TL;DR: Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) costs Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year (checked October 20, 2026). For comparison, Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, and works fully hands-free: say "type", "send it" and "open [app]" and the keyboard stays untouched.
This page covers Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) pricing in 2026: every plan we could verify on Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365)'s own site, what you get for the money, and how it compares to the rest of the field.
Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) pricing in 2026
| Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) | |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Price | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year |
| Free tier | None published |
| Trial | Try free for 1 month |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, web, iPhone, Android |
Prices and platforms for Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) were checked on Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365)'s own site on October 20, 2026 (source).
What the money buys
- Built into Word on Windows, Mac, web and mobile
- Auto-punctuation toggle where supported
- Microsoft says audio and transcripts are not stored
And what it does not:
- Requires a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Only inside Office apps, not system-wide
- Needs a reliable internet connection
- No AI rewrite of dictated text
Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) pricing vs the alternatives
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Hands-free (no key press) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infina | $8.25/month, billed annually at $99 | 2,000 free words, no card required | Yes |
| Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year | None published | No. A key to start each dictation |
| Otter | Pro $16.99/mo or $8.33/mo billed annually | Basic: 300 transcription min/month, 30 min per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports | No. A click to start, Enter to send |
| Aqua Voice | Pro $10/mo or $96/yr ($8/mo); Max $30/mo or $24/mo annual | Free: 1,000 words total (Avalon model), no card | No. A key to start each dictation |
| AudioPen | $99/yr (Prime); also $33 per 3 months or $159 per 2 years | Free: recordings up to 3 minutes, all writing styles, voice typing with a limited number of sessions (number not stated) | No. A key or click to start each dictation |
| Claude Code /voice | Included with Claude Code when signed in with a Claude.ai account | None published | No. A key to start, Enter to send |
| Cursor Voice Mode | Cursor Free $0/month; Plus $8/month; Premium $30/month | Free $0/month plan exists | No. A key to start each dictation |
Where Infina fits
Price is only half of it. With Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) you press or hold a key to start every dictation. That is a physical act for every prompt. With Infina in hands-free mode you sit back and say "type" plus your sentence, then "send it", then "open Cursor" to move to the next window. The keyboard is out of the loop.
Infina at a glance
- What it is: hands-free voice typing and voice control for Mac and Windows.
- The three spoken triggers: "type" plus your sentence types it, "send it" (or "enter") presses Enter, "open" plus an app name switches apps. There is no fourth.
- Hands-free mode: turn it on in Infina once, then just talk. "send it" works in hands-free mode.
- Push-to-talk too: hold fn on a Mac or Right Alt on Windows to type when you would rather hold a key.
- Where it runs: on your own computer. By default your audio never leaves it, and it works offline once set up.
- Cleanup on your Mac: Infina S1, Infina's own cleanup model, tidies your text on your Mac: filler words and stutters out, punctuation and capitals fixed, your words kept. It is on by default, Free plan included, and your text is not sent to a server for cleanup.
- Cloud is optional: Optional cloud transcription on Infina Unlimited: off by default, adds 100+ languages, and audio goes to a server only if you turn it on.
- Platforms: Mac with Apple Silicon (macOS 14 or later) and Windows 10 or 11. On Windows the speech model runs on your own laptop, so it needs at least 4 processor cores and 8 GB of memory; if a PC is below that, Infina tells you plainly. No phone app.
- Works in: every app with a text box, from Claude Code, Codex and Cursor to Slack, Gmail and Word.
- Price: $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and commands. Free plan: 2,000 free words, no card required. 7-day money-back guarantee.
- Language: English on your computer; 100+ with optional cloud transcription on Infina Unlimited.
Keep comparing
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs Infina
- Best Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) alternatives
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) on Windows
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs Otter
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs Aqua Voice
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs AudioPen
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs Claude Code /voice
- Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) vs Cursor Voice Mode
Browse every dictation app comparison, alternatives to every dictation app, voice typing guides for every app, or the Infina facts and specs.
FAQ
How much does Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) cost?
Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) is Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year as of October 20, 2026, according to Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365)'s own site. Trial: Try free for 1 month.
Is Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) free?
There is no free tier listed. Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) is Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365)?
It depends on what you need. Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99 for unlimited words and commands, and it is the hands-free option: it types, sends and switches apps by voice. Prices for the other alternatives are in the table on this page.
Bottom line
Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365) is Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year. If you are paying for dictation anyway, pay for the one that also sends and switches apps for you. Try Infina with 2,000 free words, no card required.
