TypeAloud vs Typeless
A Typeless alternative
that works offline, for free.
Typeless is a cloud voice keyboard with a weekly word limit on its free plan and a $12 to $30 monthly Pro plan. TypeAloud does the transcription on your Mac, so it is free, unlimited and still works with Wi-Fi off.
TypeAloud and Typeless compared
| TypeAloud | Typeless | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free plan; Pro at $30/month, or $12/month billed yearly |
| Word limit | None with a local model | Weekly limit on the free plan |
| Where speech is transcribed | On your Mac, in local mode | In the cloud |
| Works offline | Yes, after a one-time model download | Core features need an internet connection |
| Account | Not needed | Required |
| AI rewriting and formatting | No. It writes what you said | Yes |
| Platforms | macOS; Windows and Linux builds are experimental | Mac, Windows, iOS and Android |
Competitor details checked on 13 Oct 2026 against typeless.com/pricing, typeless.com/help/faqs. Prices and limits change; the official pages are authoritative.
What you keep, what you give up
The core habit is the same in both apps: hold a shortcut, talk, and the text appears in the app you were already using. In TypeAloud the shortcut is Ctrl+Shift and the text is inserted at your cursor.
What Typeless adds is editing. It removes filler words, tidies repetition and formats lists for you. TypeAloud does not rewrite your speech, so what you get is a transcript of what you actually said.
Your dictation stays on your device
Typeless states that it keeps no cloud data after processing. Your audio still has to travel to a server to be transcribed. In TypeAloud's local mode the audio never leaves your Mac at all, which matters when you dictate client names, medical notes or unreleased work.
It also means dictation keeps working on a plane, on a train, or on a network that blocks cloud services.
Good with mixed Chinese and English
TypeAloud's local model is Qwen3-ASR, which detects the spoken language on its own. You can say a sentence that switches between Chinese and English without changing any setting first.
Common questions
- Is TypeAloud a full replacement for Typeless?
- For dictating text into any Mac app, yes. It does not have Typeless's AI rewriting or its phone apps.
- How much does TypeAloud cost?
- Nothing. Local transcription has no subscription and no word limit. An optional cloud mode uses your own Groq or OpenAI API key.
- Do I need to sign up?
- No. Download the app, pick a local model and start dictating. There is no account.
- What does it need to run?
- A Mac, ideally with Apple Silicon, about 1 GB for the recommended model, plus microphone and Accessibility permissions.
Local transcription. No account. No subscription.
Download for Mac