Voice typing on Mac: what actually works - Voice Type blog Skip to main content Voice Type Pricing Learn Enterprise Trust Blog Blog Voice typing on Mac: what actually works Quick notes on macOS dictation options and when each makes sense. ← Back to Blog | Home 28 Nov 2025 macOS has built-in dictation. It works. But if you dictate often, you'll hit the limits. The built-in option System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → On. Press Fn twice to start, again to stop. It's fine for quick notes. The catches: it needs internet, has timeouts on long sessions, and sends audio to Apple. For occasional use, no complaints. When you need more If dictation is part of your daily work, the built-in tool starts to chafe: Timeouts interrupt long thoughts Network hiccups break flow (try it on a train) Technical terms come out wrong with no way to fix them Privacy - your voice goes somewhere else How Voice Type works Hold a hotkey (⌥ Space by default). Talk. Release. Text appears. Everything runs on your Mac. No upload, no server round-trip. We process in ~30-second windows, so when you stop, only the last window needs finishing. On an M1, that's about 2-3 seconds. You can add custom vocabulary for terms the model doesn't know. Names, products, jargon - spelled exactly how you want. Which to use Built-in dictation : Quick notes, occasional use, you don't mind cloud processing. Voice Type : Daily use, long sessions, technical vocabulary, offline requirement, privacy matters. The built-in option is free. Voice Type is $19.99 after a 7-day trial . Try both and use what fits. Related: Why offline dictation stays fast · Short utterances and network costs Previous Core ML and Metal: why Apple Silicon changed on-device dictation Next 48 kHz in, 16 kHz out: why resampling matters Related articles Product What we learned building a dictation app for Mac Notes on accuracy, privacy, and what actually matters when you dictate every day. Engineering Core ML and Metal: why Apple Silicon changed on-device dictation Running Whisper-style models locally without melting your laptop. Voice Type Learn All guides Voice Type vs Apple Dictation Dragon alternatives For writers For developers Notion on Mac Latency demo Press kit Company Enterprise Trust Center Pricing Blog Company Terms of service Privacy policy Contact us © 2025 Careless Whisper Inc.