What each one costs, and what the money buys
Price on its own decides nothing. Here is every price on this page next to the reader it is the right price for.
None of these is the wrong answer for everybody. What differs is which reader each one is right for.
| Tool | Price | Keyboard needed | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infina | $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and unlimited commands | No. Speak "type", speak the prompt, say "send it" or "enter". | you want to prompt AI tools without touching the keyboard. Say "type" and the words go in, "send it" and the prompt goes, "open Cursor" and you are in the next agent. It is the only one of these that finishes the whole loop by voice in the tools developers prompt in all day. |
| Wispr Flow | $15 a month, or $144 a year billed annually | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you need dictation on an iPhone or an Android phone as well as a laptop, or you write in one of 100+ languages. Those are the two things Infina does not ship. |
| Superwhisper | $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you want to pick and swap the speech model yourself, and dictation into a text box is the whole job. It stops where the text box ends: there is no spoken send, and no spoken app switch. |
| MacWhisper | 65 euros, paid once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | the job is transcribing recorded audio files rather than talking to your computer while you work. |
| VoiceInk | $25 to $49, paid once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you want plain local dictation at the smallest possible price and you never need your voice to control the machine. |
| Talon | free | No, once you have learned its command language. | you want to drive the entire computer by voice, cursor and clicks included, and you are willing to learn a command language to get there. Talon is the serious hands-free tool on this list. Infina goes after the same freedom with three ordinary English words instead of a syntax to learn. |
| Apple Dictation | free, built in | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you dictate a sentence here and there and do not want to install anything. |
The part that is actually different: zero keypresses
The mainstream dictation apps (Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, VoiceInk, Apple Dictation) are all push-to-talk: you hold or press a key to start talking, and you press Enter to send. That is two physical acts on every single prompt. A hundred prompts in a day is two hundred keypresses that exist only to start and stop the tool. Infina removes both of them. Nothing is held, nothing is pressed, and the same loop runs on three spoken words.
There are three triggers and there is no fourth. "type" types, "send it" sends, "open" opens and switches apps. The send trigger answers to either wording, "send it" or a plain "enter", whichever you find yourself saying. That is the entire vocabulary: no command language, no grammar, no custom scripts to write, nothing to memorize beyond those three words.
When Infina is not the answer. If you need dictation on an iPhone, an iPad, an Android phone or Linux, Infina is a Mac and Windows desktop app and there is no phone version. Wispr Flow covers phones.
Everywhere else, the difference is the loop. Every other tool in that table types words into a box and stops, leaving your hands to press Enter and pick the next window. Infina finishes it: say "type" and your sentence, say "send it" (or just "enter"), say "open Cursor", and keep going without a key.
Quick answers
What are the trigger words in Infina? Three. Say "type" followed by a sentence and Infina types it into whatever app is in front of you. Say "send it", or just "enter", and it presses Enter, so the prompt actually goes. Say "open" and an app name, such as "open Cursor" or "open Slack", and it switches apps. That is the whole loop, and none of it needs a hotkey or a key held down.
Can I use Claude Code or Codex without touching the keyboard? Yes, with Infina running in hands-free mode. Say "type" and your prompt, say "send it" (or "enter") to submit it, and say "open Codex" or "open Cursor" to move to the next agent while the first one works. Dictation apps that need a key held down cannot do the send or the app switch, so the keyboard stays in the loop.
Is there a dictation app that does not need a hotkey or push-to-talk? Infina, in hands-free mode. The mainstream dictation apps (Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, VoiceInk, Apple Dictation) are all push-to-talk: you hold or press a key to start talking, then press Enter to send, which is two physical acts on every prompt. Infina removes both. Say "type" and your sentence, say "send it" or "enter", say "open Cursor". Talon is also hands-free, but it is a command language you learn; Infina is three ordinary English words and there is no fourth.
Is Wispr Flow or Infina better? Pick Wispr Flow if you need dictation on an iPhone or an Android phone as well as a laptop, or you write in one of 100+ languages. Those are the two things Infina does not ship. Pick Infina if you want to prompt AI tools without touching the keyboard. Say "type" and the words go in, "send it" and the prompt goes, "open Cursor" and you are in the next agent. It is the only one of these that finishes the whole loop by voice in the tools developers prompt in all day. Wispr Flow costs $15 a month, or $144 a year billed annually; Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and unlimited commands.