NativeDictate – Open-Source Dictation App for macOS

The project

One keystroke, and your speech becomes text

NativeDictate is a dictation and meeting transcription app for macOS, built natively with Swift, SwiftUI and AppKit.

Place the cursor in any application, press e.g. Option + Space, speak and press again. The app transcribes what you said and inserts the text where you are working – in mail, word processor, browser or development environment.

On Macs with Apple Silicon, transcription runs entirely locally. Alternatively, you can enter your own OpenAI key; it is then stored in the macOS Keychain. The app contains no analytics, no advertising and no backend operated by the developer.

macOS 14+ Swift & SwiftUI Local on Apple Silicon Optional own OpenAI key MIT License

NativeDictate in 30 seconds: press, speak, done.

Features

What the app can do

From a quick dictation to a recorded meeting – with a focus on privacy and on making sure no recording gets lost.

Global shortcuts

Dictate into any app with a keyboard shortcut. The text is inserted safely into the application that currently has focus.

Local or your own key

Transcription on your Apple Silicon Mac – or through the OpenAI API with your own key.

Live preview

Text appears while you speak, using Apple's on-device speech recognition. The preview is never stored.

Smart Dictation

Spoken formatting, personal dictionary, writing styles and per-app profiles.

Meetings

Record microphone and system audio as separate tracks. The transcript labels the sources (“You” and “System Audio”); individual remote speakers are not identified.

History and recovery

Searchable history with configurable retention, export and recovery after a restart.

Why this project exists

An example to rebuild

There are many dictation and transcription programs, and quite a few charge you month after month. NativeDictate shows that with today's AI models and development assistants you can build such a tool yourself – tailored to your own workflows and without a subscription.

That is why the source code is open. The project is not meant to compete with commercial vendors. It is a working example: if you are looking for similar programs that are partly paid, you can see here how a complete product is built, and adapt it to your own requirements or develop it from scratch.

This is also part of our work at MultiChannelConsult: shaping processes and tools so that companies do not remain dependent on what the market offers. More on our Automation page.

Open source codeMIT License: you may use, modify and redistribute it.
No lock-inRecordings and history stay local on your Mac, not with a vendor.
CustomizableShortcuts, writing styles and app profiles can be tailored to your day – or changed in the code.
Learning materialTests, documentation and release scripts show how to set up such a project cleanly.

Community App

Free, from the community for the community

NativeDictate is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with OpenAI or Apple.

The Community edition is a free build for personal use and a trusted circle. It is signed, but not notarized by Apple, because that would require a paid developer membership. There is no support contract; feedback, bug reports and improvements are welcome on GitHub.

First launch: Because the app is not notarized, macOS shows a security warning. Only install it if you trust the source, and then approve it deliberately:

Unzip the file and drag NativeDictate.app into the “Applications” folder.
Right-click the app, choose Open and confirm again in the dialog.
If macOS only offers “Cancel”: open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to NativeDictate.
In the setup assistant, choose the recordings folder and transcription (local model, approx. 750 MB, or your own OpenAI key) and allow Microphone and Accessibility.

Download

NativeDictate 4.2.0 Community

For macOS 14 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon and Intel) · ZIP, approx. 13.8 MB

Local transcription requires Apple Silicon; on Intel Macs, transcription is available through OpenAI.

SHA-256: 58fe298a41f9fd24c31d38f185bc8679a967f354e047c37ef0473f8a218666e2

Download ZIP Source code on GitHub

Notes on use: NativeDictate is provided free of charge and without warranty. Use is at your own risk; the MIT License applies. If you record meetings or conversations, you need the consent of all participants beforehand. If you choose OpenAI transcription, the audio is sent to OpenAI for processing.