Offline Dictation vs macOS Dictation: What Apple Already Does Well, and When You Need More
Your Mac already has good dictation, and on a Mac with Apple silicon much of it can run on the device. It is free, has no length limit, and shows words as you speak. So why would anyone install something else? Mostly for three reasons: some languages still go to Apple's servers, built-in dictation types what you said rather than what you meant to write, and you may want the same tool on Windows too. Here is an honest comparison with the dictation built into the 360Converter Offline Transcriber, including the places where Apple is simply better.
The short answer
- Stay with macOS Dictation if your language is on Apple's on-device list, you want to see words as you speak, you dictate for long stretches, or you switch languages as you talk. For many Mac users it is all they need.
- Use offline dictation if your language is not on that list and your work is confidential, you want filler words removed or your speech rewritten as an email or bullet points, or you also work on Windows.
- The 360Converter Offline Transcriber recognises speech on your own computer in all 37 of its languages, and can tidy or rewrite the text with an AI model that also runs on your computer. Each dictation is limited to 2 minutes.
Does macOS Dictation send your voice to Apple?
Sometimes, so the honest answer is to check. Apple's guide says Keyboard settings show whether your voice inputs and transcripts for general text Dictation, such as composing messages and notes but not dictating in a search box, are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. Apple's privacy page says that otherwise what you say is sent to and processed by Apple.
To see what applies to you, open System Settings › Keyboard and read the text below Dictation. Three things decide the answer:
- Your language. Apple's feature page listed 63 Dictation languages and regions in November 2026, of which 48 have on-device dictation. English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin (China mainland) are among them. Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Ukrainian are not, and neither are Mandarin (Taiwan) and Portuguese (Portugal).
- Your Mac. Apple's macOS 14 guide said on-device dictation was for Apple silicon, and that Intel-based Macs sent dictated speech to Apple. The current guide does not discuss Intel Macs, so check the setting if you use one.
- Where you dictate. Apple's wording covers general text and excludes dictating in a search box.
Apple says it does not store your audio unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation. Its privacy page also says it keeps data about requests, such as their category and device details, linked to a rotating random identifier, for up to two years, and that your device may send contextual data such as contact names. Read Apple's Siri, Dictation & Privacy page if this matters for your work.
If your language and Mac are covered, privacy is not a strong reason to switch. It is a strong reason if you dictate client details in Polish, Czech or Ukrainian, or if you must be able to tell a client that speech recognition always happens on your computer, whatever the language.
Side-by-side comparison
| macOS Dictation | 360Converter Offline Transcriber | |
|---|---|---|
| Where speech is recognised | On your Mac for general text in on-device languages; otherwise sent to Apple. Keyboard settings show which | On your computer, in every language it offers |
| Languages | 63 languages and regions, 48 of them on device (Apple's list, November 2026) | 37 languages, all on your computer |
| Length of one dictation | Any length, no timeout; stops after 30 seconds without speech | Up to 2 minutes; warns at 1:45, then stops |
| How you use it | Start with the Microphone key, a shortcut or the Edit menu; speak, and words appear as you talk | Hold a shortcut, speak, let go, and the text is inserted; or press once to start and again to stop |
| Shortcut | Choose one or set your own | Set your own; hold Right Option by default, and a single right-hand key works for hold to talk |
| Speech model | Apple's | Chosen for you: Parakeet for the languages it supports, including English and most European languages; Whisper for the rest, such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean |
| Mixing languages | Set up several and switch while you dictate | One chosen language; change it in Settings |
| Your own vocabulary | Not described for standard Dictation; Voice Control has a custom vocabulary of up to 1000 terms, in some languages | Partly: your initial prompt helps in Whisper languages; it has no effect in Parakeet languages such as English |
| Clean-up | Automatic punctuation in supported languages; with Apple Intelligence in macOS 27, improved spelling, punctuation and capitals (English, M3 or later, at least 12GB) | Clean removes fillers and fixes spacing, capitals and the final full stop; filler lists for over 30 languages, editable |
| Rewriting | Writing Tools can rewrite selected text afterwards, where Apple Intelligence is available | Built into the dictation: formal email, fix grammar, friendly message, bullet points, make it shorter, or your own template, on a local AI model; slower, see below |
| Voice commands | Yes: punctuation, “new line”, “new paragraph”, capitals, symbols, emoji | No; Esc cancels |
| History | Apple's guide describes no list of past dictations to reopen | Recent dictations: copy or insert again; text only, no audio kept; can be turned off |
| Set-up | Built in; turn it on in Keyboard settings | Install the app, then allow Microphone, Input Monitoring and Accessibility |
| Other systems | Apple devices | Windows and macOS, with the same dictation settings; not Linux |
| Price | Free with macOS | Professional and Enterprise licenses; free in the trial |
Where macOS Dictation is better
- Long dictation. Apple says you can dictate text of any length without a timeout. Offline Transcriber stops each dictation at 2 minutes, so a long passage has to be dictated in parts.
- Words appear while you speak. You can watch the text form and, on Apple silicon, keep typing without stopping dictation. Offline Transcriber inserts the text after you finish.
- Mixing languages. You can switch language in the middle of a dictation from the indicator next to the cursor. Offline Transcriber uses the one language you chose, so it is not the tool for speech that moves between languages.
