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Willow Voice vs. Aqua Voice: Best Voice Dictation Software

Which voice dictation tool is right for you? Compare speed, accuracy, and features across Mac, Windows, and iOS.

Which voice dictation tool is right for you? Compare speed, accuracy, and features across Mac, Windows, and iOS.

Testimonials

Testimonials

Testimonials

How Willow Voice Compares to Aqua Voice

How Willow Voice Compares to Aqua Voice

Compare Willow Voice to Aqua Voice and find out which voice-to-text tool fits your needs

Compare Willow Voice to Aqua Voice and find out which voice-to-text tool fits your needs

Features

Features

Features

Platform Availability

Platform Availability

Processing Speed

Processing Speed

Accuracy

Accuracy

Languages

Languages

Dictionary Terms

Dictionary Terms

Writing Style Personalization

Style Personalization

Style Personalization

SOC 2 Type II

SOC 2 Type II

HIPAA Ready

HIPAA Ready

Team Features

Team Features

Enterprise Features

Enterprise Features

Mac, Windows & IOS

Mac, Windows & IOS

200 ms

200 ms

98%+ with context

98%+ with context

100+ with dialects

100+ with dialects

Automatic + manual

Automatic + manual

Dictionary & shortcuts

Dictionary & shortcuts

SSO, billing, controls

SSO, billing, controls

Download for IOS

Aqua Voice

Aqua Voice

Aqua Voice

Mac, Windows only

Mac, Windows only

500ms - 1 second

500ms - 1 second

~85-90%

~85-90%

49 languages

49 languages

Only manual

Only manual

None

None

None

None

Download for IOS

Download for IOS

Trusted Voices

The

Most

productive

Leaders

Developers

founders

students

professionals

writers

Leaders

Use Willow

“ Holy crap I feel I've just gotten superpowers. I used Willow to reply to Slack messages, draft emails, write long documents. ”
Yaniv Bernstein
Host, The Startup Podcast
“ My inbox zero accuracy is at another level because I know now I can use Willow to respond to an email as quickly as I can think of the response. ”
Gustavo Silva
CTO, Origin Financial
“ For decades I’ve wanted to just talk to my computer and have it work. Willow is the first time it actually did — and it’s delightful. ”
Alexis Ohanian
Founder, Reddit
“ I use Willow I use dictate all emails, docs and Whatsapps, such a game changer and 5x faster. ”
Harry Stebbings
Founder/Podcaster, 20VC
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Tomer London
Founder of Gusto
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Geoff Donaker
Former COO, Yelp
“ The two tools I use most in my everyday work now are ChatGPT and Willow. ”
Max Mullen
Founder of Instacart
“ Willow is the first dictation tool that really works and has changed my life. ”
Noel Whittaker
Bestselling Author
" Willow Voice saves me so much time each day. Complete game changer. "
Kipp Bodnar
CMO, HubSpot

Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows for free

Background Image

Trusted Voices

The

Most

productive

Leaders

Developers

founders

students

professionals

writers

Leaders

Use Willow

“ Holy crap I feel I've just gotten superpowers. I used Willow to reply to Slack messages, draft emails, write long documents. ”
Yaniv Bernstein
Host, The Startup Podcast
“ My inbox zero accuracy is at another level because I know now I can use Willow to respond to an email as quickly as I can think of the response. ”
Gustavo Silva
CTO, Origin Financial
“ For decades I’ve wanted to just talk to my computer and have it work. Willow is the first time it actually did — and it’s delightful. ”
Alexis Ohanian
Founder, Reddit
“ I use Willow I use dictate all emails, docs and Whatsapps, such a game changer and 5x faster. ”
Harry Stebbings
Founder/Podcaster, 20VC
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Tomer London
Founder of Gusto
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Geoff Donaker
Former COO, Yelp
“ The two tools I use most in my everyday work now are ChatGPT and Willow. ”
Max Mullen
Founder of Instacart
“ Willow is the first dictation tool that really works and has changed my life. ”
Noel Whittaker
Bestselling Author
" Willow Voice saves me so much time each day. Complete game changer. "
Kipp Bodnar
CMO, HubSpot

Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows for free

Background Image

Trusted Voices

The

Most

productive

Leaders

Developers

founders

students

professionals

writers

Leaders

Use Willow

“ Holy crap I feel I've just gotten superpowers. I used Willow to reply to Slack messages, draft emails, write long documents. ”
Yaniv Bernstein
Host, The Startup Podcast
“ My inbox zero accuracy is at another level because I know now I can use Willow to respond to an email as quickly as I can think of the response. ”
Gustavo Silva
CTO, Origin Financial
“ For decades I’ve wanted to just talk to my computer and have it work. Willow is the first time it actually did — and it’s delightful. ”
Alexis Ohanian
Founder, Reddit
“ I use Willow I use dictate all emails, docs and Whatsapps, such a game changer and 5x faster. ”
Harry Stebbings
Founder/Podcaster, 20VC
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Tomer London
Founder of Gusto
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Geoff Donaker
Former COO, Yelp
“ The two tools I use most in my everyday work now are ChatGPT and Willow. ”
Max Mullen
Founder of Instacart
“ Willow is the first dictation tool that really works and has changed my life. ”
Noel Whittaker
Bestselling Author
" Willow Voice saves me so much time each day. Complete game changer. "
Kipp Bodnar
CMO, HubSpot

Background Image

Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows for free

Download for IOS

Trusted Voices

Use Willow

The

Most

productive

Leaders

Developers

founders

students

professionals

Leaders

“ Holy crap I feel I've just gotten superpowers. I used Willow to reply to Slack messages, draft emails, write long documents. ”
Yaniv Bernstein
Host, The Startup Podcast
“ My inbox zero accuracy is at another level because I know now I can use Willow to respond to an email as quickly as I can think of the response. ”
Gustavo Silva
CTO, Origin Financial
“ For decades I’ve wanted to just talk to my computer and have it work. Willow is the first time it actually did — and it’s delightful. ”
Alexis Ohanian
Founder, Reddit
“ I use Willow I use dictate all emails, docs and Whatsapps, such a game changer and 5x faster. ”
Harry Stebbings
Founder/Podcaster, 20VC
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Tomer London
Founder of Gusto
“ Willow is the one productivity tool that I've stuck with because it's saved me hours of time. ”
Geoff Donaker
Former COO, Yelp
“ The two tools I use most in my everyday work now are ChatGPT and Willow. ”
Max Mullen
Founder of Instacart
“ Willow is the first dictation tool that really works and has changed my life. ”
Noel Whittaker
Bestselling Author
" Willow Voice saves me so much time each day. Complete game changer. "
Kipp Bodnar
CMO, HubSpot

Background Image

Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows for free

Download for IOS

Willow Voice vs. Aqua Voice: A Complete Comparison

Willow Voice vs. Aqua Voice: A Complete Comparison

Who Each Tool Is For

Who Each Tool Is For

Choose AquaVoice if you spend all your time writing long-form essays, academic papers, or documents where you need to get every single word exactly right. AquaVoice is optimized for long-form writing with extensive voice commands for editing and correcting text. It's a more complicated setup with different models and manual configurations.

Choose Willow Voice if you use voice dictation for everyday tasks like emails, Slack messages, prompting AI tools like Cursor and ChatGPT, vibe coding, documentation, text messages, and all the places where you want to replace your keyboard. Willow is the Apple of voice dictation: simple, modern, and easy to use. It automatically understands your style and formats text correctly, so you don't have to think about voice commands or go back and edit.

Choose AquaVoice if you spend all your time writing long-form essays, academic papers, or documents where you need to get every single word exactly right. AquaVoice is optimized for long-form writing with extensive voice commands for editing and correcting text. It's a more complicated setup with different models and manual configurations.

Choose Willow Voice if you use voice dictation for everyday tasks like emails, Slack messages, prompting AI tools like Cursor and ChatGPT, vibe coding, documentation, text messages, and all the places where you want to replace your keyboard. Willow is the Apple of voice dictation: simple, modern, and easy to use. It automatically understands your style and formats text correctly, so you don't have to think about voice commands or go back and edit.

