Aqua Voice alternative
Very good dictation. The audio goes to the cloud, and it stops at the keyboard.
Aqua Voice is one of the best dictation apps on the Mac: it types into whatever app you have open, rewrites your sentences, and on its Max plan shows your words live and sends them with a voice command. Parlo does the dictation on your own Mac, keeps the audio there, and adds the half Aqua does not do: it notices the meeting, records it without a bot, and writes the notes as files you own.
Parlo requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs aren't supported.
Parlo vs Aqua Voice
What is being compared.
Marks are our reading of each cell: a check is a plus for you, a cross is a limit, a dash is neither. We make one of these two products, so read this as argued rather than neutral. Aqua Voice's prices and features were checked on its own pages on 4 November 2026; plans move, so verify before you buy.
| Aqua Voice | Parlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Limit.No lifetime licence listed: Pro $10/mo billed annually ($12 month to month), Max $19 ($24), Business $19-24 per seat | Plus.$8/mo, or $80 once (first 100) |
| Free tier | Plus.1,000 words free, no credit card | Neither.14-day trial, then paid |
| Dictation in any app | Plus.Yes, at the cursor, no per-app setup; up to 230 words per minute | Plus.Hold fn (or any shortcut you pick), speak, text lands in any app. On-device |
| Speech recognition | Limit.Cloud only: Avalon runs on their servers, no offline mode | Plus.On your Mac, open speech models (WhisperKit, Parakeet). Audio never leaves the machine |
| Transcript storage | Limit.Stored on their servers unless you turn on Privacy Mode; team plans enforce it | Plus.Parlo Cloud receives transcript text only, nothing is stored |
| Meeting notes | Limit.No. Nothing on their pages records a call, system audio or speakers | Plus.Auto-detects meetings, records without a bot, writes notes |
| Voice commands for your Mac | Limit.One: 'send it' sends the text. Nothing else | Plus.Hold fn+ctrl: open apps, move files, set reminders, run Shortcuts |
| Published accuracy benchmark | Plus.97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, their own benchmark; 65.1% for Whisper Large v3 | Limit.No benchmark published; runs WhisperKit and Parakeet on your Mac |
| Your own model or API key | Limit.No bring-your-own key; the app offers Avalon 1.5 or Whisper | Plus.Parlo Cloud included (transcript text only, nothing stored), on-device model, or your own OpenAI, Anthropic or compatible key |
| Agent access (MCP, API) | Plus.MCP and CLI listed as a Free-plan feature | Limit.Not yet; the files are plain Markdown any agent can read |
| Platforms | Plus.Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, iPhone, Android | Limit.macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon only |
| Team features | Plus.Business: central billing, SSO, SCIM, usage reports, Zero Data Retention | Limit.Team plans by request. Sharing via a shared folder or Drive |
| Maturity | Plus.Company with a team; SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA | Limit.Young, in alpha, built by one person |
Where the two actually differ.
Where the dictation happens
Aqua processes audio in the cloud, where the Avalon model runs; their Mac page says plainly that there is no offline mode. Their privacy policy, effective 20 October 2026, adds that with Privacy Mode disabled they may store transcript data on their servers to improve the product, and that session metadata such as timestamps and device type is collected either way. Parlo's speech recognition always runs on your Mac, so the audio has nowhere to go, and the only thing that can leave is transcript text, to Parlo Cloud, and only if you pick it at setup.
Aqua is a keyboard. Parlo also ends the meeting.
Aqua types into whatever app you are in and stops there. Nothing on its home, pricing, Mac, Realtime Mode, FAQ or privacy pages describes recording a call, capturing system audio, naming speakers or drafting a follow-up; the only meeting mention across those pages is a support note that Granola's voice typing is separate from Granola's meeting transcription. Parlo notices the meeting, records the mic and the system audio with no bot joining, names the speakers from the calendar invite, writes the notes as Markdown and drafts the follow-up.
One command that sends, or a mode that runs the Mac
Aqua's voice command is 'send it': on Max and Business, Realtime Mode shows your words as you speak and the command presses Enter, Cmd+Enter, or nothing at all in Notes, depending on the app. Parlo holds fn+ctrl and the Mac acts: open apps, move files, set reminders, run Shortcuts.
Where Aqua Voice is the better answer.
You want your dictation on every device.
Aqua ships for Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, iPhone and Android, and one subscription covers all four. Parlo is a Mac app and nothing else is planned yet.
You want published numbers and a compliance team.
Aqua publishes a benchmark: Avalon scores 97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, their own English technical-speech test, against 65.1% for Whisper Large v3, and their page notes it measures key-term recognition rather than overall accuracy. Their FAQ also quotes a 9to5Mac passage test with one error for Aqua against 17 for Apple Dictation, and calls it one reviewer's passage test. They also have SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA. Parlo publishes no benchmark of its own and has no certification behind it.
You want the text rewritten, not just typed.
