Aqua Voice vs Google Docs voice typing on Mac in 2026: prices and privacy

Aqua Voice and Google Docs voice typing side by side

These two tools share one job: turning your speech into text. They differ on almost everything around that job. Google's version lives inside Google Docs. Aqua Voice is a separate app for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Lazur is a different kind of product, a voice assistant that also dictates. Read the table near the end, then jump to the section that fits your work.

How Google Docs voice typing works on a Mac

Open a document in Google Docs in Chrome, Edge or Safari. Then choose Tools > Voice typing. Click the microphone to start speaking. Click it again to stop. The words land in the document as you speak.

Google's help page says the feature works with the latest versions of those three browsers. It also says your text goes to Google Docs or Google Slides. So it is built for Google's own editors, not for Notes, Mail or Slack. That single fact shapes the whole decision.

Voice commands work too, such as formatting and editing commands. Those run only in English. Your account language and your document language both have to be English. If either one is set to another language, the commands are not supported.

Where Google Docs voice typing falls short

• English only for voice commands. Google's help page says voice commands are available only in English.
• Language settings must match. Your account language and document language both have to be English.
• Tables have a size cap. Voice commands can create tables of 1 to 20 rows and 1 to 20 columns.
• The browser handles speech. Google says your browser controls the speech-to-text service and decides how speech is processed.
• An admin can switch it off. If your organization turned the feature off, you will not see it working.

Those limits matter most if you write in other languages or draft outside Google's apps. They matter less if you write long English documents in Docs every day.

Take a long English report written in Google Docs. Voice typing fits that job well, as long as the language settings match. Switch the document or account to another language and the voice commands stop working. Then dictate the text, and make your formatting changes by hand.

Where Aqua Voice is the stronger pick

Aqua Voice works outside Google Docs and across four platforms. It lists Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Its Android app needs Android 10 or later from Google Play.

Its main features include Dictation, Edit Mode, Realtime Mode, Deep Context, Aqua Pet, MCP, CLI and API. Realtime Mode and voice commands sit on the Max plan. Custom instructions and a personal dictionary sit on Pro. Those extras matter if you dictate names, jargon or code.

Aqua's own reviews page quotes Wirecutter from June 22, 2026. The quote says: 'Aqua Voice was the only app we tested that reliably recognized dictated code.' The same summary lists two limits. Text can go missing in longer sessions, and the dictionary sometimes swaps in words you did not want.

A 9to5Mac review, as Aqua summarizes it, says Aqua 'just works'. The same summary says the reviewer raised privacy and connectivity concerns, and flagged cost. Treat the praise as a lead, not a verdict.

The Google help page I read describes no custom dictionary and no custom instructions. If you want more control over how your text is cleaned up, that gap favors Aqua.

Pricing: what Aqua Voice charges and what Google does not say

Aqua Voice prices live on its pricing page at aquavoice.com. The older withaqua.com address redirects there with a 308 response. The table below copies the plans as the page showed them when I checked on 2026-11-09.

Pro billed annually costs $24 a year less than month to month. That is $2 a month, or $24 over a year. Business needs at least 2 seats, and the page says to contact sales for 100 or more.

Students get 70% off Pro and Max with a school email address. On Pro, that works out to $3 a month billed annually, or $3.60 month to month.

Google's pages do not state a price for voice typing. The help page says nothing about cost, and the Google Workspace Docs page lists no prices. I could not confirm a price, so check their pricing page before you assume it is free.

Worked example: what the 1,000 free words covers

Say you dictate 500 words a day into email and notes. The free plan allows 1,000 words in total. That is two days of your habit, and then the allowance is gone.

Over a 30-day month, 500 words a day adds up to 15,000 words. The pricing page lists unlimited dictation for Pro, so the paid plan is the realistic option for daily use.

Business changes the math for teams. Five seats at $19 per seat per month, billed annually, comes to $95 a month, or $1,140 a year. Check that figure against your team size and whether you need single sign-on.

Privacy settings for Aqua Voice and Google Docs

Aqua's privacy policy hinges on one setting, Privacy Mode. With Privacy Mode off, the policy says "we securely store dictation audio and transcript data on our servers."

With Privacy Mode on, the policy says "we do not store your dictation audio or transcript data on our servers." The exception is a dictation attached to feedback. Turn Privacy Mode on before you dictate client notes or anything private.

Meeting audio is different. The policy keeps Notetaker meeting audio and transcripts "until you delete them," even when Privacy Mode is enabled. Delete recordings you no longer need.

