Looking for a Aqua Voice alternative? Retext adds on-device voice dictation to a native Mac text expander.
Retext is a good Aqua Voice alternative if you want transcription on your Mac by default, push-to-talk on right Option, and your snippets in the same app.
Aqua's cloud model and rewriting go further than Retext's polish (beta), and it runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Retext transcribes on your Mac with Apple's speech engine, and its polish runs on-device and never rewrites what you said.
Local by default: your audio is transcribed on your Mac
No audio or transcripts are sent to Retext's server
Polish (beta) runs on your Mac with Apple Intelligence, never in the cloud
Hands-free mode (beta) pauses itself in password fields and password managers
Your text expander and your dictation in one app
| Feature | Retext | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Voice Dictation | ||
| AI Cleanup & Rewriting | Beta | |
| Audio File Transcription | Not available | |
| Privacy & Local Storage | ||
| Snippet Expansion | ||
| Team Sharing | ||
| Cross-Platform |
| Product | Pricing Model | Price | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retext | Freemium | Dictation and polish on your Mac come with every plan. See the pricing page. | Dictation and polish on your Mac, plus 5 snippets |
| Aqua Voice | Freemium | Pro $10/month billed yearly or $12 monthly; Max $19/month yearly or $24 monthly; Business $19/seat/month yearly or $24 monthly | 1,000 words to start, no credit card |
Migration difficulty: easy
We couldn't find a way to export Aqua's dictionary or replacements. Add the names and terms you rely on to Retext as snippets, and recreate any replacements as snippets with triggers.
Retext adds on-device voice dictation to a native Mac text expander. Aqua's cloud model and rewriting go further than Retext's polish (beta), and it runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Retext transcribes on your Mac with Apple's speech engine, and its polish runs on-device and never rewrites what you said.
All transcription goes to the cloud; The free plan is capped at 1,000 words; Voice commands need the top individual plan.
Yes. Aqua Voice's free option: 1,000 words to start, no credit card. Paid: Pro $10/month billed yearly or $12 monthly; Max $19/month yearly or $24 monthly; Business $19/seat/month yearly or $24 monthly.
Yes. Retext's free plan includes dictation and polish on your Mac, plus 5 snippets. Dictation and polish on your Mac come with every plan. See the pricing page.
Aqua Voice is the better choice for polished, rewritten dictation across all your devices, developers who want an API and CLI and teams that need shared dictionaries and SSO.
We couldn't find a way to export Aqua's dictionary or replacements. Add the names and terms you rely on to Retext as snippets, and recreate any replacements as snippets with triggers.
Download Retext, turn on Voice Dictation in Settings, and hold right Option to talk.
Sources
Aqua Voice, checked October 28, 2026: Aqua Voice pricing · Aqua Voice comparison page · Aqua Voice privacy policy · Aqua API
Prices and features change. Check each vendor's site before you buy.