dragon alternative

The modern, free Dragon alternative for Mac and Windows

Dragon (Nuance) is the old name in desktop dictation, but in 2026 it is showing its age: Dragon Professional v16 is a $699 one-time license, Windows only, the Mac app was discontinued in 2018, and the desktop product has had no meaningful update since around 2022. It dictates and runs voice commands offline, but there is no AI cleanup, no meeting capture, and no modern integrations.

Dimmy is the modern alternative. It is free and open-source, native on both macOS and Windows, transcribes offline with local Whisper, and adds an AI cleanup pass, a voice command mode, and on-device meeting recaps in the same small native app.

Free & open-sourceMac + WindowsActively maintained
Download Dimmy freeBack to Dimmy
side by side

Dimmy vs Dragon

FeatureDimmyDragon
Price
Free from source. Pro €4.99/mo or €99 lifetime.
$699 one-time for Dragon Professional v16.paid plan
Platforms
Native macOS + Windows.
Windows only. Mac app discontinued in 2018.
Open source
Open-core, AGPL.
Proprietary, closed source.
Offline / on-device
Yes. Local Whisper, no internet needed.
Yes. Installs and runs locally (paid product).
AI text cleanup
Filler removal, punctuation, 13 styles and 5 tones.
Auto-formatting only. No AI filler removal or tone rewriting.
Command / voice editing
Agentic: speak to rewrite selected text or draft new text.
Voice commands for boilerplate and app control; no AI text transformation.
Meeting recaps
Records both sides locally with a structured AI recap.
No meeting capture or recaps.
Actively maintained
Yes, frequent releases.
No meaningful desktop update since around 2022.
Languages
99 languages with auto-detection.
Several languages via paid add-on packs.
Modern integrations
Notion, folder, Claude, Codex, MCP.
Dictation into Windows/Office apps only.
included limited paid plan only not available
Competitor details verified on vendor sites in 2026 and may change. Recheck before relying on them.
why switch

Why switch to Dimmy

Free and open-source, versus a $699 one-time Dragon Professional license.
Native on both macOS and Windows. Dragon dropped its Mac app in 2018 and is Windows-only.
Offline by default with local Whisper, plus an AI cleanup pass Dragon does not have.
A modern voice command mode that rewrites selected text or drafts new text by voice.
On-device meeting recaps in the same app, something Dragon does not do at all.
Actively maintained with frequent releases, where Dragon desktop has stalled since around 2022.
works with your stack

Send your text and recaps where you work

NotionObsidianGoogle DriveClaude DesktopClaude CLICodex CLIMCP server
Every integration is included free, no add-on tier.
frequently asked

A modern, free, cross-platform replacement for Dragon.

Yes. Dimmy is free if you build it from source and open-source under the AGPL. Dragon Professional v16 is a $699 one-time paid license. Dimmy also offers a Pro plan (€4.99/month or €99 lifetime) for a ready-made signed build.
Yes. Dimmy is native on macOS (and Windows). Dragon discontinued its Mac app in 2018 and sells no current Dragon desktop product for macOS, so Dimmy is a modern, maintained replacement on the Mac.
Yes. Dimmy transcribes on-device with a local Whisper model, so dictation works with no internet, just like Dragon, but without the $699 license or Windows-only limitation.
Dimmy adds an AI cleanup pass (filler removal, punctuation, 13 styles), an agentic voice command mode that rewrites selected text, and on-device meeting recaps. Dragon Professional does dictation and voice commands but none of these.
The Dragon desktop product has not had a meaningful update since around 2022, after Microsoft acquired Nuance and shifted focus to enterprise and medical products. Dimmy ships frequent updates.
compare dimmy