Comparison
Golos vs WisprFlow
WisprFlow is a popular voice-to-text tool for macOS. Golos is a free, open-source alternative that does the same thing — hold a hotkey, speak, and your words get pasted — without the subscription.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Golos | WisprFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $8-24/mo |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Push-to-talk | Yes | Yes |
| Paste to any app | Yes | Yes |
| macOS support | Yes | Yes |
| Custom dictionary | Yes | Yes |
| Background mode | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable hotkey | Yes | Yes |
| CLI interface | Yes | No |
| stdout output | Yes | No |
| GUI app | No | Yes |
| AI rewriting / commands | No | Yes |
| Windows / Linux | No | No |
Why choose Golos over WisprFlow?
Completely free
WisprFlow charges $8-24/month. Golos is free forever. You only pay for your Deepgram API usage, which has a generous free tier for personal use.
Open source
Golos is fully open source on GitHub. You can audit the code, contribute features, or fork it. Your voice data flows directly to Deepgram — no middleman server.
Built for developers
Golos is a CLI tool that fits into developer workflows. Pipe output to stdout, run it in the background, configure it via TOML files, and manage it from the terminal. Use it with Claude Code, Cursor, or any editor.
Lightweight and fast
A single binary with no Electron, no GUI overhead. Golos uses minimal resources and starts instantly.
When WisprFlow might be better
WisprFlow has a polished GUI, AI-powered rewriting, and a command mode that lets you give instructions to modify text after dictation. If you want a point-and-click experience with AI features built in, WisprFlow is a solid product. Golos is for people who want a simple, free, no-frills CLI tool that does one thing well.
Switch to Golos
Install in one command and start dictating in under a minute:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/basilysf1709/golos/main/install.sh | bash