MindWhisper
Free · Open source · macOS

Speak. It types itself.
Free, open, and yours.

Hold a key in any app, talk, let go — your words land at the cursor. Your providers, your data, your machine. No subscription.

⌥right option

Press & hold to talk

Right Option is the default — rebind it to any key in Settings.

Download for Apple Silicon
On Intel? Download x64All releases on GitHub

Signed & notarized · macOS 11+ · Free, open source

Product demo — press, speak, release
⌥hold to talk · release to paste
Take the tour

What you can do

Talk in any app, in your language.

Dynamic island

A bar that stays out of your way

A thin pill rests at the bottom of your screen. Hover to switch language, formatting, or provider — then it tucks away.

  • Hover to expand, leave to collapse
  • Never steals focus
  • Hide it entirely if you like
Dynamic island demo
Multilingual

Speak the language you think in

Auto-detects your language, or lock one for the cleanest results.

  • 12+ languages, plus auto-detect
  • Works on every provider
  • Switch in one click
Multilingual demo
Hold-to-talk

Press, speak, release

Hold your hotkey anywhere, say what you mean, let go. Text lands at the cursor.

  • Works in every app
  • Your clipboard is restored
  • Rebind to any key
Hold-to-talk demo
Formatter

Edit the AI prompt yourself

Pick Email, Slack, or bullets — or write your own instructions. Your transcript is cleaned up before it lands.

  • Email / Slack / Bullets presets
  • Write your own prompt
  • Toggle with a shortcut
Formatter demo
Features

Small app. Serious dictation.

Everything else that makes it pleasant every day.

Providers

Three engines, one click to switch

OpenAI, Deepgram, and Groq. Switch anytime.

Privacy

Your data stays on your Mac

No accounts, no tracking. Audio goes only to the provider you pick.

Clipboard-safe

Nothing gets lost

Saved before pasting, restored after. No surprises.

Hotkeys

Shortcuts that fit your hands

Rebind every shortcut. Works in every app.

Updates

Quietly stays current

Signed, notarized, auto-updating in the background.

Open source

Free and yours to inspect

MIT-licensed. Read it, build it, own it.

Why MindWhisper

Free where others charge

Same idea. A very different deal.

MindWhisper
Wispr Flow
Price
Free
$12–15/mo
Open source
Yes (MIT)
No
Data stays local
Yes
Cloud
Voice providers
3, swap anytime
Locked
Edit the AI prompt
Yes
No
Cost per use
Fractions of a ¢/min
Subscription

Wispr Flow pricing as of 2026. Comparison reflects publicly listed plans.

How it works

Three steps. No mouse.

Walkthrough
  1. 01

    Hold your hotkey

    Right Option by default — rebindable. Works in every app.

  2. 02

    Speak naturally

    A live meter shows you're heard. Switch language right there if you need to.

  3. 03

    Release — text appears

    Formatted by your preset, pasted at the cursor. Your clipboard is restored.

Bring your own key

Your key. Your account.

MindWhisper runs on your own API key — that's how it stays free and your audio never touches our servers. Setup takes a minute.

Adding your API key
  1. 01

    Grab a key from a provider

    Create a free account with OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq and copy an API key. You only need one to start.

  2. 02

    Open Settings → Providers

    Click the MindWhisper menu-bar icon, open Settings, and go to the Providers tab.

  3. 03

    Paste your key

    Drop the key in, pick that provider, and you're done. The key is stored locally on your Mac — never on our servers.

Get a key

OpenAIWhisper — reliable, widely availableDeepgramNova-3 — streams text as you talkGroqWhisper — very fast, very cheap
FAQ

Common questions

What macOS permissions does MindWhisper need?
Three: Microphone to record your voice, Accessibility so the global hotkey works in any app, and Automation (System Events) to send the paste keystroke. macOS will prompt for each on first launch.
Where does my audio go?
Audio is sent only to the transcription provider you choose — OpenAI, Deepgram, or Groq — using your own API key. MindWhisper itself has no server, no telemetry, no account system. Settings, presets, and history live on your Mac in ~/Library/Application Support.
Which providers can I use?
OpenAI Whisper (batch), Deepgram Nova-3 (WebSocket streaming, lowest latency), and Groq Whisper (very fast batch). You can configure one or all three and switch from the menu bar.
How is this different from Wispr Flow?
MindWhisper is free and open source, runs on your own provider keys, and keeps your data on your Mac. You pay cents per minute instead of a monthly subscription.
What does it cost?
The app is free and open source (MIT). You pay only the provider for what you transcribe — typically fractions of a cent per minute.
Apple Silicon or Intel?
Both. Signed and notarized DMGs are published for arm64 (Apple Silicon) and x64 (Intel). The download button above picks the right one for your Mac.
Ready when you are

Stop typing. Start talking.

Free, open source, and yours. Grab it for your Mac in under a minute.

Download for Apple Silicon
On Intel? Download x64All releases on GitHub

Signed & notarized · macOS 11+ · Free, open source