Speech to text for Mac.
Speech to text on Mac turns spoken words into editable text. With Spiel, press a hotkey, speak naturally, and keep the finished note on your device while you write in the app already in front of you.
Speak once. Keep the text.
A speech-to-text tool is useful when it removes the gap between having a thought and having a draft. Spiel makes that workflow durable: every dictation becomes an editable local note, and you can insert, copy, search, or reuse it later.
A Mac speech-to-text workflow with a second life.
Start from the text field
Open Mail, Messages, a document, a browser, an AI prompt, or another place where you want to write.
Speak the thought
Say a rough draft, reply, note, or instruction, then let the local speech engine turn it into text.
Shape the result
Use a dictation style, tone style, personal dictionary, or voice instruction when the output needs a specific form.
Reuse the note
Find the saved note in Spiel, Spotlight, or Siri, then edit, copy, or paste it into another workflow.
Transcribe audio to text without a hosted upload.
When the source is a recording rather than live speech, import the file into Spiel and keep the transcript as a local note. This covers exported voice memos and other supported recordings without turning Spiel into a browser-based free transcription service.
Best for focused Mac writing.
Start with the job you need to finish.
Dictation app for Mac
Compare the buyer questions that matter when you are choosing a daily Mac dictation app.
Read the guide ↗Time saved calculator
Estimate how many hours voice could give back based on how much you write and your typing speed.
Run the calculator ↗Dictation styles and notes
See how cleanup, tone, per-app profiles, local notes, and audio import fit together.
Explore features ↗Private by design
Read what stays on your Mac and what network access is actually used for.
Read the privacy page ↗Questions people ask about speech to text on Mac.
How does speech to text work on Mac?
Speech to text listens to spoken words, transcribes them into text, and sends the result to an editable note or text field. Spiel starts from a hotkey, keeps a local note, and delivers the result to the active Mac app when the destination supports it.
Can speech to text work offline on Mac?
Yes. Spiel's core dictation runs locally on an Apple Silicon Mac after any optional speech model has been downloaded. Internet access can still be needed for model downloads, license activation, updates, or support.
Can Spiel turn an audio file into text?
Yes. Spiel can import common audio files including MP3, M4A or AAC, WAV, AIFF or AIF, and CAF, then save the transcription as a local note.
How do I transcribe audio to text on a Mac?
Select a supported local audio file in Spiel, let its on-device speech engine create the transcript, and review the result as an editable local note. Spiel supports MP3, M4A or AAC, WAV, AIFF or AIF, and CAF; it does not upload the source to a hosted transcription service.
Can I transcribe a voice memo?
Yes, if the exported voice memo is in a supported format such as M4A or AAC. Spiel reads the selected file locally, creates the transcript, and saves the resulting note on your Mac.
What happens if text cannot be inserted directly?
Spiel uses clipboard fallback when direct delivery cannot be verified, so you can paste the finished text into the destination yourself.
Write from the first thought.
Try speech to text for Mac with a free 3-day trial, then keep the workflow with a one-time license if it fits the way you write.