The best voice typing keyboard for iPhone in 2026

There are two kinds of voice typing on an iPhone. Apple’s built-in Dictation turns what you say into words, for free. AI dictation keyboards go a step further: they remove the “um”s and false starts, punctuate and format, and some can rewrite or translate what you said.

We looked at the eight options people actually compare in 2026 and pulled every fact from the company’s own website, help center or App Store listing. We make Wisper, so read its entry with that in mind — every other entry says plainly who it suits better. Prices are USD individual plans, last checked October 2026.

The short answer

Why third-party voice keyboards work differently on iPhone

This is the part most roundups leave out. Apple runs custom keyboards in a sandbox. Without Full Access, a keyboard has no network access, and Apple’s developer documentation lists “no access to microphone and speaker” for keyboards in that mode. So every third-party voice keyboard asks you to allow Full Access, and several of them start recording through their main app.

You’ll see this in their own docs: Wispr Flow says that in other apps “the keyboard opens Flow to record”, and Aqua says it “opens its app when it needs to start a microphone session”. Superwhisper notes that since iOS 26.4, keyboards can no longer send you back to the previous app automatically, so you may need to swipe back yourself.

None of this is a red flag — it’s how iOS works. But it’s worth knowing why a voice keyboard asks for Full Access and why the first dictation in a session may take an extra step.

The keyboards

1. Apple Dictation — the free baseline

Best for: quick replies, searches and anything offline.

Dictation is part of Apple’s keyboard: tap the mic and talk. Turn it on in Settings → General → Keyboard → Enable Dictation. Apple says it’s processed on the iPhone in many languages with no internet connection needed, and in supported languages it adds commas, periods and question marks for you. You can say emoji names (“heart emoji”) and fix things by voice with commands like “select” or “delete” followed by a phrase. It stops after 30 seconds of silence.

• Free: yes, built in
• Offline: in many languages
• Trade-off: you get your words as spoken. Apple doesn’t publish filler-word removal, styles or translation for Dictation.

2. Wisper — clean text, styles and translation (ours)

Best for: people who write a lot by voice and want it to come out ready to send, on iPhone, Mac and Android.

The Wisper keyboard works in any app: hold the mic, talk, and clean text appears where you’re typing. Fillers come out, spoken corrections are applied, and punctuation and lists are handled; the Default style keeps your words. You can pick a style on the keyboard, switch languages with chips above the keys, and select text and say what to change (“shorter”, “more polite”) or tap Polish, Formal, Casual, Translate or Bullets. Speak any language and choose an output language — Wisper translates into 30 languages. There are snippets (“my email”) and a dictionary for names.

• Free: free daily dictations
• Paid: $49.99/year ($4.17/month billed yearly) with a 3-day free trial, or $19.99/month; one subscription covers iPhone and Mac
• Needs: iOS 17 or later, Full Access, an internet connection
• Trade-offs: no offline mode on iPhone, no Windows app, no team admin or SOC 2. See Wisper vs Wispr Flow for a full comparison.

3. Wispr Flow

Best for: people who also need Windows, or a team plan.

Wispr Flow is an AI dictation keyboard with clean-up, a dictionary and snippets, and it dictates in 100+ languages. Its docs say it needs Full Access and microphone permission, that the keyboard opens Flow to record in other apps, and that transcription happens in the cloud. On iOS, its docs say in-place editing with Command Mode is not currently working.

• Free: its help center currently lists iPhone free use as slowing down after 550 words a week and stopping at 750
• Paid: $15/month or $12/month billed yearly ($144/year)
• Trade-offs: cloud only; voice editing is a desktop feature today

4. Superwhisper

Best for: offline dictation with on-device models, and people who like to tune things.

Superwhisper’s iOS keyboard inserts text where you’re typing and needs Full Access. Its on-device models work without a connection; cloud models need internet. You can set up modes with different tones and prompts, and it can translate into English. One Pro license covers iOS as well as Mac, Windows and Android.

• Free: its Whisper models are free
• Paid: $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 once (lifetime)
• Trade-offs: more settings to learn; translation only into English

5. Aqua Voice

Best for: voice editing on every plan.

Aqua’s keyboard needs Full Access and opens the Aqua app to start a microphone session. It needs a connection. Select text, tap Edit and speak, and Aqua rewrites it in place. Aqua says it understands 49 languages.

• Free: 1,000 words in total
• Paid: $10/month or $8/month billed yearly ($96/year)
• Trade-offs: the free plan is small; fewer languages than most

6. Willow

Best for: Mac, Windows and iPhone users who want a privacy mode and an unlimited free tier.

Willow is a dictation keyboard that turns speech into polished text and supports 100+ languages. Its pricing page lists a free plan with unlimited dictation on a lighter speech model and 20 “Scribe” uses a week (Scribe is its select-and-speak editing). Its App Store listing describes a weekly word limit, so check the current terms in the app.

• Paid: $15/month or $12/month billed yearly ($144/year)
• Trade-offs: no Android app yet (listed as coming soon)

7. Typeless

Best for: people who also need Windows or Linux.

Typeless runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It cleans up speech, adapts tone per app, lets you select text and say how to refine it, and translates as you speak.

• Free: limited words each week (the number isn’t published)
• Paid: $12/month billed yearly ($144/year) or $30/month
• Trade-offs: the highest monthly price here

8. Gboard

Best for: free voice typing if you already use Google’s keyboard.

Gboard has a microphone at the top of the keyboard. Google’s help page says voice input is sent to Google for transcription, that you add punctuation by saying it (“period”, “comma”, “new line”), and that talk-to-text doesn’t work in all languages.

• Free: yes
• Trade-offs: no published clean-up, styles or voice editing on iPhone

Side by side

How to add a voice keyboard on iPhone

1. Install the app from the App Store.
2. Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard… and pick it under Third-Party Keyboards.
3. Tap the keyboard’s name and turn on Allow Full Access if it transcribes online (almost all do).
4. In any app, tap and hold 🌐 to switch to it, then follow the app’s mic button.

The voice keyboard doesn’t replace your normal one. Switch with 🌐 whenever you want to talk instead of type.

How to choose

• You mostly send short replies: Apple Dictation is free and good. Try it for a week before paying for anything.
• You write long messages and emails: an AI keyboard pays off, because cleaning up raw dictation is where the time goes. Try two on the same message and count the fixes.
• You need offline: Apple Dictation or Superwhisper’s on-device models.
• You use other devices: check platforms. Wisper covers iPhone, Mac and Android; Wispr Flow, Aqua and Typeless add Windows; Willow has no Android app yet.
• You write in more than one language: look for translation, not just recognition. We cover this in voice to text in any language.
• You don’t want to pay: our guide to free Wispr Flow alternatives shows how far each free plan gets you.

For the full feature-by-feature tables, with sources for every row, see our comparison pages.