What are the best open-source dictation apps for Mac?

Four open-source apps are worth testing on a Mac. Handy and HEX suit live dictation, VoiceInk is open source but its packaged Mac app is a paid product, and Buzz is the one to use for transcribing audio and video files. Open source tells you that you can read and reuse the code. It does not tell you that your audio stays on your Mac or that the app is free to buy, so check those two things separately.

Four open-source apps, and what each one is for

The table compares the four on their license and their main job. The license is the part the code's own repository states, so it is the first thing to check.

The MIT License is a permissive license. It lets people use, copy and change the code, and it asks them to keep the copyright notice. The GNU General Public License version 3.0 is stricter, because changed versions you distribute must also stay open. Neither license says anything about price or privacy, which is why the sections below cover those.

HEX is current, but an older Swift app with the same name is archived

Search for "HEX dictation Mac" and you may find two projects. The original Swift app called Hex was archived by its owner on 14 October 2026, so it is now read-only ⁵. The HEX that is still developed is a different repository. It describes itself as local-first voice dictation for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 15 or newer ⁶.

Check which one you are installing before you download anything. Look at the repository name and its archive notice on GitHub. An archived repository is read-only, so it cannot take new fixes, and the current project is the one to install.

Open source is not the same as keeping audio on your Mac

Open-source dictation can still send data somewhere. HEX runs locally by default, but its README describes an optional step. When post-processing with OpenCode is turned on in Modes, the app sends the transcript, the foreground application and the Brave website hostname to the model provider you configure ⁷. That is an explicit choice, but it is the kind of setting to read before you assume the app is private.

Read the settings of every app you install, and look for any option that sends text or audio to a provider. An app that calls a cloud service for post-processing can still have open code, so the license does not answer the privacy question.

VoiceInk's code is open, but the Mac app is paid

VoiceInk is the one that confuses the question. Its source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3.0 ³, so you can read and build it yourself. The app you download from the developer's site is a different product. Its website listed a Solo license at $25, paid once, for one Mac, as of 16 October 2026 ⁸.

If you want VoiceInk without paying, you can build it from its source code, which takes more effort than installing a packaged app. Our question on whether VoiceInk is free and open source covers the trade-off in more detail. Prices change, so check the developer's page before you decide.

Buzz is the open-source choice for files

Buzz is the open-source choice for transcription. Its code is under the MIT License ⁴, and its README describes it as transcribing and translating audio offline on a personal computer, powered by OpenAI's Whisper. Its README also lists live transcription from the microphone, but the main job, and the one its documentation leads with, is files such as interviews, lectures and voice memos.

Use Buzz when the job is a recording you already have. Our question on how to transcribe an audio file on a Mac covers the steps, and the Buzz caveats there, including the Apple silicon requirement.

What to do: match the app to the job, then test it

1. Decide the job first. Choose live dictation for typing into messages and documents, or Buzz for files.
2. Check your Mac. HEX needs an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 15 or newer. Check the chip and version in the Apple menu before you go further.
3. Read the license and the README on GitHub. Setup steps change between releases, so use the current README rather than an article.
4. Check the privacy settings. Look for any optional step that sends text or audio to a provider, and turn it off if you do not want it.
5. Test one app on your own words. Dictate about 300 words of something you actually write, count the errors by hand, and repeat with a second app.
6. Pay only if the price fits. VoiceInk's packaged app is paid, and building it from source is the free route.

The open-source apps above are not the only way to dictate on a Mac. For the commercial options and what separates them, read our guide to the best dictation apps for Mac, or the wider open-source dictation software guide. For the Handy and HEX details, see what the Handy dictation app is and what the HEX dictation app is. If you want to run Whisper yourself, the question on Whisper on a Mac explains the trade-offs. For the speech engine, see the glossary entry on on-device speech recognition.