How we picked
What counts as offline dictation on a Mac?
Offline dictation means the speech model runs on your Mac. Your voice is turned into text on the laptop itself, so nothing breaks when the Wi-Fi does and no server ever hears you. If an app needs a connection to transcribe, it isn't offline, however private its policy sounds.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Koi is on this list, and so are seven others. An app made the list only if its own website or docs say it transcribes on the device. We didn't test or benchmark anything, and the numbers are just order. Prices were checked on each official site on October 7, 2026.
Why offline
Why use speech to text without internet?
The first reason is anywhere the connection is bad: a flight, a train, a café with a captive portal, a building with no signal. Dictation that needs the cloud simply stops there.
The second is privacy. If you dictate client notes, a contract, a diary or a message you wouldn't forward, it's simpler when the audio never leaves your Mac. There's no copy to keep, leak or ask about later.
The third is cost. When the model runs on your own Mac, there's nothing to meter, which is why most of the apps below don't cap how much you dictate. The trade is that local models lean on your hardware. Apple silicon runs the bigger ones easily; Intel Macs do better with smaller models, and some apps don't run locally on Intel at all.
The list
The best offline dictation apps for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Offline dictation on any Mac, Intel included, that's unlimited and free
Koi runs its speech model on your Mac every time, on Apple silicon and Intel alike, on macOS 14 or later. Press Fn + ⌥ in any app, talk, and the words appear at your cursor. Press again, or go quiet, and it stops. Nothing you say is sent anywhere, online or not.
The model is Whisper, OpenAI's open speech model. Small is built into the app, so once you've signed in there's nothing else to download. Base, which is lighter, and Large v3 Turbo, the most accurate, are a download away. It covers 57 languages and works out which one you're speaking, and it leaves out music, videos and room noise. Dictation is unlimited on every plan, Free included.
The catch: Koi needs an account (just an email) and a connection the first time you sign in. It has no custom dictionary and doesn't transcribe audio or video files.
2. Apple Dictation
Best for: Free offline dictation on Apple silicon, in a supported language
Apple Dictation can work fully on the device, depending on the Mac and the language. Apple's guide for macOS Sonoma says that on a Mac with Apple silicon, dictation is processed on your device for supported languages, with no internet connection required. On an Intel Mac, or in a language without on-device support, what you say is sent to Apple. Dictating into a search box is different too: the text may go to the search provider.
Apple's feature availability page lists on-device dictation for languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Dutch, Turkish and the Nordic languages, and notes that it needs speech models downloaded first. Polish, Greek, Ukrainian, Czech, Hindi and Portuguese (Portugal) are on the dictation list but not the on-device one.
To check your own Mac, open System Settings, then Keyboard, and read the text under Dictation. It says whether your dictation is processed on the device. There's also Voice Control, which needs one download from Apple the first time and then works without internet. It's made for running the whole Mac by voice. More in our Apple Dictation alternatives.
3. Superwhisper
Best for: Offline dictation with custom modes, on Apple silicon
Superwhisper's site says it works offline, and its free tier includes unlimited use of local Whisper models, plus dictation in any app, meeting recording and 100+ languages. You build modes for different jobs, like a message, a document or another language.
Pro adds cloud models, which do need a connection. It's $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year or $249.99 once at the time of writing. Superwhisper's FAQ says its offline models only run really well on Apple silicon and that Intel Macs work best with the cloud models, so on Intel, offline is a weaker fit. See Superwhisper alternatives.
4. MacWhisper
Best for: Transcribing audio and video files offline
MacWhisper uses local models to transcribe files, and its site says sensitive content is processed without ever leaving your Mac. Drag in a recording, a podcast or a video and get text and subtitles back. It supports 100 languages and also does system-wide dictation. You can switch to cloud models if you want, and those go online.
The free version covers the basics. Pro, a one-time license listed at €64 on its site, adds speaker recognition, batch transcription and automatic meeting recording. If your offline work is mostly files, this is the one: Koi doesn't transcribe files at all. More in MacWhisper alternatives.
5. VoiceInk
Best for: Pay once, open source, all on Apple silicon
VoiceInk says it processes all voice transcription locally and your voice data never leaves your Mac. It's open source, so you can read the code. Its Cloud Enhancement is optional, and VoiceInk says only the transcribed text, not your voice, is sent if you turn it on.
It costs $25 once for one Mac at the time of writing, with a free trial. It needs Apple silicon and macOS 14.4 or later, and VoiceInk recommends 8GB of RAM.
6. Spokenly
Best for: Free local models, no account, and a switch that blocks the network
Spokenly's on-device Whisper and Parakeet models are free with no word cap and need no account. One thing to know: its docs say it uses cloud models by default, so choose and download a local model before you go offline.
Its Local Only Mode goes a step further. It blocks every network connection except local model downloads, and if you pick an online model, transcription simply fails. Pro adds managed cloud models for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year at the time of writing.
