Nerd-Dictation Alternative for Wayland | Linux Speech-to-Text Comparison
Description: Looking for a nerd-dictation alternative for Wayland? Compare Voxtype with nerd-dictation, Speech Note, Blurt, and other Linux speech-to-text tools. Honest feature comparison.
Keywords: nerd-dictation alternative, speech to text linux wayland, wayland voice dictation, whisper linux, offline speech recognition linux, hyprland voice typing, sway dictation

## Quick Comparison

Tool | Engine | Offline | GPU | Wayland | CJK Output | Any Desktop | Setup
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Voxtype | Whisper | Yes | Vulkan/CUDA | Native | Yes (wtype) | Yes | Easy
Vocalinux | Whisper | Yes | No | Yes | No (ydotool) | Yes | Medium
Nerd-dictation | VOSK | Yes | No | Via ydotool | No (ydotool) | Yes | Medium
Speech Note | Multi | Yes | CUDA only | Yes | Yes (clipboard) | GUI app | Easy
Blurt | Whisper | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (clipboard) | GNOME only | Medium
WhisperWriter | Whisper | Yes | CUDA only | Partial | Varies | Yes | Medium
Numen Voice | VOSK | Yes | No | Yes | Varies | Yes | Hard
ibus-speech-to-text | VOSK | Yes | No | Varies | Yes (IBus) | IBus req. | Hard
hyprwhspr | Whisper | Yes | CUDA | Native | Yes (wl-copy) | Arch/Hyprland | Easy
waystt | Whisper | Optional | No | Native | Varies | Yes | Medium
VoxInput | LocalAI | Via LocalAI | Via LocalAI | Yes | Varies | Yes | Hard
VOXD | Whisper | Yes | No | Yes | No (ydotool) | Yes | Medium

## Which Tool Should You Use?

### Korean, Chinese, Japanese

Need to dictate in CJK languages?

Voxtype on Wayland - one of the only tools that correctly outputs CJK characters. Uses wtype for native text injection. Most alternatives rely on ydotool which cannot type non-ASCII characters. (Note: CJK output requires Wayland; X11 falls back to ydotool.)

### Hyprland / Sway Users

Want native compositor keybindings?

Voxtype - use `bind`/`bindr` or `bindsym --release` for push-to-talk. No `input` group required. Bind any key combo like `Super+V`.

### Any Linux Desktop

Using GNOME, KDE, or other desktops?

Voxtype - works on Wayland and X11 with kernel-level hotkey detection. Optimized for Wayland.

### GNOME Users

Running GNOME Shell?

Blurt - native GNOME extension. Note: clipboard-only (requires paste).

### KDE Plasma Users

KDE has no built-in STT.

Voxtype - works perfectly on KDE Wayland with full features.

### File Transcription

Need to transcribe recordings?

Speech Note - GUI app with multiple engines and file import.

### Accessibility

Need hands-free computer control?

Numen Voice - designed for full voice control, not just dictation.

### Hackers & Tinkerers

Want to customize everything?

Nerd-dictation - single Python file with powerful hooks.

### Cross-Platform

Use Windows and Linux?

WhisperWriter - Python app that works on both platforms.

### Tiling WM + Waybar

Want status bar integration?

Voxtype - built-in Waybar module shows recording state. Runs as systemd service.

## Whisper vs VOSK

The two main offline speech recognition engines

### Whisper (OpenAI)

Maximum accuracy

- + Superior accuracy (95-99%)
- + 99+ languages from one model
- + Automatic punctuation & caps
- + Handles accents beautifully
- - Higher CPU usage
- - Larger models (300MB-6GB)

Used by: Voxtype, Blurt, WhisperWriter, Speech Note

### VOSK (Alpha Cephei)

Lightweight & fast

- + Very lightweight (~50MB/language)
- + Low CPU usage
- + Real-time streaming
- + Works on Raspberry Pi
- - Lower accuracy (85-95%)
- - All lowercase output

Used by: Nerd-dictation, Numen, ibus-speech-to-text, Speech Note

## Detailed Comparisons

Deep dives into how Voxtype compares with each alternative

### Voxtype vs Nerd-dictation

Whisper accuracy vs VOSK hackability. Daemon vs manual activation.

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### Voxtype vs Blurt

Both use Whisper. Desktop-agnostic vs GNOME-native.

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### Voxtype vs Speech Note

Push-to-talk daemon vs GUI transcription suite.

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### Voxtype vs Numen Voice

Dictation vs full hands-free computer control.

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### Voxtype vs WhisperWriter

Linux-native vs cross-platform Python app.

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### Voxtype vs Vocalinux

Daemon vs foreground. Both have audio feedback and cursor injection.

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### Voxtype vs hyprwhspr

Both Whisper-based. Universal vs Arch/Hyprland-focused.

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### Voxtype vs waystt

Both Rust. Daemon vs signal-driven. Offline vs cloud default.

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### Voxtype vs VoxInput

Embedded Whisper vs LocalAI API. Simple vs flexible.

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### Voxtype vs VOXD

CLI daemon vs multi-UI app. Both use whisper.cpp offline.

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### All These Tools Respect Your Privacy

Every tool compared here supports fully offline operation. Your voice never leaves your computer. No cloud accounts, no subscriptions, no data collection. This is how speech recognition should work.

## Ready to Try Voxtype?

Hold a key. Speak. Release. Your words appear at the cursor.

Install Voxtype View Source