A free Dragon NaturallySpeaking alternative
Dragon has been the name in dictation for decades, but today it is a Windows-only product sold mainly to professionals and organisations. The Mac version and the consumer Home edition are gone. OiPer is a free dictation app for Windows, macOS and Linux: hold a hotkey, speak, and your words are typed into any app, transcribed locally with on-device Whisper models.
Updated
Where Dragon stands in 2026
What is still sold, and what is not.
Windows only
Dragon Professional v16 is a Windows product, optimised for Windows 11 and compatible with Windows 10. Nuance discontinued Dragon for Mac in October 2018.
No consumer edition
Dragon Home 15 is no longer sold and there is no Home v16. The current desktop product is Dragon Professional, and Nuance’s page asks you to contact them for licensing.
A one-time license of about $700
US resellers list a single-user Dragon Professional v16 license at around $699. Upgrades from v15 cost less.
Now part of Microsoft
Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nuance in March 2022. Dragon continues as a Nuance product.
Why people choose OiPer instead
Dictation that types into your apps, without the license or the platform lock-in.
Free local dictation
Local, on-device transcription in OiPer is free and unlimited, and no account is required. There is no license key to activate.
Read about ModelsRuns on Mac and Linux too
OiPer has native builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs from macOS 10.15, plus Windows and Linux (AppImage, .deb and .rpm). One app for every computer you use.
Read about InstallationOffline and private
In local mode a Whisper model runs on your own CPU or GPU. Nothing is uploaded, and dictation keeps working without an internet connection.
Read about Security & Data HandlingNo voice training needed
Download a model once, from the 75 MB Tiny to Large v3 Turbo, and start dictating. Larger models are more accurate, smaller ones are faster.
Read about ModelsClean text, not raw transcripts
Formatting presets fix grammar and punctuation, turn speech into an email or a formal note, or translate before the text is typed.
Read about FormattingMoving from Dragon to OiPer
Most of your Dragon habits have an equivalent.
Custom words become the dictionary
Add the names and terms Dragon learned for you. The dictionary is small (896 characters) and applies in cloud and OiPer modes, so add only the words that come out wrong.
Read about DictionaryAuto-texts become snippets
Say a short shortcut and OiPer expands it into your signature, an address or a standard paragraph.
Read about SnippetsPush to talk instead of an always-on microphone
Hold your hotkey while you speak, or use a press to start and stop shortcut for long dictation.
Read about ProfilesProfiles for different work
Give each kind of dictation its own hotkey, language, model and formatting, for example one for reports and one for email.
Read about ProfilesWhen Dragon is the better fit
An honest look at what OiPer does not do.
Controlling your PC by voice
Dragon has voice commands to edit text, format documents and run custom commands. OiPer types what you say and does not control your computer by voice.
Transcribing recordings
Dragon Professional transcribes audio files and can batch-process a folder of recordings. OiPer focuses on live dictation into the app you are using.
Managed deployments
Dragon offers volume licensing and the Nuance Management Center to share custom words and commands across an organisation, plus the Dragon Anywhere mobile app.
OiPer vs Dragon Professional
Feature by feature. Based on public information, checked October 2026.
| Feature | OiPer | Dragon Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Yes | Yes, Windows 10 and 11 |
| macOS | Yes, Apple Silicon and Intel | No, discontinued in 2018 |
| Linux | Yes (AppImage, .deb, .rpm) | No |
| Price | Free for local transcription | About $699 one-time at US resellers |
| Consumer edition | Same free app for everyone | Dragon Home no longer sold |
| Account or activation | Not needed for local mode | Product activation required |
| Works offline | Yes | Desktop software, activation online |
| Custom words | Dictionary (cloud and OiPer modes) | Yes |
| Text shortcuts | Snippets | Auto-texts |
| AI rewriting and translation | Yes, presets or your own instructions | No |
| Voice commands and PC control | No | Yes |
| Audio file transcription | No | Yes |
| Central admin for teams | No | Nuance Management Center |
Questions, answered
What people ask before they start dictating with OiPer.
Is there a free alternative to Dragon NaturallySpeaking?
Yes. OiPer is free for unlimited local dictation on Windows, macOS and Linux. It transcribes on your device with Whisper models and types the text into any app.
Does Dragon NaturallySpeaking still exist?
Dragon is still sold as Dragon Professional v16 for Windows by Nuance, which Microsoft acquired in 2022. The consumer Dragon Home edition is no longer sold and there is no current Mac version.
Is there a Dragon alternative for Mac?
Yes. Nuance discontinued Dragon for Mac in 2018. OiPer runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs from macOS 10.15 and dictates into any app with local, on-device models.
How much does Dragon cost?
Nuance does not publish a price on its Dragon Professional page. US resellers list a single-user Dragon Professional v16 license at around $699.
Can OiPer replace Dragon voice commands?
No. OiPer is for dictation: it types what you say into the focused app. If you need to edit, select and navigate by voice, Dragon or a dedicated voice control tool fits better.
Do I need to train OiPer to my voice?
No. OiPer uses pretrained Whisper models, so there is no voice training step. Pick a model, set a hotkey and start dictating.
Is OiPer open source?
No. OiPer Desktop is not open source. Local transcription is free and unlimited, runs entirely on your device and needs no account.