Last updated: 2026-07-01
Contextli is a privacy-first voice dictation tool that formats spoken input for the exact app you're using, turning a Gmail dictation into an email draft and a Slack dictation into a chat message automatically. It runs fully offline via on-device Whisper for teams in regulated industries, and ships desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux plus a Chrome extension.
About Contextli
Contextli is a context-aware voice dictation platform developed by Ertiqah, launched in 2024. Unlike basic transcription tools that convert speech to raw text requiring manual editing, Contextli applies AI to format the output appropriately for the destination application. Speaking into Gmail produces a properly formatted email draft. Speaking into Slack produces a concise message. Speaking into GitHub produces code comment or issue body text. The formatting intelligence is what removes the manual cleanup pass that makes most raw speech-to-text tools impractical for daily professional use. The platform works via a hotkey: users press the shortcut, speak naturally, and the formatted output auto-pastes into the active application. It supports many applications including Gmail, Slack, Teams, Notion, GitHub, and VS Code, covering most professional workflows without app switching. Custom contexts let users create persona-specific AI prompts that match their voice and workflow requirements, such as a support agent tone, developer documentation style, or sales email format. Contextli prioritizes privacy through a local processing option using Whisper on the user's device, meaning no voice data passes through Contextli's servers. When connecting to AI providers for formatting, it integrates directly with OpenAI, Anthropic, or Deepgram via the user's own API keys. This bring-your-own-key model gives privacy-conscious users direct control over where their data goes. The platform is available as native desktop apps for the three major operating systems, plus a Chrome extension, making it one of the few AI voice tools with genuine cross-platform coverage. A free tier is available without a credit card, alongside a one-time lifetime license option. Users report that Contextli allows communication up to 3 times faster than typing. Contextli competes with Whisper-based tools, Superwhisper, and browser-based dictation, but its context-aware formatting and multi-app coverage with local processing distinguish it.
Pricing
Free tier: credits refresh monthly at no cost, no credit card required. A one-time lifetime purchase is also offered instead of paying monthly. Pricing for any paid tier above Free has not been made public as of this review.
Key Features
- Context-Aware Formatting: Formats spoken input for the specific destination app automatically: emails in Gmail receive email structure, Slack messages get message formatting, GitHub gets technical prose.
- 40+ App Integration via Hotkey: Works in Gmail, Slack, Teams, Notion, GitHub, VS Code, and 40+ other applications via a single keyboard shortcut, with output auto-pasted without switching windows.
- Local Offline Processing: Offers full offline functionality using on-device Whisper processing with no data sent to Contextli servers, providing strong privacy guarantees for sensitive communications.
- Custom Contexts: Users create named AI prompt presets that define output style (support agent tone, developer documentation format, sales email voice) applied per-use-case on demand.
- Bring Your Own API Key: Integrates directly with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Deepgram via user-supplied keys, routing AI formatting requests through the user's provider accounts rather than Contextli infrastructure.
Pros
- Local offline processing with on-device Whisper is a rare privacy feature in AI voice tools, especially critical for professionals handling confidential communications in regulated industries.
- The formatting step disappears entirely: what Contextli produces is paste-ready in the destination app's own style, not a raw transcript you still have to rewrite by hand.
- Desktop-first coverage plus a browser extension beats tools locked to a single OS or a single browser, a rarer combination than it should be in this category.
Cons
- There's no published price for anything past the free tier, so shoppers have to sign up or reach out directly to learn the cost, unlike Superwhisper which lists its pricing in the open.
- Formatting quality depends on AI model accuracy for context detection, meaning unusual app environments or non-standard writing scenarios may produce incorrectly structured output.
- No iOS or Android app limits the tool to desktop workflows, excluding professionals who dictate on mobile devices while commuting or working remotely from a phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Contextli actually cost?
Contextli's only published price point is its free tier, which needs no credit card. A one-time lifetime license is also on offer as an alternative to a recurring plan. Paid-tier pricing has not been disclosed publicly, so the only way to see it is to create an account or contact Contextli's team. Bring-your-own-key users additionally cover their own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Deepgram API costs on top of whatever Contextli tier they're on.
What do you get on Contextli's free tier?
Contextli's free tier includes 100 credits a month that refresh automatically, enough for light daily dictation, with nothing to enter upfront. It does not include the paid tier's higher credit ceiling, and bring-your-own-key formatting still needs your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Deepgram key even on the free plan. A one-time lifetime license is offered as an alternative to any recurring plan.
What are Contextli's closest competitors?
Superwhisper is the closest desktop competitor, macOS-only and priced around $12/month with published pricing, unlike Contextli's unlisted paid tier. Google AI Edge Eloquent is a free alternative for iPhone users who only need on-device dictation without cross-app formatting. Developers who want to build their own speech-to-text pipeline can go directly to an API provider like Deepgram instead of a hotkey app.
Is Contextli better than Superwhisper?
Superwhisper publishes its price openly and works on macOS only, while Contextli also runs natively on Windows and Linux and adds a browser extension for Chrome. Superwhisper focuses on raw dictation and light cleanup, whereas Contextli's context-aware layer reformats the same words differently depending on whether you're writing a Gmail draft or a Slack message. Contextli also offers a fully offline local-processing mode and a one-time lifetime license option that Superwhisper does not.
How do you set up Contextli?
Download the desktop app or Chrome extension from contextli.com and create an account on the free tier. Set a hotkey, then dictate into a few different apps like Gmail and Slack to watch the formatting adjust for each one automatically. Add a custom context for a recurring use case, such as a support-ticket tone or documentation style, and connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Deepgram key if cloud-based formatting is preferred over the local Whisper option.
Top Alternatives
- Google AI Edge Eloquent: Google AI Edge Eloquent covers iPhone-only, on-device dictation for free, with no cross-app formatting. Contextli works the desktop instead, reformatting the same dictated words differently depending on whether the target is a Gmail draft or a Slack message.
- Deepgram: Deepgram is a developer API for building a speech-to-text product from scratch. Contextli is the finished app: a hotkey that formats dictation for Gmail, Slack, and dozens of other tools without a line of code.