Offline dictation for Mac, with no internet at all

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Offline dictation on a Mac works, and YapToText does it for free: its speech model and cleanup model run on the Mac, so it types what you say with Wi-Fi off and never sends your audio anywhere when Wi-Fi is on. Apple Dictation can also work offline on an Apple silicon Mac in supported languages, and Keyboard settings tell you whether yours does. The test takes a minute: turn Wi-Fi off, dictate a sentence, and look in History.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

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App Store poster headed Nothing leaves your Mac, over YapToText's AI Models page with both models marked Included.
Figure 1. Both models show as Included on the AI Models page of the App Store version, so nothing has to download before the first dictation.
On this page: 9 sections
  1. Test it: turn Wi-Fi off and dictate
    1. Step 1: Cut the connection
    2. Step 2: Dictate a sentence
    3. Step 3: Look in History
  2. What offline means in YapToText
  3. What offline means in Apple Dictation
  4. Enhanced Dictation is gone: offline on current macOS
  5. Which dictation apps work with Wi-Fi off
  6. If it asks for the internet
  7. What offline does not change
    1. Why offline matters beyond privacy
  8. The short version
  9. Questions

Test it: turn Wi-Fi off and dictate

I built YapToText because my hands make typing difficult and I dictate everything, and I wanted it to work the same on a plane as at my desk. This page says what offline means app by app.

You do not have to take my word for any of this. The test takes a minute, and it works on any dictation app you are considering.

Step 1: Cut the connection

  • You: Turn Wi-Fi off from the menu bar, and unplug Ethernet if you use it.
  • macOS: Shows Wi-Fi as off.
  • Check: A web page will not load.

Step 2: Dictate a sentence

  • You: Click into any text field, tap Right Command, say a sentence and tap again.
  • YapToText: Transcribes on the Mac and types the words at your cursor, the same way it does online.
  • Check: The words land. On the Homebrew build with no speech model installed yet, nothing can be transcribed until you download one with Wi-Fi on.
YapToText's floating dictation panel on a Mac: a live waveform, the sentence being typed, and cancel, pause and stop buttons.
Figure 2. What to watch in step 2: the wave moves with your voice, and the words form in the panel before they land at your cursor.

Step 3: Look in History

  • You: Open the History page.
  • YapToText: Lists the dictation with its raw transcript, its final text and, by default, its audio.
  • Check: The entry is there, kept in the app's own folder on your Mac.
A YapToText History entry with pipeline details open: raw transcript, cleaned transcript, mode, delivery, target app and timings.
Figure 3. One History entry with its pipeline details open, shown with demo data: the raw transcript, the cleaned text, the mode, the app and the timings, all kept on your Mac.

What offline means in YapToText

Two models are inside the App Store version: Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5), which listens, and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, which turns what you said into finished text when a mode asks for it. Neither is downloaded on first launch, neither phones home, and there is no account to sign in to. The app is free, with no paid tier. The only network traffic the app starts is a model download you click.

  • Other models. Pick a different model on the AI Models page and it downloads once, over HTTPS from Hugging Face, then runs locally like the others. The AI Models page lists every one.
  • The Homebrew build. About 12 MB to download, without the models, so it cannot dictate until you download a speech model. After that it works offline too. The install page has both routes.
  • Your data. History, dictionaries and settings live in the app's own folder on the Mac. Nothing is synced or backed up by the app, and the History page says how much is kept.
  • Updates and crashes. There are no update checks. Updates come from the App Store. Crash reports are only Apple's own, governed by your macOS analytics settings.

What offline means in Apple Dictation

Apple's Mac User Guide for macOS Sonoma says that on a Mac with Apple silicon, dictation requests are processed on your device for supported languages, with no internet connection required, and that on an Intel-based Mac, or in a language without on-device support, your dictated words are sent to Apple. The current guide puts it as a check: open System Settings, Keyboard, and read the text below Dictation to see whether your voice inputs are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. Its troubleshooting page adds that you may need an internet connection. The guide to using dictation on a Mac shows where that setting is.

