Choosing between Cue and Willow for your Mac? Willow is a capable voice dictation tool that transcribes your speech into text. Cue starts with high-quality dictation and goes much further, acting as a voice AI agent that understands your screen context to execute complex tasks for you.
While Willow transcribes your voice, Cue acts on your commands. Press the Fn key and tell Cue to 'summarize this article and draft an email to my team.' Cue sees your screen, understands the context, and completes the multi-step task without you typing anything.
Cue is built to work system-wide on your Mac. Whether you're in a code editor, a browser, or a design tool, Cue can interact with the active app. You don't need to install or manage separate plugins to get things done.
Cue can write code, run scripts, manage your files, and generate reports based on your voice commands. For example, you can select a data file and ask Cue to 'create a bar chart from this data and save it to my desktop.' This level of automation is outside the scope of a standard dictation app.
Cue understands what's on your screen, what text you've selected, and which app you're using. This allows it to perform relevant actions with high accuracy. Instead of just typing what you say, Cue understands what you mean and what you want to accomplish.
| Feature | Cue | Willow |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Voice AI Agent + Dictation | Voice Dictation |
| Screen Context Awareness | Yes | No |
| Multi-step Task Automation | Yes | No |
| Works in Any App | Yes, no plugins needed | Yes |
| Free Plan | Unlimited dictation, 20 agent credits/day | Varies by plan |
| Privacy | History stored locally, no screenshots uploaded | Varies by service |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS |
They hear what you said.
Cue sees what you're doing.
And does the thing, in any app.
No, Cue is a different category of tool. While both offer dictation, Cue is an AI agent designed to perform tasks and automate your work. You can use Cue for simple dictation just like Willow, but its real power is in understanding commands and interacting with your apps.
Yes. Cue's free plan includes unlimited dictation in over 20 languages, plus 20 free agent credits every day. This allows you to use both the dictation and the AI agent features without a subscription.
Cue is designed with privacy as a priority. All your history is stored locally on your Mac, and screenshots are processed on your device and never uploaded to the cloud. This ensures your on-screen data remains private.
Absolutely. Cue has a dedicated dictation mode, activated by pressing the Option key. It provides fast, accurate voice-to-text in any app. You get a top-tier dictation tool for free, with the option to explore powerful AI agent features whenever you're ready.
If you need a simple tool for voice-to-text, Willow is a capable option. But if you want to transform how you work on your Mac by using your voice to automate tasks, control your apps, and get more done, Cue is the clear choice. Download Cue for free and experience the power of a true voice AI agent.