Where the two differ.
The closest comparison on this list. Both run on the device, both are bought once, and both refuse the subscription. The differences are narrow and worth knowing.
| Feature | Zumbo | VoiceInk |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | One time purchase | One time purchase |
| One time price | $15 one Mac, $20 three, $79 ten | $25 one device, $39 two, $49 three |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Runs offline | Yes | Yes |
| Engine on device | Yes, inside the app | Yes |
| Custom vocabulary | 21 packs, plus your own words | Custom words and phrase replacement |
| Learns from corrections | Yes, Teach a word once | - |
| Notes in the app | Yes, searchable, with reminders | Markdown journal |
| Meeting mode | Yes, live, on the Mac | - |
| Speaker labels | Yes | - |
| Lives in the notch | Yes | No |
| Account required | No, ever | - |
| Languages | 25 European languages, English first | - |
| macOS minimum | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 14.4 or later, Apple silicon only |
| Download size | About 570 MB | - |
| Trial | 3 days, everything unlocked, no card | - |
Read off tryvoiceink.com and the VoiceInk GitHub page on 21 September 2026. A dash means the vendor does not state it on its own public pages, not that the answer is no.
Price model
No subscription on either side. This is the pair on the list that agrees about how software should be sold, so the comparison is about everything else.
One time price
Zumbo is cheaper at every tier, and the gap widens with machines: three Macs is twenty dollars against forty nine. If you only have one Mac the difference is ten dollars, which is not the reason to choose either one.
Open source
This is VoiceInk's real advantage and it would be dishonest to bury it. You can read exactly what the code does with your audio instead of taking a vendor's word for it. If that is your deciding factor, VoiceInk is the answer and the rest of this page will not change your mind.
Runs offline
Both transcribe on the Mac with the network off. VoiceInk states that voice data never leaves your Mac; Zumbo has no server for your voice to go to.
Engine on device
Zumbo ships the engine inside the download, so there is nothing to fetch on first run. The download is about 570 MB for that reason.
Custom vocabulary
VoiceInk gives you a word list and a phrase replacement rule set, which is powerful if you enjoy configuring it. Zumbo starts from twenty one packs for fields like developer tools, legal, medical, design and marketing, so your field's language is there before you type anything, and your own words go on top.
Learns from corrections
Phrase replacement is a rule you write in advance for a mistake you can predict. Teach is a correction you make once on a mistake that already happened, after which the word is heard your way. They solve the same problem from opposite ends, and the second one needs no setup.
Notes in the app
VoiceInk writes notes out to a Markdown journal, which is a good answer if you already live in Markdown files. Zumbo keeps them inside the app, searchable, and parses a time you said into a reminder.
Meeting mode
Zumbo transcribes the room through the microphone while the meeting happens, a timestamp for each paragraph, nothing uploaded. VoiceInk does not state a meeting mode on the pages checked.
Speaker labels
Each speaker is labelled. The labelling model is an optional add on of about 220 MB, downloaded once; everything else is already in the app.
Lives in the notch
Zumbo's interface is the notch, expanding for history, settings and the Teach form and retracting again. VoiceInk uses a window. If you would rather have a window, that is a point for VoiceInk.
Account required
Zumbo has no account: a licence key activates the app and nothing else is exchanged.
Languages
You pick your main language during setup and Zumbo writes only in that alphabet from then on. VoiceInk does not state a language count on the pages checked.
macOS minimum
Practically the same requirement. Both need Apple silicon, because both run the model locally.
Download size
The size is the engine. Any on device dictation app carries one, whether it ships inside the download or fetches it on first run.
Trial
Three days with everything on and no card asked for. If it does not fit your work, nothing happens at the end of it.
Who should pick which
Pick VoiceInk if reading the source matters to you, if you keep your notes in Markdown files and want dictation to write into them, or if you would rather have a normal window than a notch.
Call Dana about the follow-up appointment tomorrow at ten.
Reminder set, Tue 10:00Pick Zumbo if you want the lower price across more Macs, if your field has its own language and you would rather switch on a pack than maintain a word list and replacement rules, if you want corrections to stick without configuring anything, or if you need meetings transcribed with each speaker labelled.
Either way you end up with dictation that runs on your own machine and was bought once, which is the part that matters most.
Related: all six Mac dictation apps side by side, Zumbo against Superwhisper, and how Zumbo keeps your voice on your Mac.
Is VoiceInk open source?
Yes, and that is a genuine advantage. You can read what the code does with your audio rather than trusting a claim. This page says so plainly because it is true.
Which one is cheaper?
Zumbo, at every tier. Fifteen dollars for one Mac against twenty five, and twenty for three against forty nine. Both are one time purchases.
What does Zumbo do that VoiceInk does not state?
Learning from your corrections, meeting transcription with speaker labels, vocabulary packs for a field rather than a word list, and notes with reminders inside the app.
Do both work offline?
Yes. Both run the model on your Mac and neither needs a network to transcribe.
Can I pick my own shortcut?
In Zumbo, yes: you choose it in Settings during setup and can change it whenever you want.
Free for 3 days, everything unlocked. Then $15 once. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon.