Cue vs Apple Dictation: Built-in Dictation or a Voice Agent?
Every Mac already has Dictation. Apple’s guide states that with Dictation you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type it, and it ships with macOS at no extra charge. Cue is a separate desktop voice agent: its voice typing lands in supported apps with cleanup for the place it lands, and the same app adds Agent requests from selected text and bot-free meeting capture. This page lays out what each one actually does, from Apple’s own documentation and Cue’s published facts, so you can decide whether the built-in feature is enough.
Dictated text is shaped for the app it lands in, an Agent request can rewrite, summarize or translate what you select, and the same app captures meetings without a bot.
It is built into macOS, needs no install, and Apple’s guide describes spoken punctuation, formatting commands, multiple languages and automatic punctuation in supported languages.
Pick the job you need now
These are entry points into the same Cue product, account, download, and pricing.
Start from the task on screen
Speak a request and use the current desktop context to prepare work you can review.
Explore Voice Agent workflows →Turn speech into text
Choose your desktop and start with the field where you are already typing.
Capture notes without a bot
Start the desktop capture when you choose, see a progressive transcript, then review structured notes.
Explore meeting notes →Side-by-side workflow comparison
Swipe the table to compare Cue and Apple Dictation →
| Workflow | Cue | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Desktop voice agent. Voice typing in supported apps, Agent requests from selected text, and desktop meeting capture you review. | A built-in macOS text-entry feature. Apple’s guide states you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type it. |
| How you start | Focus an editable field in a supported app, use the Dictation shortcut shown in your installed version (Option by default on macOS, Right Alt on Windows), speak, then check the inserted text before continuing. | Apple’s guide says to enable Dictation in System Settings › Keyboard, then press the Microphone key if available, use the Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit › Start Dictation, and speak when the cursor pulses or you hear the tone. |
| What happens to your words | Cue shapes dictated text for the place it lands: readable punctuation, paragraphs and concise phrasing before it is inserted. Check names, numbers and meaning before relying on it. | Apple’s guide states that Dictation inserts commas, periods and question marks automatically in supported languages, and that in macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence an on-device model improves spelling, punctuation and capitalization in English on M3 and later Macs with at least 12GB of unified memory. |
| Commands and edits | Dictation inserts spoken text; a separate Agent request (Fn by default on macOS, Left Alt on Windows) handles an explicit job such as rewriting a reply, summarizing a paragraph or translating selected text. You review the result before using it. | Apple’s commands page lists spoken punctuation, “new line”, “new paragraph”, capitalization, number, currency and emoji commands, and notes that ambiguous words are underlined for you to pick an alternative. Voice Control is a separate feature; standard Dictation is unavailable while it is on. |
| Where processing happens | Cue’s published Gemma 4 case study measured a lower-latency on-device text-polish step, while cloud speech-to-text remained in the path. Read Cue’s privacy policy for current data handling. | Apple’s guide states that Keyboard settings show whether general text Dictation is processed on the device rather than on Siri servers, that dictation in a search box is excluded, and that Apple asks whether to share audio recordings to improve Siri and Dictation. |
| Session length | Use the shortcut as your installed version shows, wait for processing, then check the field before retrying so nothing is inserted twice. | Apple’s guide states you can dictate text of any length without a timeout, and that Dictation stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds. |
| Languages | Check the languages offered in your installed version and test a short sentence in your language before relying on it. | Apple’s guide states Dictation is not available in all languages or regions and features vary, and that you can set up several languages and switch between them while dictating. |
| Meetings and recordings | A desktop recorder you start, with nothing joining the participant list. A progressive transcript appears during longer sessions, and structured notes with action items are prepared after you stop. | Not stated on the Dictation pages checked. Dictation is documented as a text-entry feature, not a recorder. |
| Current platforms | macOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or later. | Included with macOS. Apple’s guide offers versions from macOS High Sierra through macOS 27, and availability varies by version, language and region. |
| Starting plan | Cue is free to start. Cue Plus is $19.99/month. | Part of macOS. No separate price is stated on the pages checked. |
| Best fit | You want dictated text cleaned up for the app it lands in, plus Agent requests and meeting capture in one desktop app. | You want the built-in feature with nothing to install, and a plain transcript of what you say is enough. |
What Apple Dictation does well
Apple Dictation is already there, which is a real advantage. Apple’s guide describes a feature that works anywhere you can type on the Mac, starts from the Microphone key or a shortcut you choose, inserts commas, periods and question marks automatically in supported languages, and takes spoken commands for punctuation, formatting, capitalization, numbers, currency symbols and emoji. You can set up several languages and switch between them mid-sentence, dictate without a timeout, and on Apple silicon keep typing while you speak. Apple also documents where processing happens: Keyboard settings show whether general text Dictation stays on the device, and you decide whether to share audio recordings with Apple. In macOS 27, Apple states that an on-device Apple Intelligence model improves spelling, punctuation and capitalization in English on M3 and later Macs with at least 12GB of unified memory. If a faithful transcript of what you said is the whole job, that is a complete answer at no extra cost.
