Voice to Text for Mac
Fast, private, and beautiful voice dictation — powered by Apple Neural Engine. So good, you'll never want to type again.
Key Specs
100% Local
On-device processing
Up to 190x RT
Transcription speed
$39
One-time purchase
Apple Silicon
M1 and later
How It Works
Three steps to voice-to-text on your Mac
Press Your Hotkey
Chirp lives in your Mac's menu bar. Press a customizable hotkey to start recording.
Speak Naturally
Talk at your normal pace. Chirp shows a real-time waveform so you know it's listening.
Text Appears Instantly
Release the hotkey and your transcription appears at your cursor — in any app, no paste needed.
Features
Everything you need for voice-to-text on Mac
Tap to Dictate
Press a hotkey, speak, release. Text appears at your cursor in any app.
Up to 190x Realtime
Apple Neural Engine acceleration. A 10-minute recording transcribes in seconds.
100% Private
All processing on your Mac. No cloud, no accounts, no data collection.
Meeting Mode
Record conversations with automatic speaker identification and labels.
Searchable History
Find past transcriptions with filters by date, type, and tags. Replay audio.
Export Options
Export transcripts to Markdown or SRT subtitle format.
Why Local Matters
Privacy by Default
Your audio and transcriptions never leave your Mac. No servers to breach, no data to leak. Ideal for sensitive or confidential work.
No Upload Latency
Cloud transcription requires uploading audio, waiting for processing, and downloading results. Chirp skips all of that — your text appears in seconds.
Works Anywhere
No WiFi? No problem. Chirp works on planes, in remote areas, and in secure facilities where internet access is restricted.
Voice to Text FAQ
Common questions about using Chirp for voice-to-text on Mac
Chirp offers several advantages over built-in macOS Dictation: faster processing (up to 190x realtime), Meeting Mode with speaker identification, searchable history, audio playback, and export to Markdown/SRT. macOS Dictation also sends some data to Apple servers, while Chirp is 100% local.
Yes. After the initial download and license activation, Chirp works completely offline. All transcription happens locally on your Mac using Apple's Neural Engine.
Chirp transcribes at up to 190x realtime speed on Apple Silicon Macs. A 10-minute recording typically processes in under 5 seconds. Longer recordings process faster per second due to batching.
Chirp requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, or M4) running macOS 14.2 (Sonoma) or later. Intel Macs are not supported because Chirp relies on Apple's Neural Engine.
Yes. Download Chirp and get a 7-day free trial with all features unlocked — no credit card required. After the trial, Chirp starts at $39 one-time for unlimited dictation. Meeting Mode is available as an optional $10/mo add-on.
Chirp lives in your menu bar. Press a hotkey to start recording, speak, and release. The transcribed text appears at your cursor in whatever app you're using — no copy-paste or integrations needed.
Still have questions? Get in touch
Start Transcribing on Your Mac
Download Chirp free. Try all features for 7 days, no credit card required.