Willow, the AI dictation app, has launched two new speech-to-text models: Frontier Mini, a free and unlimited tier, and Frontier Pro, a faster, more accurate paid model aimed at power users. The company announced both this week, positioning Frontier Mini as free cloud dictation that it claims outpaces existing tools on speed and accuracy.
What This Enables
If you draft blog posts, scripts, emails, or code comments by voice, Frontier Mini gives you unlimited dictation without a subscription. Install the Mac, Windows, or iOS app, then dictate directly into any text field: your editor, a browser, Slack, or an AI coding IDE like Cursor. The free BASIC plan runs the Frontier Mini model with no credit card and no usage cap, so you can replace paid dictation in your writing or coding workflow today and only upgrade if you need the sharper Pro model.
Why It Matters for Creators
Voice input is one of the fastest ways to get a rough draft down, and dictation has become a staple for writers and developers who narrate notes and code. Willow claims Frontier Mini is more accurate and faster than Wispr Flow, OpenAI, and Deepgram, though those benchmarks are vendor-stated and not independently verified. A free unlimited tier still pressures the category, since rivals charge monthly for what Willow now offers at no cost. Independent tool trackers have already begun listing Frontier Mini as a free Wispr Flow alternative.
Key Details
Models: Frontier Mini (free, unlimited, cloud-based) and Frontier Pro (paid, described as the smartest and fastest tier).
Pricing: Free BASIC plan with Frontier Mini; Individual PRO at $15 per month (or $12 per month billed annually) unlocks Frontier Pro, unlimited Scribe cleanup, and longer dictation.
Privacy: Cloud-based with zero data retention. Enterprise plans add SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance.
Platforms: Mac, Windows, and iOS, with Android listed as coming soon. Earlier independent reviews of Willow noted roughly 200ms transcription latency and support inside AI IDEs.
What to Do Next
Download the free BASIC plan and test Frontier Mini against your current dictation tool on a real task, like narrating a first draft or dictating commit messages. If the accuracy holds up, keep the free tier; if you dictate for hours a day, compare Frontier Pro on the paid trial. For a terminal-first alternative, see our coverage of Gladia's Solaria speech-to-text CLI.
