offline dictation

Offline dictation that never leaves your machine

Dimmy is a private, offline voice-to-text app for macOS and Windows. Press a hotkey, talk, release, and a local Whisper model transcribes your speech on-device in about 0.4 seconds on an M1. No audio is sent to the cloud, and nothing is written to disk. An optional local AI pass cleans up grammar, punctuation, and tone across 13 styles, then the text pastes straight into whatever app you're in: an editor, a browser, a chat window, or a terminal. It handles 99 languages with automatic detection, and in local mode you don't need an account.

The alternatives ask you to compromise. Dragon is offline but costs $699, runs on Windows only, and lost its Mac app back in 2018. Cloud dictation apps send your audio to a server to transcribe it. Dimmy is open-core and AGPL-licensed, a tiny native binary (not an Electron wrapper), so you can read the code, build it yourself for free, or self-host the parts that matter.

100% on-deviceNo accountOpen-source
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Dimmy vs Dragon & cloud dictation

FeatureDimmyDragon & cloud dictation
Runs offline / on-device
Yes. 100% local Whisper, works with no internet.
Dragon is offline but paid; most cloud dictation needs a connection.
Does audio leave your device?
No. Audio stays on-device and is never written to disk.
Cloud dictation streams audio to servers; OpenAI's Whisper API has been reported to retain recordings.
Price
Free from source. Pro €4.99/mo, €99 lifetime.
Dragon is $699 one-time (Windows only); cloud apps are usually subscriptions.
Open source
Open-core and AGPL, build it yourself for free.
Dragon and cloud apps are closed source.
Platforms
Native macOS + Windows.
Dragon is Windows-only; its Mac app was discontinued in 2018.
AI cleanup / command mode
AI styles, filler removal, and a voice command mode.
Dragon auto-formats but has no AI cleanup or agentic commands.
Meeting recaps
Yes. On-device meeting recaps in the same app.
Dragon and dictation tools don't record meetings.
Languages
99 languages with automatic detection.
Dragon supports several via paid language packs.
Account required
No account needed in local mode.
Cloud dictation usually requires sign-up.
Actively maintained
Yes, frequent releases.
Dragon desktop has had no meaningful update since around 2022.
included limited paid plan only not available
Competitor details verified on vendor sites in 2026 and may change. Recheck before relying on them.
why switch

Why switch to Dimmy

Private by design: transcription runs on-device with local Whisper, no audio leaves your machine and nothing is written to disk.
Works on a plane: because everything runs locally, dictation keeps working in a tunnel, on a flight, or anywhere with no internet.
Truly open source: open-core and AGPL-licensed, so you can inspect the code, build it yourself for free, or self-host.
Built for accessibility and RSI: push a hotkey and talk, fully hands-free input that reduces typing strain.
Great for developers: dictate into terminals, editors, commit messages, and chat, with an optional local AI pass to clean up grammar.
Modern and maintained, unlike $699 Dragon (Windows-only, no Mac since 2018): a tiny native binary with 99-language auto-detect, command mode, and meeting recaps in the same app.
frequently asked

Private, offline dictation for Mac and Windows. Your voice never leaves your machine.

Yes. Dimmy runs a local Whisper model on your own machine, so after the initial setup it transcribes speech entirely offline. You can dictate on a plane, in a tunnel, or anywhere without Wi-Fi.
No. In local mode your audio is transcribed on-device and never leaves your machine, and Dimmy never writes the audio to disk. Most cloud dictation services stream your audio to a server instead.
Dimmy is open-core and AGPL-licensed, and you can build it from source for free. There is also a Pro plan (€4.99/month, €39/year, or €99 lifetime) if you would rather have a ready-made signed build.
Dragon Professional is a $699 one-time Windows-only program with no Mac version since 2018 and no meeting or AI-cleanup features. Dimmy is free and open-source, native on both macOS and Windows, and adds AI cleanup, a command mode, and meeting recaps.
Yes. Dimmy pastes text into any app, including terminals, code editors, and chat, so you can dictate code, commit messages, and commands hands-free. The push-to-talk hotkey suits RSI relief and accessible computing.
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