InkSpoke vs Aqua Voice.
A fast cloud dictation app built on a proprietary "Avalon" model, aimed at technical writers who want a big custom dictionary and sub-second latency — and don’t need offline or Linux.
Platforms
Platform
InkSpoke
Aqua Voice
Windows
✓
✓
macOS
✓
✓
Linux
✓
—No Linux client; not on the roadmap.
Mobile
~iOS & Android on Pro
~iOS app (2026); no Android.
Feature by feature
Capability
InkSpoke
Aqua Voice
Works offline / on-device
✓Offline-firstLocal Whisper; nothing leaves the device unless you opt into cloud.
—FAQ states it requires an internet connection.
Speech engine
✓Whisper (local) + optional cloud ASR
~Proprietary "Aqua Engine" / "Avalon"Claims 97.3% accuracy; not independently verified.
AI text refinement
✓IntegratedLocal LLM (LlamaSharp) or optional cloud, in one <600ms pipeline.
✓Real-time refinement bundled into the cloud model.
Tone presets
✓Built-in tone/format presets.
~Free-form custom style rules, not preset tones.
Custom vocabulary
✓Managed custom vocabulary.
✓Up to 800 entries on Pro; team dictionaries on Enterprise.
Per-app workspaces
✓First-class, user-configurable per-app workspaces.
—Basic app-aware formatting, no workspace system.
Wake word / hands-free
✓Hands-free wake word or hotkey.
—Hotkey (default Fn) trigger only.
Types into any app
✓Any app + atomic clipboard restore
✓Any focused field, including terminals, no plugins.
Bring your own key (BYOK)
✓Bring your own OpenAI / Anthropic / local key.
—Locked to Aqua’s proprietary cloud models.
Open source
~Open modelsRuns open-source ASR/LLM models; the app itself is proprietary.
—
Privacy model
✓On-device by default
~CloudTranscripts may be retained for training unless Privacy Mode is on.
The honest verdict
Choose InkSpoke if…
- ✓You need Linux support (Aqua has none).
- ✓You require offline/local processing for privacy or no-connectivity work.
- ✓You want a wake word, BYOK, or open-source model options.
- ✓You want a one-time Perpetual license instead of a subscription.
Choose Aqua Voice if…
- ›You want the fastest possible cloud dictation and don’t mind sending audio off-device.
- ›You need a large custom dictionary and free-form style rules.
- ›You want a very low entry price ($8/mo) with iOS support.
Where Aqua Voice is strong
- Very low cloud latency (~450ms) via a purpose-built ASR+refinement model.
- Large custom dictionary (800 entries) plus free-form style instructions.
- Broad 50+ language support with auto-detection.
- Native iOS app extends dictation to mobile.
Where Aqua Voice falls short
- No offline mode — every utterance leaves the device.
- No Linux support (Windows/macOS/iOS only).
- No wake word and no BYOK — locked into the proprietary cloud.
- Free tier is a one-time 1,000-word cap, not a recurring allowance.
Sources · verified July 2026
- aquavoice.com/pricing
- aquavoice.com/info/faq
- www.getvoibe.com/resources/aqua-voice-pricing/
- usevoicy.com/blog/aqua-voice-pricing
Compiled from publicly available information as of July 2026. Competitor names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Details change often — check each vendor’s site for the latest.
You spoke. Now ink it.
Free with platform-hosted voice + text models. Pro unlocks BYOK, on-device models, and unlimited workspaces.