The first 100% open source, truly Mac-native AI dictation app
Pindrop is a menu bar dictation app for macOS that turns your speech into text. It stays offline and private by default, with optional cloud transcription. Built with pure Swift/SwiftUI, packaged with Xcode + SwiftPM, and powered by native Apple Silicon transcription engines.
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- Pick from several local transcription engines: WhisperKit (OpenAI Whisper on Core ML, in sizes from tiny to large-v3), Parakeet, SenseVoice, or Apple's on-device speech stack. The model browser recommends options for your Mac.
- Optional OpenAI GPT-4o Transcribe and GPT-4o Mini Transcribe models provide cloud transcription for users who prefer a hosted service. API credentials stay in the macOS Keychain.
- Streaming dictation shows words as you say them, powered by the Nemotron streaming engine (English only for now; Apple SpeechTranscriber is another option on macOS 26).
- Dictate in 16 languages. The interface is localized into 31 languages with RTL support.
- Offline speaker diarization with trainable speaker profiles. Single-speaker transcripts stay free of labels.
- Global hotkeys: toggle mode, push-to-talk, and a dedicated cancel shortcut.
- Library with full-text search, inline editing, audio playback, and export to JSON, CSV, or plain text.
- Notes with pinning, tags, and interactive checklists.
- Custom dictionary for names and jargon that learns from your corrections and biases recognition toward your vocabulary.
- Optional AI enhancement cleans up transcripts using Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Ollama, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Off by default, and API keys are stored in the Keychain. Prompt presets can be switched right from the menu bar.
- Transcribe media files or web audio, with timestamps and speaker labels.
- A context engine rewrites spoken file paths into @mentions, and a built-in MCP server lets AI agents dictate, transcribe files, and query your library.
- Four floating indicator styles (Orb, Pill, Notch, Bubble), preset themes, and activity stats with streaks and trends.
- Pauses music and mutes system audio while you record so transcripts stay clean.
- Text lands in your clipboard every time, and directly at your cursor if you grant Accessibility permission.
- Swift and SwiftUI, with SwiftData for persistence
- WhisperKit by Argmax for Core ML Whisper inference
- FluidAudio for Parakeet, SenseVoice, Nemotron streaming, and diarization
- Sparkle for updates
- macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later. A few features need newer releases: Apple SpeechTranscriber streaming and Apple Intelligence enhancement require macOS 26.
- Apple Silicon recommended. Intel Macs work, but transcription is slower.
- Microphone permission, required to record.
- Accessibility permission, optional. It enables direct text insertion and the context engine; clipboard output works without it.
Releases are signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so Pindrop opens like any other Mac app.
- Download
Pindrop.dmgfrom the releases page or pindrop.dev. - Open the DMG and drag Pindrop to Applications.
- Launch it. Onboarding covers microphone permission, downloading a model (Tiny is about 75 MB and a good first pick), and setting your hotkey (Option+Space by default).
Pindrop runs in the menu bar only, so there is no dock icon. Look for the microphone in the top right of your screen.
- Press the hotkey once to start recording, again to stop and transcribe. In push-to-talk mode, hold to record and release to transcribe. Both are configurable, along with the cancel shortcut, in Settings.
- Every transcript is copied to the clipboard. With Accessibility permission granted, it is also inserted at the cursor in the active app.
- Click the menu bar icon to open the main window: Home dashboard, Stats, Library, Notes, Dictionary, Models, and Settings.
- Transcripts are saved automatically. Search them in the Library, edit them in place, or export to JSON, CSV, or plain text.
By default, audio and transcripts are processed and stored on your Mac. Selecting an OpenAI cloud transcription model sends recorded audio to the OpenAI Audio API and may incur OpenAI usage charges; the API key is stored in the macOS Keychain. Two other optional programs live in Settings → Privacy, both off by default:
- Anonymous diagnostics via TelemetryDeck: counts of app launches, transcription outcomes, and model download errors with bucketed timings. Never transcript text, audio, prompts, or file names.
- Training data contributions: keeps redacted before/after transcript pairs on your Mac (nothing is uploaded; there is no upload backend) to support a future on-device correction model. You can review, export, or delete every stored pair.
The full list of signals and stored fields is in docs/TELEMETRY.md.
git clone https://github.com/watzon/pindrop.git
cd pindrop
open Pindrop.xcodeproj # then press Cmd+ROr with just (brew install just):
just build # debug build
just test # unit tests
just --list # all recipesBUILD.md covers signing, exporting, and DMG packaging. RELEASING.md documents the maintainer release flow.
- No window or dock icon on launch: Pindrop is a menu bar app on purpose. Look for the microphone icon in the menu bar.
- Microphone permission denied: enable Pindrop under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, then relaunch.
- Text is not inserted at the cursor: grant Accessibility under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Clipboard output works regardless.
- Transcription is slow: use a smaller Whisper model, or switch to Parakeet or SenseVoice.
- Hotkey does nothing: check for conflicts with other apps or macOS shortcuts, then record a new combination in Settings → Hotkeys.
Pindrop/
├── PindropApp.swift # entry point and lifecycle
├── AppCoordinator.swift # service wiring
├── Services/ # audio, hotkeys, storage, settings, MCP, telemetry
├── Services/Transcription/ # local engines, streaming, and optional OpenAI cloud transcription
├── Models/ # SwiftData models and schema
├── UI/ # main window, settings, onboarding, floating indicators
├── PindropTests/ # unit tests (Swift Testing)
└── PindropUITests/ # UI tests (XCTest)
just test # unit tests
just test-ui # UI tests
just test-all # everything- GitHub Discussions for questions and ideas
- GitHub Issues for bugs and feature requests
Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
MIT. See LICENSE.
- WhisperKit and OpenAI Whisper
- FluidAudio by Fluid Inference
- Sparkle