Diktat for Mac
One key. Speak. The text is in the field.
Diktat lives in the menu bar. Tap your key or hold it down, speak — the text lands where your cursor is blinking, and sits in the clipboard as well.
So, um, I wanted to ask — no wait, I mean: can we move Thursday's meeting to two o'clock? Would that work.
Free to try · No account · One-time purchase, no subscription
Anywhere a cursor blinks.
No extra window, no copying things around: Diktat writes straight into the app you are working in.
MAIL · MESSAGES · NOTES · DOCUMENTS · EDITOR · BROWSER
And when an app refuses pasting — secure input fields, for instance — the text still sits in the clipboard, and Diktat tells you why.
How it works.
Press a key. A short tap starts recording and keeps it running. Holding records only while you hold. The right Command key by default — pick any other.
Speak. The pill shows the recording. Your focus stays where it is.
Done. The text is in the focused field and sits in the clipboard as well.
Features.
One icon in the top right, a popover for a quick look — no Dock, no pile of windows.
History, model catalog, language and settings — one window with a sidebar instead of scattered menus.
Every dictation stays readable and is back in your clipboard with one click.
Freely changeable, so it never fights your shortcuts.
Built-in mic or headset — you decide what records.
Diktat announces new versions itself. Download, relaunch, carry on.
Languages and recognition.
On macOS 26, Apple Speech is the default, switchable to Parakeet or WhisperKit. From macOS 15, Diktat starts with Parakeet, switchable to WhisperKit. A model is downloaded once, after that Diktat needs no internet.
What goes online. And what never does.
Your dictations never leave the Mac. Each of the three engines processes the recording locally on your device — here is the complete list of what Diktat fetches from the network.
Apple Speech downloads language assets from Apple when they are not on the Mac yet.
Parakeet and WhisperKit download their model once from HuggingFace — after that the Mac recognizes without internet.
The Pro license is checked online once at activation, then occasionally in the background. A dictation never waits for it.
The update check asks for new versions — automatically in the background, or by hand.
Requirements.
macOS 15 or newer.
Apple Silicon — M1 or newer.
Microphone permission, for recording.
Accessibility permission, so Diktat may paste the text into the focused field.
Free to try.
Buy Pro once.
No further costs
Launch price — €29.99 later
Diktat has no servers. No running costs for us means no subscription for you.
The Mac is its own purchase, separate from iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — it does not go through the App Store but directly through the maker. The FAQ explains why.
Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
The same idea for the road, as its own purchase on the App Store. And the devices play together: speak on the Apple Watch, the iPhone transcribes — Universal Clipboard carries the text all the way to your Mac.
Questions.
Why is Diktat not in the Mac App Store?
The Mac App Store requires a sandbox, and the sandbox blocks exactly what Diktat is about: pasting into the focused field of another app. So Diktat ships as a direct download from the maker — signed and notarized by Apple.
What happens offline?
Dictation works — recognition runs on the Mac and needs no internet. Only three things need to be online: downloading new models, activating the license, checking for updates.
Where does my history live?
Locally on your Mac. There is no server, no account and no sync — what you dictate stays with you.
Is the Mac version included in the iPhone purchase?
No, they are separate purchases. The iPhone version goes through the App Store, the Mac version through its own payment path — a shared purchase across both would require an account, and Diktat has no accounts.
Which key starts the recording?
The right Command key by default, freely changeable in the settings. A short tap starts and keeps recording, holding records only for as long as you hold.
What if pasting does not work?
Some apps refuse pasting, secure input fields for example. The text still sits in the clipboard, and Diktat tells you why.
How do updates arrive?
Right inside the app: Diktat checks for new versions in the background, you decide about installing. On demand as well.
One key. Speak. The text is in the field.
Download freeFree to try — 5 dictations a day. Buy Pro once: €19.99.