Work faster
Speech-to-Text, Voice-Driven Text Editing, Read Aloud, and AI chat with Gemini, GPT, Grok, Claude, or offline with Whisper on macOS 15.5+.
Demo video
Features
Setup
Bring your own Google API key from Google AI Studio for Gemini cloud features, or add OpenAI , xAI, or Anthropic API keys for GPT, Grok, and Claude models. An OpenRouter key lets you dictate through any audio-capable model it routes to, from one key. Offline Whisper transcription works without any API key.
FAQ
What is the best dictation app for Mac?
WhisperShortcut is a macOS menu bar app for voice-first productivity. Press a shortcut, speak, and your words are transcribed straight to the clipboard — using Google Gemini, GPT, Grok, or any audio-capable model on OpenRouter in the cloud, or Whisper fully offline. No account, no subscription.
Is there a dictation app for Mac that works offline?
Yes. WhisperShortcut runs Whisper locally on your Mac, so transcription works without internet and without any API key. Your audio never leaves the device.
Can I use dictation on Mac without a subscription?
Yes. WhisperShortcut is BYOK (bring your own key): you add your own Google, OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter API key and pay those providers directly at cost. There is no subscription and no middleman backend.
How is WhisperShortcut different from Apple Dictation?
WhisperShortcut is not locked to one built-in engine. You bring your own API keys and pick whichever model is currently best on the market — Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT, xAI Grok, or Anthropic Claude in chat — and switch the moment a stronger one ships. On top of plain transcription it adds AI on your voice: voice-driven text editing rewrites clipboard text from a spoken instruction, Read Aloud speaks answers back, and there is a built-in AI chat. You can also stay fully offline with Whisper.
What is voice-driven text editing?
You copy some text, press a shortcut, and speak an instruction like "make this more formal." WhisperShortcut sends both to an AI model and puts the rewritten result on your clipboard — voice-driven editing without typing a prompt. (In the app this is called Speech-to-Prompt.)
Can WhisperShortcut read text aloud on Mac?
Yes. Highlight any text — or a chat reply — press the Read Aloud shortcut, and WhisperShortcut speaks it back using Gemini, GPT, or Grok voices. You can pick a voice per provider, adjust the playback speed, and optionally let AI rewrite the text for more natural spoken output.
Does WhisperShortcut support meeting transcription?
Yes. Live Meeting records and transcribes in real time using chunked audio, so long meetings are transcribed continuously rather than in one giant upload. While the meeting runs, short notes are written into the chat as things are said, and you can ask the chat about anything said since the meeting started — with one-tap questions for Catch me up, Action items, Open questions, and Decisions. A shortcut flags an important moment so the final summary is written around it, and transcripts stay in a local folder on your Mac.
How accurate is WhisperShortcut dictation?
Cloud dictation runs at temperature 0.0 by default, which tells the model to reproduce what you said verbatim instead of paraphrasing it. You can raise the temperature, and on Gemini raise the thinking effort, in Settings when audio is hard, accented, or full of unusual vocabulary. A glossary lets you fix names and terms the model keeps getting wrong, including homophone tie-breakers.
Which AI models does WhisperShortcut support?
Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT, and xAI Grok for cloud transcription, prompting, and chat, plus Anthropic Claude models in chat — and offline Whisper for transcription. Dictation can also run through OpenRouter, so a single OpenRouter key gives you any audio-capable model it routes to, and chat can point at a local OpenAI-compatible server such as Ollama or LM Studio. You bring your own API keys and switch models anytime.
Is my data private with WhisperShortcut?
There is no WhisperShortcut backend and no telemetry — requests go directly from your Mac to the provider you chose (Google, OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter), or stay fully local with offline Whisper. No account is required.
Support & Feedback
If you have feedback, if something doesn't work, or if you have suggestions for improvement, feel free to contact me—via WhatsApp or on GitHub.