The policy also leaves gaps. It does not say whether customer data trains AI models. It does not mention encryption, and its security section describes safeguards only in general terms. Put those questions to the company before you rely on it for sensitive work.

The pricing page claims SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, plus GDPR and HIPAA compliance. It says a business associate agreement is signed in the app on Max and Business. Business also lists Zero Data Retention. These are company claims, so ask for the reports before you rely on them.

Google's help page says your web browser controls the speech-to-text service. It says the browser determines how your speech is processed, then sends the text to Google Docs or Google Slides. It does not describe how long anything is kept or whether it is used for training. Some third-party blogs say Chrome sends audio to Google. I did not verify those claims, so I leave them out.

Lazur's product facts say it listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Audio and the screenshot go to AI providers to answer you. They are not stored, and content is never used to train AI models.

Offline use and internet needs

Aqua's FAQ says cloud dictation needs an internet connection. It adds that offline availability varies by platform, app version and mode. Check the behavior on your own Mac before you plan around a flight.

Google's help page does not say whether voice typing works offline. The browser handles speech-to-text, so assume it needs a connection until you test it. Turn off Wi-Fi in an empty document and see what happens.

Lazur's product facts do not cover offline use, so test that before you rely on it.

Where Lazur fits in this comparison

Lazur is a voice assistant for Mac. It lives in the notch and helps you get work done in any app. It is not a dictation app first, and it is not a Google Docs feature.

Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about anything on screen. Lazur answers out loud. Ask where something is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it. Ask how to do something, and Lazur guides you one click at a time, waiting for each click.

For text, hold fn to dictate clean, formatted text at the cursor in any app. Lazur also keeps snippets, a personal dictionary and clipboard slots. Dictation is included, but it is not the headline.

Aqua Voice and Lazur both dictate, but they split the work differently. Aqua puts dictation first. Lazur puts the assistant first and dictation second. If you mostly dictate into one app, the features you use every day matter more than the headline price.

Lazur does not click buttons, edit files or operate other apps for you. It is not a plugin or add-in for any app, and it has no partnerships with app makers. Lazur is Mac only for now. Windows is planned, not available.

Lazur's Pro plan costs $18 a month, or $15 a month billed annually, and includes 150 AI actions. The Power plan costs $120 a month, or $96 a month billed annually, and includes 1,000 AI actions. Dictation is unlimited on both. A 3-day Pro trial needs no credit card and starts when you first open the app.

For a head-to-head with Aqua, read the Lazur vs Aqua Voice comparison. It covers the same questions from Lazur's side.

Which one should you pick

• Pick Google Docs voice typing if you write English documents in Google Docs or Slides, in Chrome, Edge or Safari.
• Pick Aqua Voice if you dictate outside Google's editors, use more than one platform, or want custom instructions and a personal dictionary.
• Pick Aqua Voice Max if you need Realtime Mode or voice commands. Check the Business terms if you need team controls.
• Pick Lazur if you want a Mac voice assistant that can see your screen, answer out loud and dictate when you hold fn.
• Pick more than one if you split your day between Docs writing and general Mac work. The tools do different jobs.

Mistakes to avoid when comparing these tools

• Treating Aqua's free plan as monthly. The FAQ allowance is 1,000 words in total.
• Assuming voice commands work in any language. Google's help page says English only.
• Reading a company-curated review page as independent. Aqua says it is not an independent assessment.
• Ignoring Privacy Mode. With it off, Aqua stores dictation audio and transcripts on its servers.
• Testing with one short sentence. Aqua's own summary flags missing text in longer sessions, so test a full paragraph.
• Comparing Lazur Pro with Aqua Pro as if they buy the same thing. Lazur adds an assistant and actions.

How to test both tools in one afternoon

1. Open a Google Doc in Chrome, then choose Tools > Voice typing. Read a paragraph aloud and note every word that comes out wrong.
2. Install Aqua Voice from aquavoice.com. Start the free plan, then dictate the same paragraph into the app you use most.
3. Count the fixes you made in each. Look at punctuation, names and numbers, since those cause the most edits.
4. Check Privacy Mode in Aqua's settings before you dictate anything private.
5. For a structured check, compare both results with the dictation accuracy checker.

What to do next

If Google Docs is your main writing tool, start with Tools > Voice typing and see how far it gets you. If you need dictation across apps, test Aqua Voice on its free plan first. If you want an assistant for your whole Mac, try Lazur from the download page.

Read the Google Docs voice typing alternatives if neither tool fits your privacy rules. Check the Aqua Voice alternatives page for four other apps compared on price and privacy.