Spokenly
Talk, don't type. Offline dictation powered by local speech-to-text models, so your voice data never leaves your device. Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows.
Try Spokenly
Talk, don't type. Offline dictation powered by local speech-to-text models, so your voice data never leaves your device. Available on Mac, iPhone, and Windows.
Try Spokenly
Spokenly is the dictation tool for privacy-conscious professionals who want fast, reliable speech-to-text without sending audio to the cloud. The free tier is genuinely useful with unlimited local transcription via Whisper and Parakeet models, which is rare. If you need multilingual support across 100+ languages, premium cloud models, or cross-platform sync between Mac, iPhone, and Windows, the $9.99/month Pro plan is a fair price. This is best suited for writers, researchers, and anyone who types a lot and wants to reclaim speed without sacrificing data privacy.
Three tiers, including a genuinely free option with no usage limits.
Local Models
Free
Bring Your Own Keys
Free
Spokenly Pro
$9.99/mo
The BYOK tier is a smart middle ground: you get cloud-quality transcription while paying only your own API costs. Power users who already have OpenAI or Deepgram keys should start there.
What makes Spokenly stand out from built-in dictation and competitors.
Local Whisper and Parakeet models run entirely on-device. No internet required, no audio uploaded. This is the core differentiator.
Multilingual support across more than 100 languages. Particularly useful for bilingual professionals or international teams who switch between languages frequently.
Go beyond dictation with voice commands that control your Mac applications. Think of it as a voice-driven automation layer on top of your existing workflow.
Voice data stays on your device when using local models. Even with cloud models, audio is processed and immediately deleted. No storage, no training on your data.
Transcription happens as you speak, not after. This makes it practical for live note-taking, drafting emails, and writing first drafts at conversation speed.
All your dictations are saved and searchable. Useful for finding that idea you dictated three days ago, or referencing notes from a voice memo session.
Plug in your own API keys from OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq. You get cloud-quality transcription without a subscription, paying only per-use API costs.
Native apps for macOS, iOS, and Windows. Dictate on your phone during a walk, then pick up on your desktop. Pro plan includes all platforms.
Spokenly fits specific workflows better than others. Here is where it shines.
If you write long-form content, dictation can genuinely 3-4x your first draft speed. Spokenly's "dictate anywhere" approach means you can capture ideas in any app, not just a dedicated editor. The history feature doubles as a searchable idea bank.
Lawyers, healthcare workers, and anyone handling sensitive information. The local-only mode means confidential dictation never touches a server. This is a hard requirement for many regulated industries, and Spokenly handles it cleanly.
If you regularly switch between languages, Spokenly's 100+ language support is a major advantage over Apple's built-in dictation, which handles language switching clumsily. Particularly valuable for translators and international business professionals.
The BYOK tier is tailor-made for technical users who already have API keys from OpenAI or Deepgram. You get a polished UI on top of the transcription APIs you already pay for, without double-paying through a subscription.
What to know before committing.
Whisper and Parakeet are good, but they are not as accurate as the latest cloud models, especially for accented speech, technical jargon, or less common languages. Expect occasional corrections. The gap narrows significantly with the Pro tier's cloud models.
This is obvious, but worth stating: the premium cloud models, real-time transcription via APIs, and cross-device sync all need a connection. The offline story is strong, but the best accuracy is online-only.
Running Whisper locally requires decent hardware. Older Macs or lower-end Windows machines may experience noticeable latency or reduced accuracy when using larger model sizes. Apple Silicon Macs handle this well; Intel machines less so.
Voice commands for controlling Mac apps are a compelling idea, but this feature is newer and less polished than the core dictation. Expect some trial and error as you learn what commands work reliably across different applications.
Start with the free tier. No account required for local models.