Handy vs VinPUT: two free, open-source dictation apps for Windows
Both type your speech into any field. They differ in the details.
Handy is a free, open-source dictation app that many people recommend right now, and it is a good one. VinPUT is the Windows voice typing app I make, also free and open source. If you are deciding between them on a Windows PC, this page sets out what I could check in Handy's own site and code, and where VinPUT is different. I made VinPUT, so read it with that in mind; where I could not check something, I say so.
Side by side
| VinPUT | Handy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with a model on your PC | Free |
| Source code | Open source, GPL-3.0 | Open source, MIT (its name and logo are not) |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit | Windows, macOS and Linux |
| Works offline | Yes, with a model on your PC | Yes. Its README says speech is processed entirely on your computer |
| Cloud speech | Optional: Plus and Pro | None |
| Models on your PC | Whisper, Parakeet TDT v3 and Qwen3-ASR, and a Whisper model of your own | Whisper, Parakeet and several others, and Whisper models of your own |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, through Vulkan | Whisper models use a graphics card when there is one |
| Hotkey | Hold while you talk, or tap to start and stop | Hold, tap to toggle, or either; hold-only and tap-only modes too |
| How text arrives | Typed where the caret is | Pasted. On Windows it uses Ctrl+V by default; direct typing is a setting |
| Tidying the text | Cleanup, off until you choose it for a key. It needs a text model: Plus or Pro, or Gemma or Qwen on your PC | Filler-word removal, on by default. Optional text cleanup with a provider and key you enter, or an address on your PC; off by default |
| Names and terms | Dictionary of up to 200, and up to 100 snippets | Custom words list |
| Edit selected text by voice | Yes | Not found in its README or settings |
| Latest release I saw | 0.6.3, 20 October 2026 | 0.9.8, 3 October 2026 |
Handy's column comes from handy.computer, its GitHub page and its release 0.9.8, as I read them on 22 October 2026. Both apps change often, so check there before you decide.
What Handy does well
- It runs on three systems. Windows, macOS and Linux, with installers on its releases page. If you use more than one kind of computer, one app on all of them is a real advantage, and VinPUT cannot offer it.
- It is simple on purpose. Its site describes it as one tool with one job: press a shortcut, speak, release, and the words go into the text box.
- It is free with nothing else to pay for. It has no cloud speech plan and no subscription to be offered.
- A wide list of local models. Besides Whisper and Parakeet, its model list has others such as Moonshine, SenseVoice and Canary.
- An MIT license. That lets anyone reuse its code with few conditions. VinPUT's GPL-3.0 asks that changed versions stay open too.
- A history of past dictations in its settings, and a big, active project: at the time I looked its GitHub page showed about 34,000 stars and a release every few weeks.
Where VinPUT differs
- Windows only, by design. It is built for Windows 10 and 11, and it types into any Windows program except one that runs as administrator, which Windows does not allow.
- An optional cloud. Plus is €2.50 a month for 8 hours, and Pro is €5 a month for 25 hours, with 7 free days of Pro for a new subscriber. They show your words while you speak, in more than 60 languages, and send audio to VinPUT's service in the EU. If you never want a cloud, ignore them: a model on your PC is free with no limit. Handy has no such option, which some people will prefer.
- Any graphics card. With a card in the PC, VinPUT downloads a Vulkan build of its engine that runs on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
- More ways to shape the text. Per key, Cleanup can take out filler words and false starts, fix punctuation, or turn a dictation into a coding prompt or an email. Snippets expand a short phrase into a saved text. Edit by voice: select text, hold the edit key and say what to change.
- Extra keys. Besides dictation there is F2, which types and presses Enter for chat boxes, and keys for searching and for voice memos.
- Younger. VinPUT is at version 0.6.3, while Handy is at 0.9.8 and has far more people following it on GitHub. Expect VinPUT to still be changing quickly.
Which to try
If you want one free app on Windows, a Mac and Linux, or you want the plainest tool that does one thing, try Handy. If you only use Windows and want an optional cloud for live words in many languages, cleanup by key, a dictionary with snippets, or editing by voice, try VinPUT. If you cannot tell, try both: give each a different hotkey, say the same sentences into each, and keep the one that gets your voice and your words right.
VinPUT installs for your Windows account only and needs no administrator rights. The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows shows Windows protected your PC; click More info, then Run anyway. Then open Settings, Models, download a model under On this PC and click Use.
Where this comes from
What I say about Handy comes from its own site and code, as I read them on 22 October 2026:
- Free, open source, speech on your own computer, hold or toggle shortcut: handy.computer.
- Windows, macOS and Linux; Whisper and Parakeet models; graphics card use; the Ctrl+V paste: the README.
- MIT license and the star count: its GitHub page.
- Release 0.9.8 of 3 October 2026, with Windows installers: its releases page.
- The model list, filler-word removal, custom words, the optional text cleanup and its providers, and the paste methods: the settings and model code of release 0.9.8.
I did not measure speed or accuracy for either app, so I make no claim about which one recognizes speech better. That depends on your voice, your language, your microphone and your PC.
Questions
Is Handy free?
Yes. Handy is free and open source under the MIT license, and it has no cloud speech service to pay for.
Is VinPUT free like Handy?
Yes, for dictation with a speech model on your PC. There is no time limit and no account. Plus and Pro are optional paid plans that add cloud speech, and Pro starts with 7 free days.
Does Handy run on Windows?
Yes. Handy runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. VinPUT runs on Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, and nowhere else.
Which one is more private?
With a speech model on your PC, both keep your voice on your PC. Handy has no cloud speech option at all. VinPUT has one, Plus and Pro, which is off unless you sign in and choose it. The privacy policy has the details for VinPUT.
Can I try both?
Yes. Give each app a different hotkey and compare them on your own voice and PC. Uninstall the one you do not want from Installed apps.
Related pages
- Superwhisper for Windows, compared Two dictation apps with local models, side by side.
- Wispr Flow alternative for Windows A free option if you want to leave a subscription app.
- Offline speech to text What works with no connection, and what needs one.
- Whisper dictation The Whisper sizes VinPUT lists and how they run.