Two Different Approaches to Voice Dictation

Two Different Approaches to Voice Dictation

AquaVoice and Willow Voice take fundamentally different approaches to the same problem.

AquaVoice focuses on getting every word right through extensive voice commands. You dictate, then use voice commands to correct, edit, and refine your text. The idea is that text streaming and voice editing give you precise control over long-form writing.

Willow Voice takes the opposite approach. We've discovered that looking over your text and using voice commands to correct it is actually slower than dictation that understands your writing style in the first place. With Willow, you don't have to think about voice commands. The AI automatically corrects what you want to say, automatically formats your text, and writes in your style.

The result: with Willow, you speak what's on the top of your mind and continue moving forward. You don't have to think back at what you said or look over your text. That's faster and more productive.

AquaVoice and Willow Voice take fundamentally different approaches to the same problem.

AquaVoice focuses on getting every word right through extensive voice commands. You dictate, then use voice commands to correct, edit, and refine your text. The idea is that text streaming and voice editing give you precise control over long-form writing.

Willow Voice takes the opposite approach. We've discovered that looking over your text and using voice commands to correct it is actually slower than dictation that understands your writing style in the first place. With Willow, you don't have to think about voice commands. The AI automatically corrects what you want to say, automatically formats your text, and writes in your style.

The result: with Willow, you speak what's on the top of your mind and continue moving forward. You don't have to think back at what you said or look over your text. That's faster and more productive.

Zero-Edit Dictation vs. Voice Command Editing

Zero-Edit Dictation vs. Voice Command Editing

Willow Voice focuses on zero-edit dictation. The AI learns your writing style over time, understands context, and produces polished text that requires minimal corrections. You speak, it writes correctly, and you move on.

AquaVoice expects you to edit with voice commands. That's powerful for long-form writing where precision matters, but it's a slower workflow for everyday use. Every time you stop to correct something, you break your flow.

Willow also has preset styles for email, Slack, text messages, documents, and more. The AI automatically adjusts formatting based on where you're writing. AquaVoice does not have style matching, so you're doing more manual work.

Willow Voice focuses on zero-edit dictation. The AI learns your writing style over time, understands context, and produces polished text that requires minimal corrections. You speak, it writes correctly, and you move on.

AquaVoice expects you to edit with voice commands. That's powerful for long-form writing where precision matters, but it's a slower workflow for everyday use. Every time you stop to correct something, you break your flow.

Willow also has preset styles for email, Slack, text messages, documents, and more. The AI automatically adjusts formatting based on where you're writing. AquaVoice does not have style matching, so you're doing more manual work.

Speed and Latency

Speed and Latency

When you're dictating naturally, latency matters. The gap between finishing a sentence and seeing the text is the difference between flow and friction.

Willow Voice processes speech in about 200 milliseconds. That's fast enough to feel instant.

AquaVoice takes 500 milliseconds to 1 second (they advertise 450ms in ideal conditions). That's 2 to 5 times slower than Willow. You feel that delay, especially during quick dictation sessions.

Willow also handles long dictations without slowing down. Even 8-minute recordings transcribe in 200ms with Fast Dictation Mode.

When you're dictating naturally, latency matters. The gap between finishing a sentence and seeing the text is the difference between flow and friction.

Willow Voice processes speech in about 200 milliseconds. That's fast enough to feel instant.

AquaVoice takes 500 milliseconds to 1 second (they advertise 450ms in ideal conditions). That's 2 to 5 times slower than Willow. You feel that delay, especially during quick dictation sessions.

Willow also handles long dictations without slowing down. Even 8-minute recordings transcribe in 200ms with Fast Dictation Mode.

Platform Availability

Platform Availability

AquaVoice only works on Mac and Windows. There's no iOS app, no mobile support. If you want to dictate on your phone, you're out of luck.

Willow Voice works across Mac, Windows, and iOS. On iOS, Willow is the first custom keyboard that lets you dictate seamlessly anywhere. You can type to make edits and use Magic AI Rewrite to improve messages.

For professionals who work across multiple devices, Willow gives you consistent voice dictation everywhere.

