Handy is free, MIT-licensed, local, and runs on Linux too. If you are comfortable setting it up, it may well be all you need — and this page will not pretend otherwise. What follows is what the $4.99 is for.
Both hold a key, transcribe on your own machine, and type into whatever has focus. Nothing is uploaded by either. The difference is not the concept; it is how much of the last mile is already done.
| Handy | VocalCode | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, MIT | $4.99 once |
| Recognition | Local | Local |
| Linux | Yes | Windows & macOS only |
| Source you can read | All of it | Closed |
| Setup | Hands-on: permissions, model downloads, paste-method tweaks | Installer, then a language picker |
| Signed installers | Varies by build | Authenticode + Apple-notarised |
| Updates | Fetch a new release yourself | One button, hash-verified |
| Chinese | Whisper-quality | Paraformer, native |
…you are on Linux, you want to read and change the source, or you enjoy the setup. It is a good project and it is genuinely free — "free" here is not a trial or a loss-leader.
We charge for the boring half: code signing, notarisation, an updater that verifies what it downloads, a first-run that asks one question, and a Chinese model that is not an afterthought. If none of that is worth $4.99 to you, Handy is right there and we would rather you used it than resented us.