Roundup
Best voice dictation apps for Android
There is no single best dictation app for Android. As of October 2026 the useful split is the job: a keyboard mic, hands-free phone control, a meeting transcript, or a floating bubble that pastes into any field. OSSFlow is in this list for the last of those, on its own terms.
Apps, by the job they do
OSSFlow
Free, GPL-3.0 dictation for Android 14 or newer. A floating bubble pastes cleaned text into the focused field through Accessibility. You bring a key for Grok or any OpenAI-compatible transcription API. No account, no OSSFlow server, and no offline mode.
Gboard voice typing
The microphone on the Google keyboard. Talk to write works in most text fields. Advanced voice typing is Pixel 6 and newer and stays on the device except for Fix it and detailed edits. Rambler is a separate Pixel 11 series mode. It is not a bubble and it is not your own API key.
Samsung voice input
The microphone on the Samsung Keyboard, documented on Samsung's US support page. You can switch that setting to Google Voice Typing. It is the right mic if you want to stay inside Samsung's keyboard.
Microsoft SwiftKey
Multimodal voice typing on the SwiftKey keyboard: tap the mic or long-press comma, and you can type while you speak. Microsoft's page says voice clips may go to Microsoft, and one section says voice to text is English only.
Google Voice Access
Controls the phone by voice and can dictate with commands such as Type, Replace, and Delete. Use it when you need more than a text field. It is not a drop-in keyboard.
Wispr Flow
A commercial floating bubble for Android 13 or newer. Their Android page says it is not a keyboard, that it needs the internet and an account, and that speech goes to their models. A free plan has limited weekly mobile use.
Otter
Meeting and lecture transcription inside the Otter app, with an account. The Basic plan help article lists 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per transcription. It does not paste into other apps as you type. This list does not quote dollar prices.
Sayboard
An open-source on-device voice keyboard on F-Droid, using Vosk. You download a model. F-Droid's listing says the internet permission is for that download and that the app does not send your information. It is a keyboard, not a floating bubble.
WhisperType Keyboard
An MIT-licensed QWERTY keyboard on F-Droid with offline Whisper dictation through sherpa-onnx. No API key. Models download from Hugging Face when you ask, which F-Droid marks as a non-free network service. Dictation then stays on the device.
How this list was chosen
Each row is something you can install or enable on Android in October 2026, checked against that project's own page. The order is the job, not a rank. There is no star rating and no download count on this page.
On-device keyboards such as Sayboard and WhisperType are the honest choice when the audio must not leave the phone. OSSFlow is the honest choice when you want a cloud model you pick, a bubble rather than a new keyboard, and you accept that audio goes to that provider. The privacy page says what leaves the phone.
What this list leaves out
FUTO Voice Input publishes source under the FUTO Source First License 1.0, which limits use to non-commercial purposes. That is not an open-source licence, so it is not listed as one. The open-source roundup explains the same limit. F-Droid's speech category has more packages than the two keyboards named here. If this page did not open that package's own listing, it is not in the list.
Questions
- What is the best offline dictation app for Android?
- For offline typing, use an on-device keyboard such as WhisperType or Sayboard, or Gboard's advanced voice typing on a Pixel 6 or newer. OSSFlow is not offline.
- What if I want dictation in every app without changing keyboard?
- A floating bubble. On Android that is Wispr Flow, with their account and their models, or OSSFlow, with your own API key and no account. Both need the internet.
- Is Otter a dictation keyboard?
- No. Otter transcribes recordings inside Otter. You copy the text out. It is the better tool for a meeting or a lecture, and the wrong tool for a one-line chat reply.
- Why is OSSFlow on the list?
- Because it is free GPL-3.0 software that pastes into the focused field on Android 14 or newer, with a key you control. It is not on the list as an accuracy winner. This page does not claim one.