- Voice commands. Saying “new paragraph” or “exclamation mark” works. Offline Transcriber has no voice commands yet.
- Nothing to set up. No install, no price, and no extra permissions to grant. For controlling the whole Mac by voice, Voice Control is the right tool, and it also offers a custom vocabulary.
- Lighter on memory. Offline Transcriber keeps its speech model loaded so dictation is quick, unless you choose to load it each time.
Where offline dictation is better
- On your computer in every language. There is no list of languages to check. Speech recognition, clean-up and the AI rewrite all run locally, including in Polish, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Hindi and the other languages Apple's feature page does not list for on-device dictation. See every network connection the app makes.
- Some languages Apple does not list at all. Bulgarian, Bosnian, Galician, Macedonian, Tagalog and Tamil are in Offline Transcriber and were not on Apple's Dictation list in November 2026.
- Finished text, not a transcript. Say “um, so tell John the meeting's moved to, uh, Thursday” and Clean types “So tell John the meeting's moved to Thursday.” Apple's guide does not mention removing filler words. Filler lists cover over 30 languages, and you can edit them.
- Rewriting as part of dictating. Pick an AI template and your words go in as a polite email or a list of action points, without an extra step and without a Mac that supports Apple Intelligence. This does need a capable computer: on a slow machine or with a large AI model it can miss the 15-second limit, and you get the Clean text instead.
- Hold to talk. Hold Right Option, speak, let go. Apple's guide describes shortcuts that start and stop dictation; it does not describe holding a key to talk. Both let you choose your own shortcut.
- Safe by design. It types only into the window you started in (otherwise the text goes to the clipboard), never into password fields, never presses Enter in a terminal, and keeps recent dictations so nothing is lost. Dictated text is marked so clipboard managers leave it out.
- The same tool on Windows. If you work on both systems, the shortcut modes, clean-up, AI templates and history work the same way. On Windows the built-in choice is quite different: see Offline Dictation vs Windows Voice Typing.
What about accuracy?
We have not run a fair head-to-head test against Apple on the same speech, so we will not claim to beat it. Accuracy depends on your voice, microphone, room and vocabulary, and the only result that matters is the one you get. Try the same paragraph in both, ideally one with a few names and technical terms.
Do not expect dictation to learn your terms in English, though. Offline Transcriber uses the fast Parakeet model for English and most European languages, and Parakeet does not use custom words or an initial prompt. Your initial prompt only helps in languages handled by Whisper.
For long, technical material, dictation is not the best route in Offline Transcriber. Use Record Audio or open a recording, and transcribe it in the main window, where there is no 2-minute limit and you can use a larger model and the options in Improve Accuracy.
Who each one suits
Choose macOS Dictation if…
- Keyboard settings show your dictation stays on your Mac, or it does not need to
- You dictate for more than 2 minutes at a time
- You want to see words as you speak, or use voice commands
- You switch between languages as you talk
- You do not want to install or pay for anything
Choose offline dictation if…
- What you dictate is confidential and your language is not on Apple's on-device list
- You want fillers removed, or a finished email rather than a raw transcript
- You prefer short bursts with hold to talk
- You work on both Windows and Mac
- You already use the Offline Transcriber for recordings
Try it
Install the Offline Transcriber, open Settings › Dictation and tick Enable dictation. The setup window asks you to allow Input Monitoring, for the shortcut, and Accessibility, to type into other apps, and has a button that opens System Settings for each. Then hold Right Option, say a sentence in the test box and let go. The full guide is in Type with your voice in any app.
Try the 360Converter Offline Transcriber
Dictate into any app, transcribe recordings and meetings, and summarise with offline AI — all on your own computer.
Learn more & downloadFrequently asked questions
Does Mac dictation work offline?
Often, yes. Apple lists 48 languages and regions with on-device dictation, which needs a speech model download. Keyboard settings tell you whether general text Dictation on your Mac stays on the device or needs an internet connection. Offline Transcriber recognises speech on your computer in all of its languages.
Does macOS Dictation have a time limit?
Apple says you can dictate text of any length without a timeout, and that Dictation stops automatically when it hears no speech for 30 seconds. Offline Transcriber has a limit: 2 minutes per dictation.
Can I choose the speech model for dictation?
No. Offline Transcriber picks it: Parakeet for the languages it supports, because it is the fastest, and Whisper for the others. Speed | Accuracy in Settings applies when Whisper is used. Transcribing a recording in the main window gives you more choice.
Can it handle two languages in one dictation?
It is not designed to. Each dictation uses the one language you chose. macOS Dictation lets you switch between languages as you speak, so it is the better choice for this.
Can I use both?
Yes, as long as they use different shortcuts. Offline Transcriber warns you if you pick a shortcut macOS already uses or another app has taken.
Does it work on Windows and Linux?
Dictation is in the Windows and macOS versions. It is not available on Linux.
Which editions include dictation?
Professional and Enterprise, and the Trial. On Standard and Premium the Dictation tab does not appear in Settings.
Apple details were taken from Apple's own pages on 8 November 2026 and may change as macOS is updated: Dictate messages and documents on Mac, macOS feature availability, Siri, Dictation & Privacy, the macOS 14 guide, Voice Control vocabulary and Writing Tools. Apple, Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., which is not affiliated with 360Converter. If anything here is out of date, let us know and we will correct it.