Voice to Text · Mac
Voice to text that runs entirely on your Mac.
Two ways to turn speech into text on a Mac: the dictation built into macOS, and a dedicated app. Chirp is the second kind — it types into any app, runs on Apple Silicon at up to 120× realtime, and never sends a word to the cloud.
See it in action
Watch your voice become text in two modes
Solo Mode pastes your words straight at the cursor.
Works with any app that has a cursor.
Key Specs
100% Local
On-device processing
Up to 120x RT
Transcription speed
Any app
Lands at your cursor
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 at Your Cursor
Release the hotkey and your transcription appears at your cursor — in any app, no paste needed.
Features
From quick notes to full meetings, handled on your Mac
Tap to Dictate
Press a hotkey, speak, release. Text appears at your cursor in any app.
Up to 120x Realtime
Apple Silicon hardware acceleration, up to 120x realtime.
100% Private
All transcription happens on your Mac. No account required. 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.
Copy Transcript
Copy any transcript to the clipboard, speaker labels and all.
Never take meeting notes again.
Chirp transcribes calls and meetings with precision and automatic speaker labeling.
FaceTime100% on-device · Speaker profiles never leave your Mac
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 means uploading your audio, waiting on a server, then downloading the result. Chirp skips all of that, so your text shows up the moment you stop talking.
Works Anywhere
No WiFi? No problem. Chirp works on planes, in remote areas, and in secure facilities where internet access is restricted.
Why I built it
I couldn't find a dictation app that kept everything on my Mac, so I built one. It took the better part of a year, and a lot of the work went into getting the models small enough to run quickly without draining your battery. If that's the kind of thing you've been after, it's worth a try.
Voice to Text FAQ
Common questions about using Chirp for voice-to-text on Mac
For a quick sentence, the built-in one is fine. Chirp is built for when you really lean on dictation: it keeps up over long stretches, runs at up to 120x realtime on Apple Silicon, and stays on your Mac instead of falling back to Apple's servers the way Dictation does for some languages. It also does what Dictation can't, like transcribing meetings with each speaker labeled and keeping a searchable history you can play back.
Yes. After the initial download and license activation, Chirp works completely offline. All transcription happens locally on your Mac with Apple Silicon hardware acceleration.
Chirp transcribes at up to 120x realtime on Apple Silicon. Longer recordings process faster per second, because the work batches into one pass.
Chirp requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, or M4) running macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later. Intel Macs are not supported because Chirp relies on Apple Silicon-specific hardware acceleration.
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 and includes everything: unlimited dictation, Meeting Mode with speaker identification, the speaker library, and all future updates. No subscription.
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.