Vaani

Name: Vaani
Brand: Vaani
Price: 4 USD

Claim this tool Editor reviewed

Fast, private macOS dictation with AI formatting

From $4/mo (free plan available)

FreemiumTranscription Productivity AI Assistants

Visit Website

FreemiumVisit Website

Tracked since2026

The Bottom Line

Updated Jun 8, 2026

Price: From $4/mo (free plan available). Compare plans

Key facts

Provides instant, privacy-first voice dictation for macOS.
Supports multiple transcription and AI formatting providers, including offline local processing.
Offers advanced features like per-app profiles, smart text cleanup, and custom snippets.

Pros

Strong emphasis on privacy with transient audio and local processing options.
Flexible choice of transcription and formatting providers, including free tiers and offline mode.
Enhances productivity with instant dictation and intelligent text cleanup.
Customizable hotkeys and per-app settings for tailored workflows.
No subscription required, making it a cost-effective solution for macOS dictation.

Cons

Requires API keys for cloud-based transcription and formatting, which may incur costs from third-party providers.
Initial setup involves granting Accessibility and Microphone permissions, which might be a concern for some users.
Only available for macOS.

What is Vaani?

Editorial review

Vaani is a macOS voice dictation application designed for speed and privacy. It allows users to dictate text into any application instantly using a customizable hotkey. The app supports multiple transcription providers, including cloud-based options like advanced models, as well as an entirely offline mode using local Whisper. Beyond transcription, Vaani offers multi-provider AI formatting to clean up text, remove filler words, fix punctuation, and apply intelligent formatting. It also features context-aware text injection, per-app profiles for customized settings, and a history of past dictations. Vaani is built with a strong emphasis on privacy, ensuring audio is transient and not stored on any server, with an option to keep all processing on-device.

LCLouis CorneloupUpdated Jun 8, 2026 · how we evaluateSourcegithub.com ↗

Key Features

Global Hotkey for dictation
Multi-Provider Speech-to-Text (STT) (Groq Whisper, OpenAI Whisper, Deepgram Nova-2, local whisper.cpp)
Multi-Provider LLM Formatting (Groq Llama, OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, OpenRouter)
Offline Mode with local whisper.cpp
Smart Text Cleanup (removes filler words, fixes punctuation, AI formatting)
Context-Aware Text Injection (5 methods with per-app policies)
Per-App Profiles for settings customization
Snippets & Dictionary for custom commands and word replacements

Pricing Plans

Free Trial

Pricing checked Sep 26, 2026

Vaani plans and prices, checked September 2026
Plan	Price	Details
Free	$0 USD per month	Unlimited public/private repositories Dependabot security and version updates 2,000 CI/CD minutes/month (Free for public repositories) +3 moreShow less 500MB of Packages storage (Free for public repositories) Issues & Projects Community support
Team	$4 USD per user/month	Everything included in Free Access to GitHub Codespaces Repository rules +9 moreShow less Multiple reviewers in pull requests Draft pull requests Code owners Required reviewers Pages and Wikis Environment deployment branches and secrets 3,000 CI/CD minutes/month (Free for public repositories) 2GB of Packages storage (Free for public repositories) Web-based support
Enterprise	Starting at $21 USD per user/month	Everything included in Team Data residency Enterprise Managed Users +7 moreShow less User provisioning through SCIM Enterprise Account to centrally manage multiple organizations Environment protection rules Repository rules Audit Log API SOC1, SOC2, type 2 reports annually FedRAMP Tailored Authority to Operate (ATO)

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is Vaani worth the price?

Great value

The pricing for Vaani, as represented by the provided GitHub pricing data, appears to be very generous, especially with a robust Free tier and a competitive Team tier at $4 per user/month.

The Enterprise tier starting at $21 per user/month offers significant value for larger organizations needing advanced security and compliance. This structure is best for developers and teams of all sizes, from individual contributors to large enterprises.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Packages storage over free limits

How Vaani's pricing compares

At $4/user/mo, Vaani is the most affordable of its 5 comparable direct competitors.

Vaani

$8.33

$10

$18

$18

Speechify Voice Typing

$29

Entry paid plan, monthly, per user. Pricing checked Sep 26, 2026.

Reviews

Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT cover

$99Free with your review

Review Vaani, get a free AI guide

Share your experience and we will send you Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT, free.

Write a review

Best Vaani Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

View full list →

FathomFree

AI notetaker that summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.

4.9

Speechify Voice TypingFreemium

Free Voice Typing Dictation. Just Talk.

4.5

Fireflies.aiFreemium

AI meeting transcription and search

4.7

Otter.aiFreemium

AI meeting notes and transcription

4.4

NottaFreemium

AI-powered notetaker for transcribing, summarizing, and translating meetings and audio in real-time.

4.4

SupernormalFreemium

AI-powered meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and identifies action items.

4.5

AbridgePaid

Enterprise-grade generative AI for clinical conversations, transforming patient-clinician interactions.

4.2

See all transcription tools →

Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

All Vaani alternatives7+ tools ranked, pricing + verdict per pick Vaani vs FathomHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Vaani vs Speechify Voice TypingHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Vaani vs Fireflies.aiHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

Explore More

Best Transcription Tools Best Productivity Tools Best AI Assistants Tools Best Free Transcription Best Free Productivity Best Free AI Assistants

Vaani FAQ

What macOS versions are supported by Vaani?

Vaani requires macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later to function, and it supports both Apple Silicon and Intel architectures.

How does Vaani ensure user privacy?

Vaani is designed with privacy in mind; audio is transient and nothing is stored on any server. For maximum privacy, users can select the local (whisper.cpp) mode, which keeps all transcription and processing entirely on-device without requiring internet access or API keys.

Can I use Vaani without an internet connection?

Yes, Vaani can be used entirely offline by selecting 'Local (whisper.cpp)' as the transcription provider. This mode runs on-device and does not require internet access or API keys.

What kind of AI formatting capabilities does Vaani offer?

Vaani's AI formatting can clean up dictated text by removing filler words like 'um' and 'uh', fixing punctuation, and applying general AI-driven text formatting. Users can choose from various LLM providers for this feature.

How does Vaani handle text injection into different applications?

Vaani uses context-aware injection, detecting the active application and choosing the most suitable of five insertion methods. It also allows for per-app policies, enabling users to customize injection behavior for specific applications.

Is it possible to customize dictation settings for individual applications?

Yes, Vaani supports 'Per-App Profiles,' allowing users to configure different transcription providers, languages, and formatting settings that activate automatically when a specific application is in focus.

What are 'snippets' in Vaani and how do I use them?

Snippets in Vaani are custom slash-command shortcuts that expand into predefined text or phrases. You can use them by typing '/' followed by the snippet name while dictating, and Vaani will replace it with the full text.

What should I do if Vaani shows a 'damaged and can't be opened' error after installation?

This error typically occurs because macOS blocks unsigned applications. A one-time workaround is to open your terminal and run xattr -cr /Applications/Vaani.app after dragging the app to your Applications folder. This removes the quarantine attribute, allowing the app to open.

Source: github.com

Guides & Articles

Best AI Dictation Tools in 2026

Features Vaani

Best Free Transcription Tools in 2026

Expert guide

Cheapest Transcription Software in 2026

Expert guide