MightyMouse vs VoiceInk
Both keep your voice on your Mac. One is open source and paid once, the other is free if you already have an AI account.
Short answer: VoiceInk is an open source, Apple Silicon only dictation app for macOS that transcribes locally for a one-time fee starting at $25. MightyMouse is a free alternative to VoiceInk if you already pay for a Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode account, runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and adds an iPhone trackpad and microphone that VoiceInk does not have.
VoiceInk is a native macOS dictation app: hold a hotkey, speak, and the text pastes into whatever app has focus. It is open source under the GPL v3 license, transcribes fully on-device with whisper.cpp and other local models, and its GitHub repo has picked up real traction - 6.6k stars as of today.
MightyMouse does the same core job - local transcription, pasted at the cursor - and starts from a different premise on cost and reach: it is free if you already pay for an AI account, it runs on Intel as well as Apple Silicon, and the same app turns your iPhone into a trackpad and microphone for the Mac.
Side by side
| MightyMouse | VoiceInk | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription runs on your Mac | Yes, always | Yes, always - 100% local |
| Open source | No | Yes, GPL v3.0 |
| Price | Free with your own AI account, or use the built in option. No card needed. | One-time: $25 (1 Mac), $39 (2 Macs), $49 (3 Macs). Lifetime updates. |
| Free tier | Yes, with your own AI account | No - paid app, 14-day refund window |
| Custom vocabulary / personal dictionary | No | Yes |
| Per-app formatting profiles | No | Yes, called Power Mode |
| Acts on text you already selected | Yes - rewrite, ask, or act | Yes - select a passage, say how it should change |
| Uses an AI account you already pay for | Claude, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode | No |
| iPhone as a trackpad for your Mac | Yes | No |
| Runs on Intel Macs | Yes | No, Apple Silicon only |
| Minimum macOS | Not published as a hard floor | macOS 14.4 |
| Platforms | macOS, with an iPhone remote | macOS, plus an iOS companion app |
VoiceInk details checked 28 September 2026 from tryvoiceink.com, github.com/Beingpax/VoiceInk. Prices change - check theirs before deciding.
Where VoiceInk is the better pick
If you want the code itself - to audit it, self-host it, or trust it because you can read every line - VoiceInk is open source under GPL v3 and MightyMouse is not. That is a real, structural difference, not a marketing point.
VoiceInk also has two features MightyMouse does not build: a personal dictionary for names and terms it should stop mishearing, and Power Mode, which applies different transcription and formatting settings depending on which app or URL is focused. And it is a one-time purchase - $25 to $49 depending on how many Macs, per their pricing page today - with no ongoing account needed at all, which beats "free with an AI account" if you don't want an AI account in the first place.
Where MightyMouse is the better pick
You already pay for an AI account. If you have Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode, MightyMouse costs nothing on top. VoiceInk is $25 minimum regardless of what you already pay for.
You have an Intel Mac. VoiceInk requires Apple Silicon - their own system requirements rule out Intel entirely. MightyMouse runs on both.
You want the phone to be more than a companion app. VoiceInk's iOS app is a companion to the Mac app. MightyMouse turns the iPhone into a trackpad and microphone that drives the Mac itself - a different job, not a smaller version of the desktop app.
Both keep your voice off the network
This is the one claim worth double-checking on any dictation tool, and both of these hold up. VoiceInk says plainly that "your voice data never leaves your Mac," transcribing with whisper.cpp and other bundled local models. MightyMouse transcribes with local Whisper the same way. Neither sends your audio to a server by default - which puts both of them ahead of Wispr Flow, which transcribes on its own servers.
The honest tradeoff: paid-once-and-open vs free-with-an-account
VoiceInk's pitch is complete on its own: pay once, own it, read the code if you want to. MightyMouse's pitch only pays off if you already have an AI account - if you don't, you're signing up for one (including a free built-in option with no card) rather than handing over $25 once and being done. Which is cheaper depends entirely on whether that account was already a sunk cost for you.
Free if you already pay for an AI account.
macOS, Apple Silicon and Intel. No card to try it.
Common questions
Do I need an AI subscription?
No. Connect a Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode account you already pay for and MightyMouse costs nothing. Have none? Sign up and use the built in option, no card needed. Voice transcription is free either way because it runs on your Mac.
Is MightyMouse a free VoiceInk alternative?
If you already pay for Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode, yes - MightyMouse costs nothing on top. VoiceInk is a one-time purchase starting at $25, per their pricing page as of September 2026.
Does VoiceInk work on Intel Macs?
No. VoiceInk requires Apple Silicon, per their own system requirements. MightyMouse runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Is VoiceInk really open source?
Yes, licensed under GPL v3.0, with the code on GitHub. MightyMouse is not open source.
What about the other dictation apps?
We also compare against Wispr Flow, which transcribes in the cloud, and Superwhisper, which offers both local and cloud models.
Already paying for an AI account? MightyMouse dictates into any Mac app with free local transcription, and turns your iPhone into a trackpad too.