Cue starts from the same moment, a cursor in a text field, and treats it as the beginning of a task. Dictated text is shaped for where it lands, so a Slack reply and a formal email do not come out the same, and you check the inserted result before continuing. When the text needs more than transcription, you select it and make a separate Agent request to rewrite, summarize or translate, then review the draft. The same desktop app captures a meeting from a recorder you start yourself, with nothing joining the participant list, and runs on Windows as well as the Mac. The two can coexist: Apple’s Dictation shortcut belongs to macOS, and Cue has its own shortcut settings. The honest question is whether you want a transcript or a starting point.
Official Apple Dictation sources
Apple Dictation details above were checked on November 7, 2026. Features, plans and platform availability can change, so verify the current source before deciding.
- Dictate messages and documents on Mac (Apple Support, macOS 27 guide) — Enabling Dictation, starting and stopping it, the 30-second silence stop, automatic punctuation, on-device processing shown in Keyboard settings, audio-sharing choice, multiple languages, and the Apple Intelligence note for M3 and later Macs with at least 12GB of unified memory.
- Commands for dictating text on Mac (Apple Support) — The spoken punctuation, typography, formatting, capitalization, mathematical, currency, emoticon and intellectual-property commands, and the note that standard Dictation is unavailable while Voice Control is on.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Apple Dictation or Cue on my Mac?
Use Apple Dictation when you want the built-in feature and a plain transcript of what you say is enough. Apple’s guide states it works anywhere you can type, supports spoken commands and automatic punctuation in supported languages, and costs nothing extra. Use Cue when the dictated text should be shaped for the app it lands in, when you want to select text and make an Agent request to rewrite, summarize or translate it, or when the same app should also capture meetings without a bot. Cue runs on macOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or later.
Do I have to turn off Apple Dictation to use Cue?
No. The two can coexist. The Dictation shortcut configured in macOS Keyboard settings belongs to Apple’s feature, and Cue has its own shortcut settings, with Option as the default Dictation shortcut on macOS. Focus an editable field in a supported app, use Cue’s shortcut, speak, and check the inserted text. If Apple’s Dictation starts instead, check which shortcut each one is using.
Does Apple Dictation process speech on the device?
Apple’s guide states that Keyboard settings show whether your voice inputs and transcripts for general text Dictation are processed on your device rather than on Siri servers, that dictation in a search box is excluded, and that you are asked whether to share audio recordings to improve Siri and Dictation. Check that setting on your own Mac. For Cue, the published Gemma 4 case study measured an on-device text-polish step while cloud speech-to-text remained in the path, and Cue’s privacy policy describes current data handling.
Is Cue free?
Cue is free to start. Cue Plus is $19.99/month. Cue runs on macOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or later, and the same account covers voice typing in supported apps, Agent requests and desktop meeting capture. Apple Dictation is part of macOS, and its availability varies by version, language and region, so check Apple’s guide for your macOS version.
Start with the workflow you need
Keep the built-in feature for quick transcripts, or start a desktop task from the same cursor.
Download free ← Back to alternativesTry a workflow you can check
For Cue, follow the voice typing tutorial: it gives you a checkable practice sentence, the default shortcuts, and recovery steps for when text does not appear. This is a Cue exercise, not a head-to-head benchmark or evidence that one product is better.