Audience
Privacy-conscious users seeking an open-source speech-to-text tool that transcribes voice locally and inserts the text into any application
About Handy
Handy is a free, open source, cross-platform speech-to-text app that runs completely offline and puts whatever you say directly into any text field. Press and hold a configurable keyboard shortcut, speak, and release; Handy records your voice, transcribes it locally, and pastes the result into the app you are using. Push-to-talk is enabled by default, but users can switch to a toggle mode that starts and stops recording with separate key presses. Handy supports macOS, Windows, and Linux and keeps voice data on the computer instead of sending audio to cloud services. Users can choose between Whisper models and Parakeet V3, Whisper provides broad multilingual support across more than 99 languages, while Parakeet V3 is optimized for fast CPU performance and automatic language detection. Silence is filtered with voice activity detection, and GPU acceleration is available for Whisper where supported.
Other Popular Alternatives & Related Software
Otter.ai
Otter is where conversations live. Generate rich notes for meetings, interviews, lectures, and other important voice conversations with Otter, your AI-powered assistant. Organizations who have the Otter advantage. Teams big and small trust Otter to transcribe their important conversations. Our shiny new release, Otter 2.0, adds more functionality to improve collaboration and productivity. The Teams plan includes capabilities designed especially for small and medium businesses and teams in larger enterprises. Record and review in real time. Search, play, edit, organize, and share your conversations from any device. Record conversations using Otter on your phone or web browser. Import or sync recordings from other services. Integrate with Zoom. Get real-time streaming transcripts and, within minutes, rich, searchable notes with text, audio, images, speaker ID, and key phrases. Share or export voice notes to inform others and get on the same page.
Learn more about Otter.ai
MacWhisper
MacWhisper is an all-in-one Mac transcription app for transcribing files, meetings, lectures, podcasts, videos, subtitles, voice memos, and private recordings. The app lets users drag and drop audio or video files, record online meetings, capture app audio, and use real-time dictation in any app. MacWhisper supports Zoom, Teams, Webex, Skype, Discord, and other meeting platforms without requiring bots to join calls. Its local AI models help users transcribe sensitive files offline so data does not have to leave the Mac. The platform includes speaker recognition, filler-word removal, translation, transcript search, editing, batch transcription, exports, summaries, chat, and custom AI prompts. Built for professionals, students, creators, researchers, journalists, and privacy-conscious users, MacWhisper helps turn speech and media into clean, searchable, editable text.
Learn more about MacWhisper
Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is a built-in macOS feature that lets users speak to enter text anywhere they can type. Once Dictation is enabled, it can be started with the Microphone key, a customizable keyboard shortcut, or Start Dictation, then stopped with Escape, the same shortcut, or the Microphone key. On Apple silicon Macs, users can continue typing while they dictate, and Dictation resumes listening after keyboard input stops. Spoken commands can insert emoji, punctuation, new lines, and new paragraphs, while supported languages can automatically add commas, periods, and question marks. Dictation supports text of any length and stops automatically after 30 seconds without detected speech. When macOS is uncertain about a word, it underlines the text so users can choose an alternative or correct it manually. Multiple Dictation languages can be enabled and switched while speaking, and users can select a preferred microphone or let macOS choose automatically.
Learn more about Apple Dictation
Aiko
Aiko is an AI-powered audio transcription app for macOS, iOS, and visionOS. The app converts speech to text from meetings, lectures, recordings, and other audio files using OpenAI’s Whisper model running locally on the user’s device. Aiko is designed for high-quality on-device transcription, making it useful for sensitive recordings that should remain private. The app supports Shortcuts, allowing users to build workflows for recording, transcribing, copying, saving, or processing transcripts. It is available as a Universal Purchase across supported Apple platforms. Built for Apple users who need private speech-to-text, Aiko helps turn audio into text without sending recordings to cloud transcription services.
Learn more about Aiko
Pricing
Starting Price:
Free
Free Version:
Free Version available.
Integrations
Company Information
Handy.computer
United States
handy.computer/
Videos and Screen Captures
Other Useful Business Software
$300 Free Credits to Build on Google Cloud
Put your $300 in credit toward real workloads, then keep building with free monthly usage for 20+ products. No commitment and no charge until you upgrade.
Product Details
Platforms Supported
Windows
Mac
Linux
Training
Documentation
Support
Online
Handy Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kinds of users and organization types does Handy work with?
Handy works with these users and organization types: Mid Size Business, Small Business, Enterprise, Freelance, Nonprofit, Government, and Startup.
Q: What languages does Handy support in their product?
Handy supports these languages: English.
Q: What kind of support options does Handy offer?
Handy offers support via online.
Q: What other applications or services does Handy integrate with?
Handy integrates with: ParakeetAI and OpenAI Whisper.
Q: What type of training does Handy provide?
Handy provides training in the form of documentation.
Q: How much does Handy cost?
Pricing for Handy starts at Free.
