Push-to-talk, anywhere
Hold Ctrl + Option to record, release to transcribe and paste. Works in any app — notes, email, code, messages.
Private · Offline · macOS
Your voice, to text. Instantly. Privately.
DictumScribe is native push-to-talk dictation for your Mac. Hold Ctrl + Option, speak, and it pastes clean text into any app — powered entirely by on-device Whisper models. No cloud, no subscription, no one listening.
- 100% on-device
- English & Spanish auto-detect
- Free & open source
0
bytes sent to the cloud
2
languages, auto-detected
<1s
typical local transcription
100%
yours. forever.
Features
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
A focused tool built for speed and privacy — not another bloated AI assistant.
100% private & offline
Whisper models run entirely on your Mac. Your voice never leaves the device, so your words stay your business.
English & Spanish
Switch languages without touching a setting, or pin one when you dictate in a single language and want detection out of the equation.
Blazing fast & light
Built with Rust and Tauri 2 for a tiny footprint and native performance. Idles in your menu bar, ready when you are.
Pick your model & mic
Trade speed for accuracy on the fly, from fast base models up to
high-fidelity medium — all local. Choose the input device too, so
a virtual one can't quietly take over.
Menu-bar native
Lives quietly in your menu bar with launch-at-login and a floating status pill that shows recording and transcribing state at a glance.
How it works
Three keystrokes. Zero friction.
1
Hold the hotkey
Press and hold Ctrl + Option. A subtle pill appears to let you know DictumScribe is listening.
2
Speak naturally
Talk in English or Spanish. DictumScribe captures your voice from the input device you picked and detects the language, unless you pinned one.
3
Release & send
Release the keys. Your words are transcribed on-device, pasted into whatever you're working on, and submitted with a Return. Done.
Models
Right-sized for every task.
All models run locally. Download once, use offline forever.
| Model | Languages | Size | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| base.en | English | 142 MB | Fastest, quick notes |
| base | English · Spanish | 142 MB | Fast multilingual |
| small.en | English | 466 MB | Balanced accuracy |
| small | English · Spanish | 466 MB | Balanced multilingual |
| medium | English · Spanish | 1.5 GB | Highest accuracy |
Get started
Ready to dictate at the speed of thought?
Free, open source, and yours to keep. One universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 10.15 or later.
Requires macOS 10.15+. On first launch, grant Microphone, Accessibility and Input Monitoring — the last one is what lets the hotkey reach DictumScribe while you are working in another app.