Voice Control is different again. Apple says it needs the internet once, for a one-time download when you first turn it on, and not after that. Apple Dictation is offline for many people, not for everyone, and the Keyboard setting tells you which you are.

Enhanced Dictation is gone: offline on current macOS

Some older guides to offline dictation on a Mac tell you to switch on Enhanced Dictation. Current macOS has no Enhanced Dictation setting. The Keyboard pane states where processing happens.

Apple's current Mac User Guide page for Dictation and its troubleshooting page, both read on October 7, 2026, do not mention Enhanced Dictation at all. What they describe is the check above: open System Settings, Keyboard, and read the text below Dictation. If a guide sends you looking for a switch that is not there, read that text instead: it is where current macOS says whether your voice stays on the Mac. I have not found an Apple page that says when the old setting went, so I will not name a version.

Which dictation apps work with Wi-Fi off

Most dictation apps for the Mac now offer a local model. What differs is what still goes online, and what the free version includes.

Checked October 3 to 6, 2026, on each maker's own pages. Plans change, so check before you rely on one.

AppWorks with Wi-Fi offWhat still goes onlinePrice
YapToTextYes, from the first launch in the App Store versionOnly a model download you startFree, no paid tier
Apple DictationOn Apple silicon, in supported languagesIntel Macs and other languages go to AppleBuilt in
superwhisperYes, with local Whisper models on the free planCloud models, on ProFree plan; Pro from $8.49 a month
SpokenlyYes, with local modelsCloud models; Local Only Mode blocks everything but model downloadsFree local models; Pro $9.99 a month
HarkerYes, for transcriptionPremium AI features use the cloudFree; Premium from $5.75 a month
HandyYesModel downloads; no audio, per its READMEFree, open source
OpenWhisprYes, with local modelsIts cloud, if you turn it onFree local dictation; Pro $8 a month
VoiceInkYes, with local modelsOptional cloud transcription, which sends audio, and AI enhancement, which sends text, both with your own API keys7-day trial, then from $25 once
MacWhisperYes; its privacy policy says all of its functions run on your deviceAnonymous analytics about license status, per that policy; optional cloud transcription providers and AI providers you connectFree version; Pro €64 once
Willow VoiceOn Pro: its help center lists offline dictation as a Pro featureIts help center says it uses cloud-based AI modelsFree Basic plan; Pro $15 a month, or $12 billed yearly
TypelessNo: its FAQ says every feature needs an internet connectionAudio and context are processed on its cloud servers, per its privacy policyFree for 8,000 words a week; Pro $12 a month billed yearly
Aqua VoiceNo: its Mac page says there is no offline modeAudio is processed in the cloud, where its Avalon model runs1,000 free words; Pro $8 a month billed yearly
TypeWhisperYes, with a local engineCloud APIs, only if you set one up; model downloadsFree core; Premium license from 5 euros a month
HexYes, once a speech model is downloadedModel downloads and updates; optional rewriting sends text to a provider you setNo price listed; MIT licensed
DictaFlowIn its Local Offline mode, per its facts pageCloud providers for the full feature set; its site says it is not fully offline2,000 free words a month; Pro $7 a month
VoicyNo: its pages say each transcription uses cloud processingAudio goes to its servers, then to a hosted Whisper model30 minute trial; Pro from $8.49 a month
Raycast DictationNo offline mode described in its manualAudio goes to a speech-to-text partner, per its privacy pagePart of Raycast Pro, $10 a month
Wispr FlowNoTranscription always happens in the cloud, per its privacy pageFree plan with 2,000 words a week on desktop

The roundup of free speech to text apps has the full details, the superwhisper alternative page compares the closest paid plan, and the Whisper Mac app page covers running Whisper itself on a Mac.

