Professional AI dictation without the $500+ price tag
$500+ is a big investment for voice dictation
Dragon was built in the 90s—its UI shows it
Overkill features you don't need (voice commands, macros)
You just want to dictate text. Free. Local. Done.
| Feature | Dragon | Whisper Cheap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $500+ | Free forever |
| Cost per year | $0 (one-time, but outdated) | $0 |
| Word limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Privacy | On your PC | 100% local, never uploaded |
| Modern AI | Legacy model from 2012 | Latest Parakeet V3 (2024) |
| UI/UX | Complex, steep learning curve | Minimal, just press hotkey |
| Setup time | 2-3 hours (training, config) | 5 minutes |
| Voice commands | Yes | No (dictation only) |
| Accuracy | Very good (after training) | Very good (no training needed) |
| Customization | Extensive | Simple settings |
| Learning curve | Steep | None |
| Tech support | Paid | Community (open source) |
Dragon costs $500+. Whisper Cheap is $0. There's no catch—it's open source, and the code is public.
Dragon uses legacy technology. Whisper Cheap uses Parakeet V3, trained on massive datasets from NVIDIA. Better accuracy, no training needed.
Dragon has voice commands, macros, vocabulary training. Whisper Cheap does one thing: Press hotkey → speak → text appears. Done.
Your voice never touches the internet. The AI model runs on your PC. Dragon is also local, but costs 100x more.
Download, install (2 min), press Ctrl+Space. Dragon requires 2-3 hours of training and configuration. Whisper Cheap works immediately.
Being honest: Dragon has advantages in specific scenarios.
Dragon has specialized vocabularies trained on years of medical and legal terminology. Whisper Cheap uses general language. If you dictate complex legal documents, Dragon is more accurate.
Dragon lets you create voice commands ('Format bold', 'Open file') and macros. Whisper Cheap only transcribes text—no automation.
Dragon learns your speaking style and auto-punctuates. Whisper Cheap needs you to say 'period' or add punctuation manually (usually fine for most users).
Budget-conscious users (no $500 budget)
General writers, developers, business users
Anyone frustrated with Dragon's complexity
Users who value privacy and offline processing
People who want modern, updated AI
Those who just need basic accurate dictation
Grab the latest release from our website.
Run the installer, click finish. No configuration needed.
Free up ~200MB of disk space. Reclaim your $500 decision.
Press in Word, Chrome, Notion, VS Code, email—everywhere. It works.
Comparable for general dictation. Whisper Cheap uses Parakeet V3 (2024), while Dragon uses legacy models. For everyday writing, you won't notice the difference. Dragon wins on specialized vocabularies (medical, legal).
No. Whisper Cheap transcribes text only. If you need voice commands and macros, Dragon is better. For simple dictation, Whisper Cheap is perfect.
Dragon's data is proprietary. But Whisper Cheap starts fresh with no training needed, so migration is simple: just switch hotkeys.
Yes. Word, Chrome, Notion, Slack, VS Code, email, Obsidian—any app where you can paste text. Just press Ctrl+Space.
Yes. The AI model runs entirely on your PC. Your microphone input never leaves your computer. No uploads, no cloud, no analytics.
For highly specialized terms, Dragon is more accurate after training. For general medical/legal writing, Whisper Cheap is sufficient. You can add custom terms in the settings.