You talk. It types.
Free, open-source dictation that runs entirely on your Mac.
No cloud, no account, no subscription.
v1.22.3 · 17 MB · macOS 14+
Most dictation apps ship a browser pretending to be an app. Pindrop is Swift, SwiftUI, and CoreML, straight onto the Neural Engine.
Neural Engine, not CPU
On Apple Silicon, transcription runs on dedicated ML hardware. Cooler, quieter, and kinder to your battery than CPU-bound Whisper ports.
Memory-mapped models
Models page in from disk instead of squatting on the heap. No sandbox memory ceiling, no GC pauses.
A short audio path
Microphone to CoreML with no JS, WASM, or Electron in between. Engines prewarm at launch, so first words don't wait.
Five engines. Your call.
All local. Accuracy, latency, languages, or zero setup: pick the tradeoff per use, not per subscription tier.
Powers live dictation: words appear as you speak, with tentative text that settles into place. Prewarmed at launch.
The accuracy pick for recordings. Every Whisper size up to large-v3 turbo, on the Neural Engine.
Near-instant transcription with standout accuracy, via CoreML ports.
Ultra-fast multilingual recognition with built-in punctuation.
The system recognizer. Nothing extra to download.
While you speak
One hotkey, any app
Toggle or push-to-talk from wherever you're typing. There is a cancel hotkey too.
Words land live
Streaming transcription in the indicator of your choice: the Orb, a pill, a flash under the notch, or a bubble at your caret.
Types straight into the field
Direct Unicode insertion wherever your cursor is. Dvorak-safe, VM-safe.
Knows your vocabulary
A custom dictionary with match modes biases recognition toward the terms you actually say.
After you stop
A real Library
Every dictation is searchable, replayable, editable, and exportable.
Meetings and media
Transcribe recordings and imported files; diarization labels who said what, and trained voices stay recognized.
Optional AI cleanup
Polish transcripts with your own API key, or fully locally via Ollama or LM Studio.
Notes and stats
Spoken notes with checklists, plus streaks, word counts, and trends.
Wednesday, July 15
You spoke 42,118 words this week.
4 h 12 m of dictation — about 14 h saved over typing it out.
the Home view · every number on this screen lives on your Mac
What leaves your Mac
Short answer: nothing you didn't send yourself.
Transcribed on-device, then kept locally or discarded. Retention is your setting, not ours.
A SwiftData store in Application Support. Search it, export it, delete it.
Off. Stays off until you opt in, and never includes transcript content.
Optional. Run it locally with Ollama or LM Studio, or bring your own API key.
All of it, MIT-licensed, on GitHub. Audit the claims yourself.
How it compares
| Feature | Pindrop | Handy | OpenWhispr | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free & Open Source | Free (MIT) | Free + $6.67/user/mo Pro | Free + $8.49/mo · $84.99/yr · $249.99 lifetime |
| Platform | macOS 14+ | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS 12+, Windows 10+, Linux | macOS, Windows, iOS |
| App framework | Swift / SwiftUI | Rust / Tauri | Electron / React | Proprietary native apps |
| ML Engine | 5 local engines | Whisper / Parakeet | Whisper / Parakeet / cloud | Whisper / Parakeet / cloud |
| Transcription Log | ||||
| AI Enhancement | Experimental | |||
| Custom Vocabulary | ||||
| Diarization | — | Business+ | ||
| Media Transcription | — | |||
| Push-to-Talk | ||||
| Direct Text Insert | Clipboard / direct input | |||
| Open Source | MIT | MIT | MIT | — |
So quiet, you can hear a pin drop.
Your voice, your Mac, your transcripts. Nobody else in the room.