v1.0 — 100% on-device, free forever

Speak. It types.
Nothing leaves your Mac.

VoiceType is a private, lightning-fast voice-to-text dictation app for macOS. Hold a key, speak naturally, and watch your words appear in any app — powered by Whisper running locally on Apple Silicon.

Download for macOS.dmgSee how it works

macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon only (M1/M2/M3/M4) · ~37 MB

VoiceType — ListeningREC
> Hey, can you draft a quick email to the design team thanking them for the new icon set and asking when we can expect the next batch
Hold Control to dictatePowered by whisper.cpp · Metal accelerated

Features

Built for the way you already work.

All the magic of cloud-based dictation tools, none of the privacy trade-offs.

100% on-device
Whisper runs locally with Metal acceleration. Your voice never touches a server, never leaves your Mac.
Works in any app
Slack, Notion, Gmail, your terminal — VoiceType types directly into whatever app is focused. No copy-paste.
Hold to talk
Press and hold Control, speak, release. No timers, no buttons. Muscle memory in a day.
Smart cleanup
Filler words like "um", "uh", "like", and "you know" get stripped automatically — toggle off anytime.
Live overlay
A subtle floating indicator shows audio levels and processing state, so you always know when it's listening.
Tiny footprint
Lives quietly in your menu bar. No background CPU when idle. No accounts. No telemetry. No ads.

How it works

Three keys to a hands-free workflow.

Most people stop typing within an hour of installing it.

01
Hold Control
Place your cursor where you want text to go. Press and hold the Control key from anywhere.
02
Speak naturally
An overlay appears showing audio levels. Talk like you would to a colleague — no robot voice required.
03
Release and watch
Let go of Control. Whisper transcribes locally with Metal, and the text types itself into your cursor.

Models

Pick the model that fits your Mac.

VoiceType ships with four Whisper models. Switch any time — they all run locally.

ModelSizeSpeedQuality
tiny.en75 MBBlazingGood
base.enRecommended142 MBFastGreat
small.en466 MBBriskExcellent
medium.en1.5 GBSteadyOutstanding

Models download on demand and are cached under ~/Library/Application Support/VoiceType/models/.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Stop typing.
Start talking.

Free. Local. Private. Download VoiceType and dictate your way through the rest of the day.

Download for macOS.dmgmacOS 12+ · 37 MB