Private dictation on Mac: apps that never upload your voice

Plenty of dictation apps say “private”. Fewer keep your voice on your Mac. Here's what to check, and which apps do it. We make ZenVoice; other apps' facts are from their own sites, checked October 2, 2026.

Three questions to ask

• Is the speech transcribed on your Mac, or sent to a server?
• Is the cleanup (removing fillers, fixing punctuation) also done on your Mac? Some apps transcribe locally but send text to a cloud model to tidy it.
• Does it work with the Wi-Fi off? If it does, nothing can be leaving.

Check it yourself

Install a network monitor such as Little Snitch or LuLu, filter by the app and dictate for a day. A local app should only go online to download a model or check for updates, and never while you speak. Our privacy page lists every connection ZenVoice makes.

Apps that keep it local

• ZenVoice: transcription and cleanup on your Mac, no account. Free for 14 days, then pay once.
• SpeakMac: local, no account, $29 once.
• Flit: local, no account, $19 once at launch.
• VoiceInk: local transcription, open source; its optional text enhancement can use the cloud.
• MacWhisper: local by default, file-first, with optional cloud AI providers.

Cloud apps with certifications

Wispr Flow and Willow Voice process in the cloud but publish SOC 2 and HIPAA claims. That's a contract with a vendor, not the same thing as nothing leaving your Mac. Which you need depends on your work: for lawyers, therapists and doctors, see ZenVoice for lawyers, therapists and doctors.