TL;DR: VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech is a dictation tool you trigger with a key. Infina is hands-free voice typing: say "type" and your words appear, say "send it" and the prompt goes, say "open Cursor" and you are in the next app. It runs on your own computer, on Mac and Windows, for $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99.
This is our side by side of VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Infina in 2026: price, platforms, privacy, and the one thing that decides it for most people, whether your hands are still needed.
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Infina at a glance
| VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech | Infina | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $8.25/month, billed annually at $99 |
| Free tier | Free | 2,000 free words, no card required |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux, web | Mac, Windows |
| Where speech is processed | On your computer or in the cloud, by setting | On your computer, works offline |
| How you start talking | Hold or tap a key | Say "type", or hold one key |
| Hands-free (no key press) | No. A key to start, Enter to send | Yes |
| Presses Enter by voice | No | Yes, "send it" |
| Opens apps by voice | No | Yes, "open [app]" |
| Cleans up your text | Yes | Yes, Infina S1 on your Mac |
| Languages | 26 (Speech extension); built-in uses auto/system language hint | English on your computer; 100+ with optional cloud transcription on Infina Unlimited |
Prices and platforms for VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech were checked on VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech's own site on October 20, 2026 (source).
The difference that matters: who presses the keys
With VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech you press or hold a key to start every dictation, and you press Enter yourself to send what you said. 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.
Picture a Claude Code session. You say "type refactor the login flow and add tests", then "send it", then "open Codex" while the first agent works. With VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech that is a key press to start and an Enter to send, for every one of those prompts.
What VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech is good at
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech is best for developers dictating chat prompts and code comments inside VS Code for free.
- Desktop speech recognition runs on-device after model download
- Chat dictation (Cmd/Ctrl+I) and editor dictation (Cmd+Alt+V / Ctrl+Alt+V)
- Voice Mode with hands-free re-listening after the agent speaks
Where VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech falls short
- Only inside VS Code
- Built-in dictation is experimental; Speech extension needed on Intel Macs and some Linux
- VS Code for the Web streams audio to Microsoft cloud and needs GitHub sign-in
Price: VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Infina
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech: Free.
Infina: $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, with unlimited words and unlimited commands, no per-seat or per-minute meter, and a 7-day money-back guarantee. The Free plan is 2,000 free words, no card required.
Privacy: where your voice goes
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech: on your computer or in the cloud, by setting. Infina runs the speech model on your own computer: by default your audio never leaves it, and it keeps working with no internet once set up.
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.
Who should pick which
- Pick Infina if you prompt Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or ChatGPT all day and want to talk, send and switch without touching the keyboard.
- Pick VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech if developers dictating chat prompts and code comments inside VS Code for free.
Keep comparing
- Best VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech alternatives
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech pricing
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech on Windows
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Claude Code /voice
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Cursor Voice Mode
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Microsoft Dictate (Word / Microsoft 365)
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Whispering (Epicenter)
- VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech vs Apple Dictation
Browse every dictation app comparison, alternatives to every dictation app, voice typing guides for every app, or the Infina facts and specs.
FAQ
Is Infina better than VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech?
For prompting AI tools and working without the keyboard, yes. VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech needs a key for every dictation and Enter to send, while Infina types, sends and switches apps on three spoken words. VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech is the better fit for developers dictating chat prompts and code comments inside VS Code for free.
How much does VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech cost compared to Infina?
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech is Free, with a free tier (Free). Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, for unlimited words and commands, and the Free plan is 2,000 free words, no card required.
Does VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech work on Windows?
Yes, VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech lists Windows among its platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, web). Infina also runs on Windows 10 and 11, and the hands-free loop is the same there.
Can VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech press Enter or send a message by voice?
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech does not document a spoken send, so you press Enter yourself. In Infina you say "send it" (or just "enter") and it presses Enter for you, in any app.
Bottom line
VS Code dictation + VS Code Speech gets words into a box. Infina finishes the loop: it types, sends and switches apps on your voice alone. If you want your hands back, download Infina and start with 2,000 free words, no card required.
The wider field, and who each tool is actually for
A head to head only answers half the question. Here is the rest of the field on one screen, with the reader each one genuinely fits.
The tools this page covers (Apple Dictation) are at the top. The rest of the field follows, because the right answer is sometimes none of the above.
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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 Apple Dictation or Infina better? Pick Apple Dictation if you dictate a sentence here and there and do not want to install anything. 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. Apple Dictation costs free, built in; Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and unlimited commands.