7. FluidVoice
Best for: Free, open source, with on-device cleanup too
FluidVoice says it's 100% on-device and works offline: "No Wi-Fi, no problem." It's free and open source (GPLv3) and lets you pick from Parakeet, Nemotron, Whisper, Apple Speech and other local models. Its optional Fluid-1 model, about a 3.5 GB download, cleans up formatting and tone on the Mac as well.
Cleanup can also go to OpenAI, Groq or a custom provider if you choose, and then it isn't offline any more. It needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and Intel Macs work with the Whisper models only.
8. Handy
Best for: The simplest free offline dictation, on Mac, Windows and Linux
Handy's docs say all its models run entirely on your device. On first launch you download one: Parakeet V3 for English and European languages, or Whisper for 99+ languages. After that, press a shortcut, speak, and it pastes what you said.
It's free and open source, with downloads for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, Windows and Linux. Its experimental post-processing can send text to a cloud AI provider, so leave that off if offline is the point.
The rest
Do other dictation apps work offline?
Two more have an offline option. Monologue says its local models on Mac turn speech into text without an internet connection, though smart formatting and syncing still need one. Willow has an offline mode that, in its words, is powered entirely by your device.
And some don't. Wispr Flow's docs say an internet connection is required for transcription. Typeless says transcription is performed in the cloud. Aqua Voice says audio is processed in the cloud. All three are good at what they do, but none of them will type a word on a plane. See our Wispr Flow alternatives if that's the one you're leaving.
Comparison
Offline dictation apps for Mac compared
From each app's own site or docs, checked October 7, 2026.
| On the Mac | Goes online for | Intel Macs | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koi | Always | First sign-in, extra model downloads, calls to Koi, call notes if on | Yes | Free, unlimited dictation |
| Apple Dictation | Apple silicon, supported languages | Intel Macs, other languages, search boxes | Sent to Apple | Built in |
| Superwhisper | Local models | Cloud models on Pro | Cloud models work best | Free, Pro $8.49 a month |
| MacWhisper | Local models | Cloud models, if you pick them | Not stated | Free, Pro €64 once |
| VoiceInk | Always | Optional cleanup, text only | No | $25 once |
| Spokenly | Local models | Cloud models, the default | Not stated | Free local, Pro $9.99 a month |
| FluidVoice | Always | Optional cloud cleanup | Whisper models only | Free |
| Handy | Always | First model download, optional cleanup | Yes | Free |
Models
Which on-device speech model should you use?
Most of these apps run one of two families of open models. The first is Whisper, from OpenAI, which comes in sizes from tiny to large. OpenAI's own table lists base at 74 million parameters and small at 244 million, and describes turbo as an optimized version of large-v3 that transcribes faster with minimal loss in accuracy. Bigger models want more memory: the same table lists about 2 GB for small and about 6 GB for turbo.
The second is Parakeet, from NVIDIA. Handy's docs recommend it for English and European languages, and Whisper when you need wider language support. FluidVoice and Spokenly offer both.
A simple rule: start with the model the app suggests, and move up a size only if it misses words you care about. Koi ships with Whisper Small built in, and Base or Large v3 Turbo are one download away.
Check it yourself
How to check that a dictation app really works offline
Don't take a website's word for it, ours included. It takes two minutes:
- With the internet still on, open the app and download the local model you want. Most need this once.
- Turn Wi-Fi off from Control Center and unplug Ethernet if you use it.
- Open Notes or TextEdit, start dictation and say a few sentences.
- If text appears, the speech model is on your Mac. If you get an error, a spinner or nothing at all, the app needs the cloud.
- Check which model the app is set to use. An app with both local and cloud models only works offline while a local one is selected.
Then check what the app keeps: audio, transcripts, history, and where. Koi keeps your dictation history as local files on that Mac and nowhere else. If dictation doesn't start at all, even online, our guide to Mac dictation not working walks through the usual fixes.
The fine print
What needs a connection in Koi
Being exact about this matters, so here is the full list of what goes online:
- Signing in the first time, with a code sent to your email or with Google. After that, dictation works offline.
- Downloading Base or Large v3 Turbo, once, if you want them. Small is already in the app.
- Calls with Koi, the AI assistant. While a call lasts, your voice goes to the AI provider, because those models don't fit on a laptop. Nothing said is stored.
- Notes on a recorded call, only if you turn them on. When the call ends, its transcript's words go to Koi's AI to write a title, a summary and your to-dos. Nothing of it is kept on the server.
What never goes online: dictation itself, telling a voice from noise, a recorded call's audio and video, and your pages and history, which are local files with no sync and no cloud copy. The privacy policy spells out the rest, and our list of the best dictation apps for Mac covers the cloud ones too.
Keep exploring
The best dictation apps for Mac in 2026
The best dictation app for Mac depends on what you need. Koi, Superwhisper, Wispr Flow, MacWhisper, Typeless and 8 more: prices, free tiers, what runs offline.
The 8 best Apple Dictation alternatives for Mac
Looking for an Apple Dictation alternative? 8 better dictation apps for Mac, from Superwhisper and Wispr Flow to Koi, with prices, privacy and offline support.
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