open and runs on your own machine in local mode, so the marginal cost is zero. (2) For cloud mode, you can bring your own Groq API key — you pay your own pennies, not me. The hosted cloud tier I run is also free, just rate-limited.

Compared to Windows' built-in voice typing (Win+H), what's different?

Windows voice typing is fine for short messages but only supports a handful of languages well, doesn't clean up filler words ('uh', 'um', 'so like'), and breaks in many apps. VoxWave covers 99 languages, removes filler words, fixes punctuation with an LLM, and works in every app via clipboard injection.

Does free mean watered down? What's missing vs paid alternatives?

Free includes everything: unlimited dictation, 99 languages, AI cleanup, offline mode, BYOK, custom prompts, app context detection, remappable hotkeys. The only thing 'missing' is the polish of a 50-person product team — I'm one person. If you want enterprise SLAs, pay Wispr or Dragon. If you want the features, VoxWave has them.

What about Windows SmartScreen blocking the installer?

Code signing costs ~€200/year and I'm waiting until I have real users before paying. To install: download, right-click the .exe, Properties → Unblock (or 'More info' → 'Run anyway' in SmartScreen). The portable ZIP version doesn't trigger SmartScreen at all — just unzip and run.

Will VoxWave stay free forever?

The Free tier with current features is committed to staying free. A future Pro plan may add convenience features (managed cloud keys, premium support) but it won't gate the core dictation features. If anything changes, you'll be notified well in advance.

$0. Today. Forever.

~28 MB. Windows 10 / 11. Open install, no account, just your voice.

Download VoxWave for free