AquaVoice only works on Mac and Windows. There's no iOS app, no mobile support. If you want to dictate on your phone, you're out of luck.

Willow Voice works across Mac, Windows, and iOS. On iOS, Willow is the first custom keyboard that lets you dictate seamlessly anywhere. You can type to make edits and use Magic AI Rewrite to improve messages.

For professionals who work across multiple devices, Willow gives you consistent voice dictation everywhere.

Security and Compliance

Security and Compliance

AquaVoice has no publicly listed compliance certifications. There's nothing stated about SOC 2, HIPAA, or zero data retention.

Willow Voice is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant. Privacy Mode enables zero data retention, meaning your dictation never gets stored on any server. The platform has undergone strict penetration testing and handles confidential enterprise data securely.

If you work in healthcare, legal, finance, or any regulated industry, Willow provides the security standards you need. AquaVoice does not.

AquaVoice has no publicly listed compliance certifications. There's nothing stated about SOC 2, HIPAA, or zero data retention.

Willow Voice is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant. Privacy Mode enables zero data retention, meaning your dictation never gets stored on any server. The platform has undergone strict penetration testing and handles confidential enterprise data securely.

If you work in healthcare, legal, finance, or any regulated industry, Willow provides the security standards you need. AquaVoice does not.

Team and Enterprise Features

Team and Enterprise Features

AquaVoice does not have team or enterprise features. It's designed for individual users.

Willow Voice includes team collaboration tools like shared dictionaries and custom shortcuts for consistent terminology across your organization. Enterprise admins get centralized billing, SSO integration, and security controls.

If you're part of a team or organization that handles sensitive data, Willow scales with you.

AquaVoice does not have team or enterprise features. It's designed for individual users.

Willow Voice includes team collaboration tools like shared dictionaries and custom shortcuts for consistent terminology across your organization. Enterprise admins get centralized billing, SSO integration, and security controls.

If you're part of a team or organization that handles sensitive data, Willow scales with you.

Style Learning

Style Learning

AquaVoice does not learn your writing style. You can add custom words to a dictionary and set up instructions, but the AI doesn't adapt to how you write over time.

Willow Voice learns your style automatically. The more you use it, the better it gets at matching your voice, vocabulary, and preferences. This is what makes zero-edit dictation possible. Less editing, more productivity.

AquaVoice does not learn your writing style. You can add custom words to a dictionary and set up instructions, but the AI doesn't adapt to how you write over time.

Willow Voice learns your style automatically. The more you use it, the better it gets at matching your voice, vocabulary, and preferences. This is what makes zero-edit dictation possible. Less editing, more productivity.

Enterprise-Grade Security You can trust

Enterprise-Grade Security You can trust

Willow secures your privacy with the highest standards.

Willow secures your privacy with the highest standards.

Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows for free

Download for IOS

Download for IOS

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Background Image

Testimonials

Testimonials

Testimonials

What our users are saying

What our users are saying

Eric Bahn

@ericbahn

Giving a shout out to the entire @WillowVoiceAI team, and the founders @LiuLawrence45 and @_allanguo.

Thank you for this incredible product. It's only been a few weeks of playing with it, but I think that I have doubled my productivity when it comes to emails, texts, all messages.

Really grateful for what you guys do and love how you ship so fast.

Ben Gale

@bengale

@WillowVoiceAI is a literal game changer for interacting with LLMs or cursor. Even just emails and slack and so much faster.

Tom Johnson

@tomjohndesign

Using @WillowVoiceAI is such a huge improvement to my productivity.

So fast. Formatting is excellent. Instant sub.

Dave Campbell

@itsdavecampbell

Highly recommend trying @WillowVoiceAI. The basic premise is that voice is faster than typing. Hotkey and talk in any application, instant conversion to text. Definitely helping me get through my Slack messages in record speed.

Michael Spalding

@SpaldingDad

Found @WillowVoiceAI & have been amazed how much time this has saved me! Definitely recommend! Super easy to begin & makes work more efficient!

Michael Spalding

@SpaldingDad

Found @WillowVoiceAI & have been amazed how much time this has saved me! Definitely recommend! Super easy to begin & makes work more efficient!

