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Koegaki vs the dictation built into macOS
Your Mac can already take dictation. Here is what changes when you use Koegaki instead, and when the built-in one is enough.
macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon (M1 or later) · Download for WindowsWindows 10 & 11 · 64-bit · Download for Mac
| As of September 2026 | Koegaki | macOS Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Where your voice is processed | On your own computer. The speech model runs locally; audio and text never leave it. | On-device for general text in supported languages once the language is downloaded, as shown in Keyboard settings; dictation into search boxes and other languages go to Apple's servers. |
| How you trigger it | Hold a shortcut you choose (push-to-talk), or toggle with one press. | A key press toggles dictation on; it stays on until you stop it, or stops after 30 seconds of silence. |
| Custom vocabulary | Word replacements: say a short word, Koegaki types the full phrase. | None documented by Apple for dictation. |
| Price | $30 one-time, 30-day free trial. Every feature included, free updates for life. | Included with macOS. |
| Windows version | Yes, same licence. | No. |
| Account required | None. No sign-up, no login. | No. |
When the built-in dictation is enough
If you dictate a sentence now and then, in one language, and you do not mind pressing a key to start and pressing it again to stop, macOS Dictation is free and already there. Use it.
What Koegaki changes
Hold-to-talk. You hold a key while you speak and let go when you are done, the way you would use a walkie-talkie. Releasing the key ends capture; Koegaki then transcribes and inserts what you said.
The same behaviour across apps. Koegaki inserts text where the cursor is, using one shortcut, in Mail, Slack, a terminal, a browser form; the rare app that refuses insertion gets the text on the clipboard instead.
Word replacements. Say a short word and Koegaki types the full phrase: an email address, a product name it might spell wrong, a signature. And the model is always on your Mac, for every language it supports, with nothing falling back to a server.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is macOS Dictation private?+
Partly. For general text in languages Apple supports on-device, and once the language is downloaded, recognition happens on your Mac; Keyboard settings shows whether it does. Apple says dictation into search boxes is handled differently, and other languages use its servers. Koegaki has no server path at all, so there is nothing to configure and nothing to fall back to.
Can I keep using macOS Dictation alongside Koegaki?+
Yes. Koegaki uses its own shortcut and does not change any macOS setting.
Does Koegaki cost money?+
Yes, $30 one-time after a 30-day free trial. macOS Dictation is free with the system.
Stop typing what you could say.
Try Koegaki free for 30 days. Private, instant, on your own machine.
macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon (M1 or later) · Download for WindowsWindows 10 & 11 · 64-bit · Download for Mac