Transcribe your voice.
Locally. Instantly.
A simple macOS menu bar app that turns speech into text using Whisper AI — entirely on your Mac. No cloud. No subscription. $24.
How it works
Three steps. No setup wizards, no accounts, no cloud services.
Press the hotkey
Hit Cmd + Option + R from anywhere on your Mac.
Speak naturally
Talk at your normal pace. TranscribeLocal records from your microphone in the background.
Text appears
Press the hotkey again to stop. Your transcribed text is typed into the active window.
Everything you need, nothing you don't
TranscribeLocal does one thing and does it well.
100% Local
Your audio never leaves your Mac. No cloud APIs, no accounts, no data collection.
Global Hotkey
Cmd + Option + R from any app. No need to switch windows.
Auto-Type
Transcribed text is typed directly into whatever app you're working in. No copy-paste needed.
Menu Bar App
Lives in your menu bar. No dock icon, no clutter. Always available, never in the way.
Powered by Whisper
OpenAI's Whisper Large V3 Turbo, optimized for Apple Silicon via MLX. 100+ languages supported.
One-Time Purchase
Pay once, own it forever. No subscription, no recurring charges, no upsells.
System requirements
TranscribeLocal uses Apple's MLX framework for fast, on-device inference.
- Apple Silicon Mac — M1, M2, M3, or M4
- 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended)
- ~3 GB disk space for the app and Whisper model
- macOS 13 Ventura or later
- Permissions — Microphone access, Accessibility access
TranscribeLocal uses Apple's MLX framework and requires Apple Silicon. It will not run on Intel Macs.
Simple pricing
One app. One price. No tricks.
- Lifetime license
- Free updates
- No subscription
- 14-day refund policy
Secure checkout by Paddle. VAT/tax included.
Frequently asked questions
Got questions? We've got answers.
Ready to start transcribing?
Join others who've ditched cloud transcription for a simpler, private alternative.