Julien Codorniou

GP @ 20VC, facebook & msft vet’

Until 9 a.m. this morning, when my colleague Harry Stebbings mentioned it, I had never heard of this Willow (YC X25) speech-to-text desktop app.

Just a few hours later, I’m a paying subscriber at $15/month, and I’m wondering how I ever worked without it 🥴💻.

It’s hard not to be romantic about software 🧑‍💻✨. #lookatus #software4ever

Dave Campbell

@itsdavecampbell

Highly recommend trying @WillowVoiceAI. The basic premise is that voice is faster than typing. Hotkey and talk in any application, instant conversion to text. Definitely helping me get through my Slack messages in record speed.

🤖 Yaniv Bernstein

The Startup Podcast

Holy crap I feel I've just gotten superpowers.

I remember back in the 1990s (yes I'm that old 😅) seeing ads for Dragon Dictate--a speech to text engine that allowed you to speak to your computer.

It worked great! As long as:
-You spoke slowly...
-In English...
-With an American accent...
-And didn't use any strange words...

...actually, it didn't work great. It was rubbish...Read

Danny Hogan

@dannyhogancodes

@WillowVoiceAI is absolutely amazing. Fastest $15 I’ve spent in a while.

Shuayb

@Shuayb__

@WillowVoiceAI is genuinely game changing. My entire workflow just improved x2

Julien Codorniou

GP @ 20VC, facebook & msft vet’

Until 9 a.m. this morning, when my colleague Harry Stebbings mentioned it, I had never heard of this Willow (YC X25) speech-to-text desktop app.

Just a few hours later, I’m a paying subscriber at $15/month, and I’m wondering how I ever worked without it 🥴💻.

It’s hard not to be romantic about software 🧑‍💻✨. #lookatus #software4ever

FAQ

FAQ

FAQ

Questions? We’ve got answers

Is Willow faster than AquaVoice?

Yes. Willow Voice processes speech in about 200ms compared to AquaVoice's 500ms to 1 second. That's 2 to 5 times faster.

Is Willow faster than AquaVoice?

Yes. Willow Voice processes speech in about 200ms compared to AquaVoice's 500ms to 1 second. That's 2 to 5 times faster.

Is Willow faster than AquaVoice?

Yes. Willow Voice processes speech in about 200ms compared to AquaVoice's 500ms to 1 second. That's 2 to 5 times faster.

Is Willow faster than AquaVoice?

Yes. Willow Voice processes speech in about 200ms compared to AquaVoice's 500ms to 1 second. That's 2 to 5 times faster.

Does Willow work on iOS?

Does Willow work on iOS?

Does Willow work on iOS?

Does Willow work on iOS?

Does Willow work on Windows and iOS?

Does Willow work on Windows and iOS?

Does Willow work on Windows and iOS?

Does Willow work on Windows and iOS?

Which tool is better for everyday use?

Which tool is better for everyday use?

Which tool is better for everyday use?

Which tool is better for everyday use?

Your shortcut to productivity.
start dictating for free.

Try Willow Voice to write your next email, Slack message, or prompt to AI. It's free to get started.

Download for IOS

Available on Mac, Windows, and iPhone

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© Willow Care, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved

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Your shortcut to productivity.
start dictating for free.

Try Willow Voice to write your next email, Slack message, or prompt to AI. It's free to get started.

Download for IOS

Available on Mac, Windows, and iPhone

Home

Manifesto

Pricing

Blog

Case Studies

Use Cases

Download

Careers

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

© Willow Care, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved

Background Image

Your shortcut to productivity.

Try Willow Voice to write your next email, Slack message, or prompt to AI. It's free to get started.

Download for IOS

Available on Mac, Windows, and iPhone

Home

Manifesto

Pricing

Blog

Use Cases

Download

Careers

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

© Willow Care, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved

Background Image

Your shortcut to productivity.

Try Willow Voice to write your next email, Slack message, or prompt to AI. It's free to get started.

Download for IOS

Available on Mac, Windows, and iPhone

Home

Manifesto

Pricing

Blog

Use Cases

Download

Careers

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

© Willow Care, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved

Background Image