If it asks for the internet

If something wants a connection, try these in order:

  1. Look at the model you picked. A model you chose on the AI Models page that is not installed yet needs one download.
  2. Check which build you have. The Homebrew build needs a speech model before its first dictation.
  3. Check Apple Dictation's language. If you are using Apple's dictation, a language without on-device support goes to Apple. Keyboard settings say which.
  4. Check the Mac. Apple's Sonoma guide says Apple Dictation on an Intel Mac sends your words to Apple. YapToText needs Apple silicon.

If Apple's own dictation has stopped working altogether, Mac dictation not working has the fixes in order.

What offline does not change

  • The first dictation after launch. It waits a moment while the model loads.
  • Battery. Running models on the Mac costs energy. The Energy page can unload them sooner, or switch to lighter models on battery.
  • The Mac you need. You need Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. Nothing is claimed for Intel.

Why offline matters beyond privacy

Offline is also part of why the app is free. There is no server to pay for, so there is nothing to charge you for, and there is no round trip to wait on. History shows the stop-to-text time on every dictation, so you can see the speed on your own Mac instead of trusting a number from mine.

The privacy page says where every file lives, the speech to text on Mac page shows what a day of it looks like, and the file transcription page covers recordings, which stay on the Mac too.

For confidential work in particular, the private dictation guide goes further, from History settings to FileVault.

The short version

  • YapToText. It is offline from the first launch in the App Store version, with no account.
  • Apple Dictation. Offline on Apple silicon in supported languages. Keyboard settings say whether yours is.
  • Wispr Flow. Not offline: its transcription always runs in the cloud.

For everything else worth weighing when you choose, dictation software for Mac that costs nothing and uploads nothing goes through it.

Turn Wi-Fi off and dictate: the test takes a minute and settles it. If something here does not match what you see, tell me on GitHub. Every issue gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

Does YapToText work without internet?

Yes. Both models are inside the App Store version, and nothing in a dictation uses the network. The Homebrew build needs one speech model download first.

Does Apple Dictation work offline on a Mac?

On an Apple silicon Mac, in supported languages, yes. Keyboard settings show whether your dictation is processed on device. On an Intel Mac, or in an unsupported language, Apple's Sonoma guide says it is sent to Apple.

Which free dictation apps for Mac work offline?

YapToText and Handy, and the local models in superwhisper, Spokenly, Harker and OpenWhispr. Apple Dictation in supported languages on Apple silicon. Wispr Flow does not: its transcription always happens in the cloud.

Is offline dictation less accurate?

Not because it is offline. What you get depends on the model and the microphone. YapToText runs Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) by default, and its AI Models page rates each model with stars for accuracy and speed.

Is Mac dictation private?

It depends on the app and the Mac. Apple's guide says to check Keyboard settings to see whether your dictation is processed on device. YapToText keeps your voice on the Mac, with no account and no analytics.

Is YapToText HIPAA compliant?

I make no HIPAA claim, and nothing here is legal advice. What I can say is what the code does: your voice never leaves your Mac, there is no account, no analytics and no tracking, and the only network use is a model download you start yourself. History is a plain file in the app's own container on your Mac, nothing is synced or backed up by the app, and deleting the app deletes all of it. Whether that meets your obligations is a question for whoever sets them.

Does superwhisper work offline?

Yes, with its local Whisper models on the free plan. Its cloud models, which come with Pro, need a connection.

Does MacWhisper work offline?

Yes. Its privacy policy says all of its functions run on your device, apart from anonymous analytics about license status. Optional cloud transcription providers and connected AI providers go online.

Does Willow Voice work offline?

Only on Pro. Willow's help center lists offline dictation as part of the Pro plan, and says Willow uses cloud-based AI models.

Does Typeless work offline?

No. Typeless's FAQ says every feature needs an internet connection, on every plan, and its privacy policy says audio is processed on cloud servers.