Aqua rewrites your sentences as it types them: a personal dictionary for your names and jargon, custom instructions for your tone and punctuation, an Edit Mode for changing what you said before it lands, and Deep Context to use what is on your screen. Parlo's dictation lands the words as spoken; the model step is for meeting notes.
You want a voice command that sends.
On Max and Business, Aqua's 'send it' command is recognised in six languages and presses the right key for the app you are in. Parlo's commands are for the Mac itself: open apps, move files, set reminders, run Shortcuts.
If none of those are you, and what you wanted was the part Parlo does well, that is what Parlo is for.
Best for.
Parlo
Someone whose week is full of calls, who wants the audio to stay on their Mac, and who wants the meeting to end as notes they own.
Aqua Voice
Someone who only wants to type faster, on Mac, Windows or a phone, and who values a published accuracy benchmark and a compliance team over on-device audio.
Parlo, pros
- The audio never leaves your Mac, and the meeting ends as notes you own.
- Dictation, meeting notes and voice commands in one app, not three.
- $80 once for the first 100 founders, against $10 a month for Aqua Pro.
Parlo, cons
- macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon only; no Windows, iPhone or Android app.
- No published benchmark and no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 behind it.
- One person, in alpha.
Asked before switching
Questions people search first.
Is Aqua Voice a good Mac dictation app?
Yes. On its own pages it types into any app at the cursor with no per-app setup, refines your sentences with a model called Avalon, understands 49 languages, and on Max and Business shows your words live with a 'send it' command. If dictation is the whole job and you want that quality, Aqua is a strong answer. If you also want the call written down as files you own, Parlo is the one that does both.
How much does Aqua Voice cost?
Checked on 4 November 2026 on aquavoice.com/pricing: Free is $0 with 1,000 words and no credit card, Pro is $10 a month billed annually or $12 month to month, Max is $19 or $24, and Business is $19 or $24 per seat with a minimum of two seats. Students get 70% off Pro and Max. Parlo is $8 a month or $80 once for the first 100 founders.
Does Aqua Voice send my voice to the cloud?
Yes, for the dictation. Their Mac page says 'Aqua processes audio in the cloud, where the Avalon model runs; there is no offline mode'. The privacy policy, effective 20 October 2026, adds that with Privacy Mode disabled they may store transcript data on their servers to improve the product, and that session metadata such as timestamps and device type is collected either way. Parlo's speech recognition always runs on your Mac and the audio never leaves it; only transcript text can, to Parlo Cloud, and only if you choose it at setup.
Does Aqua Voice record meetings?
No. Nothing on its home, pricing, Mac, Realtime Mode, FAQ or privacy pages covers recording a call, capturing system audio, naming speakers or drafting a follow-up; the only meeting mention across those pages is a support note that Granola's voice typing is separate from Granola's meeting transcription. Parlo notices the meeting, records the mic and the system audio with no bot joining, names the speakers from the calendar invite and writes the notes as Markdown.
Is Aqua Voice more accurate than Parlo?
Aqua publishes numbers and we do not. Avalon scores 97.4% on AISpeak-10, their own English technical-speech benchmark, against 65.1% for Whisper Large v3, and their page notes it measures key-term recognition rather than overall accuracy. Their FAQ also quotes a 9to5Mac passage test with one error for Aqua against 17 for Apple Dictation, and calls it one reviewer's passage test. Parlo publishes no benchmark of its own, so we cannot put a number next to theirs. Both can run open speech models on your Mac: Parlo uses WhisperKit and Parakeet, and your own OpenAI or Anthropic key works too.
Can Aqua Voice control my Mac with my voice?
One command, and it only sends text. On Max and Business, Realtime Mode shows your words as you speak and 'send it' presses the send key for that app, in English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German and Russian. Parlo holds fn+ctrl and the Mac acts: open apps, move files, set reminders, run Shortcuts.
Pricing
Dictation. Meeting notes. Voice commands.
One membership.
A power user pays $30+/month across point-solutions today: one app to dictate, another for meeting notes, nothing that acts. Parlo replaces the stack.
Audio never leaves your Mac · no usage limits
Monthly
- Dictation, meeting notes and voice commands in one app*
- Parlo Cloud meeting notes included · no API key
- Speech and dictation on-device · no usage limits
- Direct line to the founder
- Price locked in as long as you stay subscribed
14 days free, then $8/month. Cancel anytime before and you won't be charged.
*Voice commands are in alpha.
Founder First 100
- Lifetime access, no recurring billing, ever
- Everything in Monthly, forever, Parlo Cloud included
- Direct line to the founder
- Push Parlo's development further, up front
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Get updatesTeams & business Contact us
Rolling Parlo out across a company? We set it up for everyone, priced for your team size.
- A license for each person's work email, no checkout per person
- Everything in Monthly, Parlo Cloud included
- Audio never leaves each Mac, notes can stay on-device too
- Rollout help straight from the founder
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Requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs aren't supported.
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