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Voice Dictation for Mac

Hold. Speak. Release.

Your words appear at your cursor.
Nothing leaves your Mac — ever.

Buy SpokenKey — $29One-time purchase. No subscription.

Who it's for

For anyone whose thoughts move faster than their fingers — meeting notes, long-form writing, brainstorming sessions, code documentation. If you can say it, SpokenKey can type it.

How it works

Hold your hotkey

Right Option, Right Command, Fn, F5, or F6 — your choice.

Speak naturally

Record for up to 10 minutes. Text appears as you speak (streaming mode, on by default) so you know it’s working.

Release to paste

Text appears at your cursor, copies to clipboard, or saves to a file — your choice.

See it in action

Text appears as you talk, so you know it's working. When you release, local AI cleans up grammar, filler words, and common misheard terms.

Not another Whisper wrapper.

Most Mac dictation tools are Whisper wrappers. SpokenKey uses NVIDIA's Parakeet model instead — faster, more accurate, and built to run entirely on Apple Silicon.

privacy

100% Local

Zero network calls for transcription. Your audio and text never leave your machine. No telemetry, no analytics, no cloud.

output

Flexible Output

Three ways to capture: paste at your cursor, send to clipboard only, or save to a running notes file. In streaming mode, text types directly — your clipboard stays exactly as you left it.

history

Full Transcription History

Every dictation is logged with a timestamp. When AI cleanup rewrites something you didn't mean to change, the original is always one scroll away.

ai cleanup

Local AI Cleanup

Optional: run your transcription through a local AI to fix grammar, punctuation, and commonly misheard words before it pastes. Ships with 80+ built-in corrections for tech terms and brand names. No API keys, no accounts, no cloud — just better sentences.

hotkey

Configurable Hotkey

Choose from 5 presets: Right Option, Right Command, Fn (Globe), F5, or F6. Hold to record, release to stop. Simple.

voice commands

Voice Commands

Say "new paragraph", "bullet point", or "comma" — they become formatting. Say "delete that" to erase the last dictation.

How it compares

Most dictation tools cut you off after 30 seconds, send your audio to the cloud, or charge monthly. SpokenKey is built for real work — as long as you need, entirely on your machine.

Feature comparison: SpokenKey vs macOS Dictation vs Cloud Dictation Apps
FeatureSpokenKeyCloud Dictation Apps
Privacy100% localCloud-based
Time limitUp to 10 minVaries by plan
Works in any appYesVaries
Configurable hotkey5 presetsSome
AI text cleanupLocal, optional*Cloud API
Voice commandsYesRare
Price$29 once$8–20/mo

*AI text cleanup requires Ollama (free, open-source). The app guides you through setup. Completely optional — SpokenKey works great without it.

Pricing

Pricing

One-time purchase

$29

All features. Free lifetime updates. No subscription.

14-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked.

Get SpokenKey

Requires macOS 13+ (Ventura or later) · Apple Silicon only (M1 or later)

Speech model downloads on first launch (~540 MB, one-time)

Signed & notarized by Apple · No Terminal needed. See setup steps.

What happens after you buy

From download to first dictation in minutes. No Terminal needed.

Download and install

After purchase, download SpokenKey from Gumroad. Open the DMG file and drag SpokenKey.app to your Applications folder.

Open SpokenKey

Double-click to launch — no security warnings (signed and notarized by Apple). On first launch, the app downloads speech models (~540 MB) automatically. This only happens once.

Grant permissions and enter your license key

Allow Accessibility and Microphone access when prompted, then enter your license key. You’ll find it in your Gumroad receipt email or at app.gumroad.com/library.

Hold your hotkey and start dictating

That’s it. Hold Right Option (or your preferred hotkey), speak, and release. Your words appear at your cursor.

Common questions

Does this work in Google Docs, Slack, VS Code, etc.?+
Yes. SpokenKey works in any app that accepts keyboard input. It pastes text wherever your cursor is — email, Notion, Obsidian, Word, Terminal, anything.
Do I need to know how to use Terminal?+
No. Just drag SpokenKey to Applications and double-click to open. The app downloads everything it needs on first launch. No Terminal, no command line, no Homebrew.
What if it doesn't work on my Mac?+
There's a 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Request a refund through Gumroad (in your purchase receipt or at app.gumroad.com/library) or email hello@spokenkey.com.
Can I add custom words or fix recurring mistakes?+
Yes. SpokenKey has a custom vocabulary file where you add word corrections — great for names, technical terms, or anything the model gets wrong consistently. Click "Edit Vocabulary" in the menu bar to open it. See the support page for format details.
Does it work without an internet connection?+
Yes. After the one-time setup (which downloads the speech model), SpokenKey works completely offline. No internet required. The initial model download (~540 MB) requires internet — after that, everything runs offline.
What languages does it support?+
SpokenKey is built for English. The Parakeet TDT model was trained exclusively on English speech data, so it delivers excellent accuracy for English dictation.
Why should I pay $29 when macOS dictation is free?+
Built-in dictation times out after ~30 seconds, sends your audio to Apple's servers, and doesn't work in every app. SpokenKey handles recordings up to 10 minutes, runs 100% locally, and works anywhere your cursor is.
Does the AI cleanup feature require anything extra?+
Yes — local AI cleanup uses Ollama (free, open-source). The app will guide you through a one-time setup if you want it. It's completely optional; SpokenKey works great without it. You can enable or disable it anytime from the menu bar.
Can I use SpokenKey on more than one Mac?+
Your license key is tied to your Gumroad account, not a specific machine. You can use it on any Mac you own — just enter the same key when you set up a new machine. If you need help, email hello@spokenkey.com.
What if my hotkey stops working after an update?+
macOS sometimes revokes Accessibility access when an app is updated. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, find SpokenKey, toggle it off and back on, then relaunch the app. If that doesn't help, email hello@spokenkey.com.
Is the source code available?+
SpokenKey is licensed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0. The Python source is readable inside the .app bundle — no compiled obfuscation hiding what's happening. You can verify for yourself: no telemetry, no cloud calls, nothing hidden. The $29 gets you the built .app with license activation.
Does SpokenKey work on Intel Macs?+
SpokenKey requires Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs are not supported because the speech model requires the Neural Engine found only in Apple Silicon chips.