The Typeless alternative — for people who care about privacy, price, or speak two languages

ListenIn and Typeless do the same core job: hold a key, talk, and clean written text lands wherever your cursor is. If you're weighing a switch, here is the honest version of where each one wins — including where Typeless is still ahead.

The short answer

Side by side

ListenInTypeless
Monthly price$12/mo$30/mo
Yearly price$96/yr — $8/mo$144/yr — $12/mo
Lifetime$149 once
Free tier8,000 words/week · no account8,000 words/week · account required
Account requiredNeverYes
Audio pathApple speech engine only — audio never reaches ListenIn serversCloud processing
Mixed 中文 + EnglishCore strength — tuned for code-switchingEnglish-first
Bring your own modelAny API key, or local Ollama (zero-cloud)
Learns your correctionsFix a word once — it lands in your dictionary automatically
Prompt mode for AI codingDedicated key → structured prompt into Claude Code / CursorSimilar mode available
Track recordNewer, indieLonger-established, bigger team

Switching takes about three minutes

  1. Download ListenIn and drag it to Applications.
  2. Grant microphone + accessibility permissions (the onboarding walks you through it).
  3. Hold fn and speak. There's no account migration — because there's no account.

Frequently asked

Is ListenIn a good Typeless alternative?

Yes, if you want the same speak-anywhere dictation with cleanup, but without creating an account, at a lower price ($12/mo vs $30/mo), with true Chinese-English mixed-speech support. Typeless remains a fine choice for English-only users who want a more established product.

Do I need an account to use ListenIn?

No. The free tier (8,000 cleaned words per week) works without an account or email. Audio never reaches ListenIn servers — recognition runs on Apple’s speech engine and only recognized text goes to cleanup.

How does ListenIn handle mixed Chinese and English?

Mixed speech is ListenIn’s home turf: the cleanup layer is tuned for zh-en code-switching, keeps English terms in English inside Chinese sentences, and repairs sound-alike recognition errors in both languages.

Can I switch from Typeless in a few minutes?

Yes. Download the DMG, grant microphone and accessibility permissions, pick your trigger key (fn by default), and dictate. There is no account migration because there is no account.

Want the wider picture? See the full comparison with superwhisper and Wispr Flow, or read exactly what leaves your Mac and what never does.