Does Wispr Flow work offline?

No. Wispr Flow needs an internet connection to turn your speech into text, on every device it supports. Its own help center says so, and its data controls page says transcription always happens in the cloud. If you need dictation that keeps writing with no connection, you need an app that does the work on your computer. Even then, check which devices that covers.

What Wispr Flow says

Wispr Flow is clear about how it works. Its help center states that an internet connection is required for transcription. Its data controls page says transcription always occurs in the cloud. Its privacy page gives the reason: the cloud gives it the speed and accuracy it wants.

Wispr attributes that choice to speed and accuracy. The trade-off is simple. With no network, there is nothing to turn your voice into text.

What happens when the connection drops

Wispr Flow does have some recovery built in. Here is what its help center describes:

• Starting offline. On Android, fully offline, Flow cannot start a new dictation. The same page says offline transcription is unavailable.
• Losing signal mid-sentence. On iPhone, Wispr says Flow continues after the interruption and inserts the finished text. On Android, it may save the recording so you can retry from History once you reconnect.
• Meetings. Wispr's Notetaker, on Mac and Windows, keeps recording if you go offline. The audio is saved on your device and transcribed once you are back online.

So in some cases Wispr Flow can hold on to your audio through a dropped connection. What it does not offer is a way to get text before the connection comes back.

When offline dictation matters

Most of the time you are online and this never comes up. It matters in a few specific places.

Travel. Planes, trains, hotel Wi-Fi that works for email and nothing else. If you write on the move, a dictation app that stops at the edge of coverage stops you too.

Strict networks. Some offices route traffic through VPNs, proxies or filters. Wispr's own troubleshooting page notes these can affect Flow even when websites still load.

Where your words are processed. Some people simply prefer that everyday dictation is turned into text on their own machine. That is a preference, not a verdict on cloud tools. Wispr Flow, like Amnis, publishes its privacy controls, and both are worth reading before you choose.

Does Amnis work offline?

On Apple silicon Macs, yes. Amnis turns your speech into text on the Mac itself, so it keeps writing with Wi-Fi off. Dictate on a plane and the words still land where your cursor is.

There are limits, and you should know them before you download:

• Setup needs the internet. You sign in, and the app downloads what it needs to run on your Mac. After that, dictation works without a connection.
• Cloud acceleration is your choice. It is off by default on the Mac. Turn it on and some dictation goes through the cloud, which needs a connection.
• On the Free plan, AI polishing runs in the cloud. Free includes unlimited dictation and 2,000 words a week of AI polishing, and that polishing happens on our servers. Offline, you get your words as you said them, without the polish. On Pro, the polish can happen on the Mac too.
• Other devices finish in the cloud. Intel Macs, Windows, iPhone and Android finish the job in the cloud.

In short: on an Apple silicon Mac, dictation works with no network once the app is set up; on the Free plan, AI polishing needs a connection. Everywhere else, Amnis finishes in the cloud.

When Amnis does use the cloud, it sends only the audio, transcript or personalization details that request needs. Our providers may keep short-lived operational or security logs or caches. We do not use your content to train models without your consent. Your history is stored on your device, encrypted, and clears itself on a schedule you set: 30 days unless you change it. Amnis never builds a voiceprint of you. The details are in our privacy policy.

Which one fits

Both apps do the same basic job: hold a key, speak, and text appears in the app you are using. Both run on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. On the question this page asks, the difference is simple: if you need text with no connection, Amnis on an Apple silicon Mac gives it to you, and Wispr Flow does not.

If offline on a Mac is what you need, try Amnis: unlimited dictation is free, with 2,000 words a week of AI polishing. No card.

Want the full picture? You can compare Amnis and Wispr Flow side by side.