Guide
Wispr Flow's free limit: what happens after 2,000 words a week
Wispr Flow is free until you talk a lot. Here's where the free plan's weekly limit sits on each device, what you see when you reach it, and the ways around it, from waiting for Sunday to switching apps.
Short answer: On Mac and Windows, Wispr Flow's free plan shows “Weekly dictation limit reached” after 2,000 words in a week and blocks new dictations above 5,000. The count resets weekly and unused words don't carry over. Pro removes the limit for $15 a month or $144 a year. Apps that run on your Mac, such as Precis ($39 once) and VoiceInk ($25 to $49 once), have no word limit.
| Device | Warning | Hard stop |
|---|---|---|
| Mac and Windows | “Weekly dictation limit reached” after 2,000 words | New dictations blocked above 5,000 words |
| iPhone | Slows after 550 words | Blocked at 750 words |
| Android | Slows after 2,500 words | Capped at 3,000 words |
From Wispr's help article Free tier weekly word cap, read on 29 October 2026. Wispr says allowances can differ by account and change without an app update, so these are its defaults.
How much talking is 2,000 words?
At a relaxed speaking pace of about 140 words a minute (my assumption, not Wispr's figure), 2,000 words is roughly 14 minutes of dictation a week, and 5,000 is about 35. That's around ten 200-word emails, or a dozen long AI prompts. People who dictate prompts all day get there by Tuesday.
What happens when you reach it
- At 2,000 words on a Mac, Wispr shows “Weekly dictation limit reached”, at most once a day. You can keep going.
- Above 5,000 words, every new dictation is blocked with “You've hit your weekly word limit. Upgrade to continue using Flow.” A dictation already under way isn't cut off.
- The week is a fixed window, not seven days from your first dictation. Wispr's in-app messages say it resets on Sunday at 12 a.m. Pacific. Unused words don't carry over, and restarting the app doesn't renew the allowance.
- Trials and paid plans are exempt. The limit is for free accounts.
Your options
- Wait for Sunday. Free, and fine if you only go over now and then.
- Pay for Wispr Flow Pro. $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly ($144 a year). Students and educators with a school email get 50% off. It's the right pick if you also dictate on Windows, iPhone or Android, because Wispr works on all of them.
- Use Apple Dictation. Free and built in: System Settings, then Keyboard, then Dictation. No word count, but it types what it hears, with no clean-up.
- Switch to an app that runs on your Mac. These download a speech model once, so there's no word count to run out of. Spokenly's on-device dictation is free. VoiceInk is $25 once for one Mac or $39 for two, and it's open source. Precis is $39 once for two Macs, and it also rewrites the text for the app you're in.
| Dictating without a weekly limit | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wispr Flow Pro, billed yearly | $144 | $288 | $432 |
| Precis, 2 Macs | $39 | $39 | $39 |
| VoiceInk, 2 Macs | $39 | $39 | $39 |
| Apple Dictation or Spokenly on-device | Free | Free | Free |
Prices from each company's own site: Wispr Flow and VoiceInk checked on 28 October 2026, Spokenly on 29 October 2026.
What you give up by leaving Wispr
- Other devices. Wispr runs on Windows, iPhone and Android. Precis is only for Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 26.5 or later.
- Team features. Wispr has team plans with admin tools. Precis is for one person on up to two Macs.
- Where your voice goes. This one runs the other way: Wispr turns speech into text on its servers, while Precis does it on your Mac, so it also works with Wi-Fi off. What Wispr sends.
Where Precis fits
If you're on a Mac and mostly dictate email, AI prompts and messages, Precis does that with no word limit. Hold ⌥ Space in any app, talk, and cleaned-up text is typed where your cursor is, shaped for the app: a prompt in Claude, an email in Mail, a short reply in Messages. Speech recognition and the rewriting both run on your Mac. You can try all of it free for 7 days, with no card.
Questions
How many words do you get free on Wispr Flow?
On Mac and Windows, the free plan warns you after 2,000 words a week and blocks new dictations above 5,000. On iPhone it slows after 550 words and stops at 750; on Android it slows after 2,500 and stops at 3,000. Wispr says these defaults can change.
When does the Wispr Flow word limit reset?
Once a week, on a fixed weekly window rather than seven days from your first dictation. Wispr's in-app messages say Sunday at 12 a.m. Pacific. Unused words don't carry over, and restarting the app doesn't reset the count.
Does Wispr Flow have a lifetime plan?
Not on its pricing page when I checked on 28 October 2026. Pro is $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly.
Does Precis have a word limit?
No. It's one payment of $39 for 2 Macs, with every future update, and speech is turned into text on your Mac, so there's nothing to count.
Is there a free dictation app for Mac with no word limit?
Yes. Apple Dictation is built in and free, and Spokenly's on-device dictation is free. Both type what they hear without shaping it for the app you're in.
Try Precis free for 7 days
Hold ⌥ Space in any app and talk. No card and no account, then $39 once for 2 Macs.
Free for 7 days, no card. Needs macOS 26.5 on Apple silicon.