Question 1

What is a dictation app?

Accepted Answer

A dictation app turns your voice into text. Instead of typing, you hold a key, say what you want to write, and let go: the words appear where your cursor is, in whatever app you are using. Most people speak about three times faster than they type, so emails, messages, notes and AI prompts take a fraction of the time, and your hands get a rest. Yap recognizes your speech on your own device, so your voice is never uploaded.

Question 2

Where can I use it?

Accepted Answer

Use the Mac app in text fields across emails, notes, messages, and your editor. Place your cursor, hold Fn and speak, then release to insert. Press Space while holding Fn to lock recording, then tap Fn to finish. Press Escape to cancel. You can change both keys in Settings. Your transcript is inserted into the active text field without changing your clipboard. Completed transcripts are saved locally in the app’s History section. Accessibility permission is required for automatic insertion. On Windows, hold Ctrl + Win instead of Fn; typing into other apps needs no extra permission there.

Question 3

Does my audio leave my Mac?

Accepted Answer

Speech recognition runs on your Mac. Your audio is not uploaded to a transcription service. Audio is saved only when you stop a recording with Esc: it waits on your Mac until its text is in History, then it is deleted. Completed text is kept in local dictation history on your Mac, where you can copy or delete it. An internet connection is needed to load the speech library and download the model on first use. The website demo uses a smaller recognition model locally in your browser; it does not preview the Mac app’s full recognition quality. Demo audio and text stay in the tab and are not uploaded or saved.

Question 4

What does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing at first. Create a free account in the app with just your email, and it works for 3 days, with no card. To keep dictating after that, choose Start trial in the app: a 10-day trial with a card. When the trial ends, your plan renews at $6.90 USD per month or $69 USD per year. Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.

Question 5

Which computers and languages work?

Accepted Answer

The Mac app works on Apple Silicon (M1 and later), and the Windows app on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). Speak in your language: each recording detects its own language from the audio and transcribes in that language, without selecting or adding languages. On macOS 14 or later, the upgraded native engine handles English, Dutch and 23 other languages. Other supported languages and older Macs use compatible local recognition. Accuracy varies by language, voice and recording conditions. On Windows, the same Parakeet family of recognizer runs on your PC for those 25 languages. Intel Macs are not supported.

Question 6

What happens on the first launch?

Accepted Answer

On a Mac, move the app into Applications and allow Microphone and Accessibility access. This release is Developer ID-signed and Apple-notarized. On Windows, run the installer and allow desktop apps to use the microphone. The installer is not code-signed yet. If your browser asks, choose Keep; if Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, choose More info, then Run anyway. It installs for your account only, with no administrator rights. Then sign in with your email and the 6-digit code we send you: that creates your free account and starts your 3 free days, with no card. The first transcription also downloads the speech model, so the first launch needs an internet connection. The setup guide walks through each step.

	Yap	Wispr Flow	Aqua Voice
Speed	0.56 smeasured	0.7 stheir own target	1 stheir own estimate
Privacy	On devicenever uploaded	Cloudvoice sent to their servers	Cloudvoice sent to their servers
Price	$6.90/moor $69 a year	$15/moor $144 a year	$10/moor $96 a year

Talk to your computer.
It types for you.

You speak about 3× faster than you type.

The fastest one.
Private. Half the price.

If you can type there,
you can talk there.

Email

Messages

AI prompts

Notes and drafts

Code

Resting your hands

Talk to Claude Code.
Keep your code to yourself.

Say a sentence.
Watch it turn into text.

On every device
you write on.

Good questions.

Everything about dictation, with the evidence.

More from Yap

Fast words.
Private thoughts.

More from the makers of Yap

Talk to your computer. It types for you.