Offline & private

Offline speech to text for Mac

When your words are private, or your connection is not there, cloud transcription is a problem. StarWhisper runs Whisper on your Mac so speech to text works fully offline.

Download for Mac DMG • 811 MB • macOS 12+ • Apple Silicon (M1 to M4) • signed & notarized

StarWhisper transcribes your voice with OpenAI’s Whisper model running on your Mac. There is no server call, which means two things: it works with no internet, and your audio is never uploaded or stored elsewhere.

Why offline matters

Accurate, not just private

Whisper is one of the most accurate open speech models, and StarWhisper runs it with Metal acceleration on Apple Silicon. Choose a larger model for difficult audio and accents, or a smaller one for speed.

Dictate into anything

With the Accessibility permission, offline speech to text flows straight into Mail, Notes, Slack, your editor, or any text field. No copy and paste from a separate window.

Start in minutes

Download the DMG, install, and grant Microphone and Accessibility. StarWhisper is free to start.

Frequently asked questions

Does StarWhisper work without internet?

Yes. The Whisper model runs locally on your Mac, so speech to text works fully offline.

Is my audio private?

Yes. Transcription happens on-device. Your audio is never uploaded or stored on a server.

Is offline transcription accurate?

Yes. Whisper is a highly accurate model. You can choose a larger model like large-v3 for the best results.

Can I dictate straight into my apps?

Yes. With the Accessibility permission, text appears directly in whatever app you are using.

Which Macs are supported?

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 to M4) on macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs are not supported yet.

More Mac guides

Speech to text that stays on your Mac

Download StarWhisper for private, offline dictation.

Download for Mac

Free to start. Works on macOS 12 or later, Apple Silicon only.