YapToText pricing: free, with no paid tier
By Ryleigh Newman · Published · Updated
YapToText is free. There is no paid tier, no word quota, no weekly allowance, no account and nothing locked behind a price. The Mac App Store lists it at no cost, and the only reason the listing says it offers in-app purchases is a tip jar you can ignore: a tip changes nothing in the app.
The source is public under the GPL, so you can read what the app does instead of taking the price on trust. The install page has the download. Below is what free means here.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
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On this page: 7 sections
What free means here
Free here means the whole app, not a starter tier.
- No paid tier. Every feature is in the free app: Quick Edit, Auto mode, dictionaries, file transcription, History and the rest. Nothing in YapToText is locked.
- No quota. There is no word count and no weekly or monthly allowance. One live dictation has a 30-minute safety stop that still saves the transcript. Transcribing a file has no such stop.
- No account. There is nothing to sign up for, so there is nothing to cancel.
- No upsell. The app never asks you to upgrade, because there is nothing to upgrade to.
Why the App Store says it offers in-app purchases
The Mac App Store listing reads Free, with In-App Purchases beside it. The in-app purchases are tips, and a tip buys nothing.
- What they are. They are four one-time tips and four monthly tips at the same four sizes. On the US store on October 7, 2026, the sizes were $0.99, $2.99, $4.99 and $9.99.
- Who takes the payment. Apple processes it, like any App Store purchase.
- What a tip changes. It changes nothing. No feature waits behind one.
- What the app says beside them. Tips are completely optional. YapToText is free with no locked features.
The listing carries that label because the tips are sold inside the app, and its own In-App Purchases list names nothing but tips. It does not mean a trial, a subscription you need, or a paid upgrade.
What the free app does not include
Free does not mean it runs everywhere or does everything, so here are the limits. The limits are about hardware and scope, not about how much you may dictate.
- Apple silicon only. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later. Nothing has been tested on an Intel Mac. The Intel Mac page has what works there.
- The Mac only. There is no Windows, Linux, iPhone or iPad version.
- One live dictation stops at 30 minutes. It is a safety stop, and it still transcribes and saves what you said. Transcribing a file has no such stop.
- About 2.9 GB to download. Most of that is the two models, which is what lets it work with Wi-Fi off.
- Dictation, not meetings. It does not join calls, label speakers or write meeting notes.
The install page has the full requirements.
Why it is free
I built YapToText because my hands make typing difficult, and charging disabled people for the ability to type felt wrong to me. It is how I write everything, so I feel every rough edge myself. The tip jar is there for people who want to say thanks.
The longer version is on the page about why I built a free, open-source dictation app, and the facts are on the about page.
What the other Mac dictation apps charge
Checked October 7, 2026, on each app's own pricing page. Prices change, so check before you pay.
- Wispr Flow. It is free for 2,000 words a week. Pro is $15 per user a month, or $12 a month billed yearly. The Wispr Flow pricing page has the rest.
- superwhisper. It is free for dictation with local Whisper models. Pro is $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once. The superwhisper pricing page has the rest.
- MacWhisper. It is free for file transcription. Pro is €64, paid once. The MacWhisper pricing page has the rest.
- VoiceInk. A one-time license after a 7-day trial: $25 for one Mac, $39 for two, $49 for three. The VoiceInk pricing page has the rest.
There are pricing pages for Willow Voice, Aqua Voice, Spokenly, Monologue, Typeless and Otter.ai too. The side-by-side comparison sets the main ones against each other on more than price, and the best free dictation apps for Mac covers the free plans in detail.
The short version
- Price. It is free, with no paid tier and nothing locked.
- Limits. There is no word quota and no account. A single live dictation stops at 30 minutes and still saves the words.
- Tips. Optional, processed by Apple, and they change nothing in the app.
- Where to get it. The install page: Mac App Store with both models inside, or Homebrew.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-07)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-07)
- https://wisprflow.ai/pricing (checked 2026-10-07)
- https://superwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-07)
- https://www.macwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-07)
- https://tryvoiceink.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-07)
Questions
Is YapToText really free?
Yes. There is no paid tier, no word quota and no account. The app has an optional tip jar, and a tip changes nothing in the app.
Why does the App Store say YapToText offers in-app purchases?
Because of the tip jar. The app has four optional one-time tips and four optional monthly tips, processed by Apple, and a tip unlocks nothing. Every feature is in the free app.
Is there a Pro version of YapToText?
No. Every feature is in the one free app.
Does the free app have a time or word limit?
There is no word limit. One live dictation has a 30-minute safety stop that still transcribes and saves what you said. Transcribing a file has no such stop.
What does a tip buy?
Nothing in the app. It is a thank-you, processed by Apple.
Why is YapToText free when the others charge?
Because I built it as an accessibility tool that I need myself, and charging disabled people for the ability to type felt wrong. The source is public under the GPL.