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Dictation on a Mac, explained.
Everything we have written about talking to a Mac instead of typing: how it works, how DeftNib compares, and what changes for the work you do.
Guides
Guides
How dictation on a Mac works, what the built-in one does, and how to set up the rest.
- GuidesHow to dictate prompts into Claude Code on a Mac (2026)Two ways to talk to Claude Code on macOS: the built-in /voice mode, and a system-wide dictation key that also works in Cursor, Codex and the terminal.7 min
- GuidesMac dictation: what is built in, where it stops, what to addHow to turn on macOS dictation, what it does well, why punctuation and cleanup are where it stops, and what a dictation app adds on top of Apple's engine.8 min
- GuidesOn-device vs cloud dictation: what actually leaves your MacThe two ways a dictation app can work, what each one sends over the network, how that changes latency, offline use and accounts, and how to check any app.7 min
- GuidesSpanish voice dictation that needs no fixing afterwardsOpening question marks, voseo, filler words and work Spanglish: the four places Spanish dictation breaks, and what it takes to get it right on device.5 min
- GuidesDictate email on a Mac: Gmail, Mail, Outlook and SlackHow to dictate replies in Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook and Slack on a Mac with one key: punctuation in place, filler words out, addresses and links written right.5 min
- GuidesHands-free dictation on a Mac: nothing to hold downDouble tap to lock the recording, talk as long as you need, and silence inserts the text. What the capsule shows, how it stops, and the fifteen minute ceiling.5 min
- GuidesTeach your dictation app your words: dictionary, snippetsHow a dictation app learns your names and jargon: dictionary entries with phonetic aliases, words it proposes on its own, and snippets that expand verbatim.6 min
- GuidesWhat macOS 26's SpeechAnalyzer changes for dictationApple's new speech engine runs on the Neural Engine, with models macOS manages. What it changes for dictation apps, what it does not do, and what DeftNib adds.6 min
- GuidesWhy DeftNib is built this way: no cloud, one payment, nativeThe four reasons DeftNib runs on your Mac, is bought once, is native and gives the same text for the same dictation. Written for the skeptic, with no marketing.6 min
Compare
Compare
DeftNib next to the apps people ask about, with facts from their own pages and a date.
- CompareA Wispr Flow alternative that never leaves your MacLooking for a Wispr Flow alternative for Mac? DeftNib transcribes and cleans up on your Mac, needs no account, and costs one payment. Compared side by side.6 min
- CompareMac dictation with a one-time purchase: what buy once meansA dictation app for Mac you buy once: what you get, what happens to updates, what a license covers, and why on-device dictation makes one payment possible.5 min
- CompareA superwhisper alternative with nothing to downloadsuperwhisper and DeftNib both dictate on the Mac. One downloads Whisper models, the other uses the engine Apple ships in macOS. Price, size and fit, compared.6 min
- CompareWhisper apps vs Apple's speech engine for Mac dictationWhat Whisper is, what Apple's SpeechAnalyzer is, and what changes for you: model downloads, memory, languages, and where dictation apps really differ.7 min
For your work
For your work
What changes when the writing you do all day is spoken instead of typed.
- For your workMac dictation for developers: Claude Code, Cursor, terminalDictate prompts, commit messages and PR descriptions at talking speed. Technical vocabulary built in, literal insertion in the terminal, nothing leaves the Mac.6 min
- For your workDictation for product teams: specs, tickets and SlackSpecs, tickets, Slack messages and feedback in Linear and Figma: dictate them with one key, punctuated, with the fillers out, and nothing leaving your Mac.6 min
- For your workDictation for writers: first drafts at talking speedThe blank page is a typing problem. Talk the messy draft into Notes, Ulysses, Scrivener or Google Docs, then edit with the keyboard, which is what it is for.5 min
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Mac with Apple Silicon and macOS 26 or later. Free up to 4,000 words a week, no account.
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