Wren vs Aqua Voice
A cloud dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iOS built around Avalon, a proprietary speech model tuned for technical vocabulary and in-flow voice editing.
At a glance
- Platforms
- macOS, Windows, iOS
- Open source
- No
- Free tier
- A one-time 1,000-word allotment on signup, not a recurring monthly or weekly quota.
- Paid plans
- Pro: $8/month billed annually ($96/year) or $10/month billed monthly. Max: $24/month billed annually ($30/month monthly), adds real-time transcription. Team: $12/user/month billed annually, for 2-9 seats. Business: custom pricing for 10+ seats (as of lastReviewed).
What Aqua Voice is good at
Aqua Voice is a cloud dictation app built on Avalon, its own speech model. It's tuned for technical work: a custom dictionary for names, brands, and terms like 'kubectl' and 'PyTorch,' plus voice commands that edit text as you talk, like 'make this a list' or 'rephrase that.' It also reads the app you're typing into and shifts tone accordingly, casual for Slack, more formal for Gmail. For developers and technical writers who want fast, accurate dictation with in-flow editing and don't mind a subscription and cloud processing, it's a solid pick.
How Wren is different
- Wren's offline transcription is free forever with no word limit. Aqua Voice's free tier is a one-time 1,000-word allotment, and Pro pricing starts at $8/month once that runs out.
- Wren transcribes fully offline by default through a local embedded engine. Aqua Voice is cloud-only: every dictation is sent to its servers, and transcription stops without an internet connection.
- Wren is open source under the MIT license, so anyone can read or audit the code. Aqua Voice's Avalon model and apps are closed source; the company sells API access instead of publishing it.
- Wren doesn't require an account for offline use. Aqua Voice ties usage to an account and, once you're past the free word allotment, to a paid plan.
- Wren ships on Linux and Windows today, with macOS support in progress. Aqua Voice has no Linux build, only Mac, Windows, and iOS.
Questions, answered
Is Aqua Voice free?
There's a free plan, but it's a one-time 1,000-word allotment when you sign up, not a recurring quota. After that you need Pro, which runs $8/month billed annually ($96/year) or $10/month billed monthly.
Does Aqua Voice work offline?
No. Aqua Voice sends audio to its servers for every dictation, so it needs an internet connection. Its Privacy Mode setting stops Aqua from storing transcripts, but the audio still has to leave the device to be processed.
Is Aqua Voice open source?
No. Aqua Voice's Avalon model and client apps are closed source. The company offers a paid API instead of publishing the code.
What platforms does Aqua Voice support?
macOS, Windows, and iOS, plus API access for developers. There's no Linux or Android app as of the last review date below.
Sources
Pricing and features last checked 2026-09-09. Details change — verify against the source before relying on them.