I found a better way to dictate on my Mac, and it doesn’t need the cloud
This free, local AI dictation app pastes your words straight into any app, no subscription, no cloud required, and it's shockingly accurate. Here's why I can't stop using it.
Apple has recently enhanced its dictation feature on Macs, yet it still lags behind several AI-powered dictation apps available in the App Store. The primary drawback of these apps is their subscription-based pricing, which deterred the author from adopting them. This led to the discovery of TypeWhisper, an app that employs local AI models for transcription and has become the author's preferred choice.
TypeWhisper transcribes speech to text using AI models that run locally on a Mac. While other apps may offer similar functionality, they typically lock the premium features behind a subscription and transmit the user's voice data to the cloud for processing. TypeWhisper, however, allows users to utilize cloud-based models if they prefer higher accuracy, but it is not mandatory to do so.
Several on-device models are available for free usage. During testing, the author found the transcriptions to be fast and accurate, even with the free local models. The app's user-friendly interface allows for seamless transition between talking and typing. Users can initiate dictation using a global keyboard shortcut, either holding it down for push-to-talk or tapping it once to toggle recording on and off.
Once the speaking is completed, the transcribed text is automatically inserted into the active text field, eliminating the need for manual copy-pasting. TypeWhisper also enables users to define custom vocabulary, teaching the app to recognize specific names, brands, or industry terms. It learns from corrections made during dictation, automatically incorporating them into future sessions.
The app can also process the transcribed text through AI, allowing users to format the output according to their preferred style, such as Markdown for Obsidian. Additionally, TypeWhisper offers a snippets feature for dictating repeated text, saving time and effort. The app can transcribe recorded audio and video files and export subtitle files with timestamps.
A searchable history of all dictated content is available, facilitating easy retrieval of past entries. TypeWhisper runs on Mac with an intuitive interface, making dictation a simple and efficient process.
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