Best Offline Dictation Apps for Mac in 2026, Including Cleanup
Which Mac dictation apps work fully offline? Compare local transcription and on-device AI cleanup in Superwhisper, VoiceInk, Spokenly, Handy and more.
TL;DR
Several Mac apps transcribe offline, but fewer also clean up text offline. VoiceInk, Superwhisper, Spokenly, MacWhisper, Handy and Utter can run both steps on your Mac, each with its own hardware or plan requirement. Monologue and Voibe transcribe locally but use the cloud for AI cleanup. Wispr Flow requires internet.
For confidential documents, choose by the whole route and test it with Wi-Fi off.
Utter publishes this guide and is one of the apps listed. Details come from official pages, checked November 1, 2026. No hands-on accuracy test was run.
What does offline dictation actually mean?
Dictation has two steps, and each one can run in a different place. Speech recognition turns your voice into words. Cleanup uses a language model to remove fillers, fix grammar or rewrite. An app can do the first step on your Mac and still send text to the cloud for the second.
So there are three real questions: does recognition run locally, does cleanup run locally, and does anything else, such as sync, use a connection?
Which Mac dictation apps work fully offline?
| App | Local recognition | Local cleanup | Requirements and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VoiceInk | Yes | Yes, through Refine or Ollama | Refine needs Apple Silicon and 16 GB of memory | $25 once |
| Superwhisper | Yes | Yes, through S1-mini | S1-mini is Pro, English only, Message and Mail modes | Free; Pro $8.49 a month |
| Spokenly | Yes | Yes, Local Model Cleanup | Off by default; Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later | Free local models; cleanup plan not stated |
| MacWhisper | Yes | Yes, through Ollama or LM Studio | Local AI models are in the Pro column; system-wide dictation needs the website version | Free; Pro €64 |
| Handy | Yes | Yes, through a local endpoint or Apple Intelligence | Apple Intelligence option needs Apple Silicon and macOS 26; post-processing sits behind an experimental toggle | Free |
| Utter | Yes, with Parakeet | Yes, through Apple Intelligence, or a local LM Studio or Ollama server | Apple silicon. Apple Intelligence needs macOS 26 or later and compatible hardware and language settings; long transcripts may exceed it | Free locally |
| Apple Dictation | Depends on language; settings show the route | No rewriting listed | Improved model needs M3 and 12 GB | Built in |
| Monologue | Yes, raw transcript | No, cleanup is online | Apple silicon only | $15 a month |
| Voibe | Yes | No, AI formatting is cloud | Apple Silicon only | $9.90 a month |
Three apps are not on this list for a reason. Wispr Flow says an internet connection is required for transcription. Aqua Voice’s Mac page says there is no offline mode, though its FAQ says offline availability varies by platform, app version and mode. Willow advertises offline dictation, but its product pages do not say which plans get it or whether cleanup works offline.
What is the best free offline dictation app for Mac?
Handy is free and open source, and says all its models run locally. Spokenly’s on-device models are free with no word caps. Utter’s local route has no subscription charge. Superwhisper’s Free plan includes local Whisper models with up to two modes and no AI processing.
If you want one payment instead, VoiceInk costs $25 for one Mac.
Which is best for confidential documents?
No app can make this decision for you, but a fully local route reduces what leaves your Mac. Choose an app that runs both steps locally, confirm it with your network off, and then review history and sync.
Three details are easy to miss:
- The default may not be local. Spokenly says its default dictation model runs in its cloud, so you need to pick a local model.
- Cleanup can be cloud even when speech is not. Handy says that with a cloud AI provider, transcriptions are sent to that provider’s API.
- Your organization may have rules beyond the app. Check any policy that applies to recordings and transcripts.
Do offline Mac dictation apps need Apple Silicon?
Several do. Monologue, Voibe and Utter’s on-device dictation need Apple silicon, and VoiceInk’s homepage says it works only on Apple Silicon Macs, though its docs also give guidance for Intel Macs. Check the requirement before buying a one-time license.
How do you set up offline dictation in Utter?
Download a Parakeet voice model while connected, select it in your default models and in the mode you use, then choose Apple Intelligence or turn off AI rewriting. Test the whole mode with Wi-Fi off. The offline guide has the steps for Mac and iPhone. Utter’s iPhone app also has an Offline Mode on compatible devices, which is useful if you want the same route on both.
FAQ
Which Mac dictation apps work fully offline after setup, including text cleanup?
VoiceInk, Superwhisper, Spokenly, MacWhisper, Handy and Utter can all do both, with the requirements in the table above. Monologue and Voibe use the cloud for cleanup.
Does Wispr Flow have an offline mode?
No. Wispr says an internet connection is required for transcription.
Is Apple Dictation offline on Mac?
Apple says dictation in supported languages is processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers, and the setting shows which route applies. Apple does not list rewriting or filler removal.
What is the best local speech to text app for Mac?
For live typing, VoiceInk, Superwhisper and Spokenly all document local models. For audio files, MacWhisper transcribes locally and exports to SRT and VTT.
Sources and method
Claims come from official documentation, pricing and product pages linked above, checked November 1, 2026. Where official pages disagree, both are noted. Vendor statements were not independently tested, so run your own test with networking turned off. Prices are in the dictation app pricing comparison.
