Yap
A fast, private, local voice dictation tool for macOS
About Yap
Yap is a fast, private, open-source voice dictation tool for macOS. It runs with Apple's on-device Speech framework, starts or stops dictation with a keyboard shortcut, and lets you rebind the key. Transcriptions are saved on the Mac for search and reuse; the page also says that no account or API key is required and audio never leaves the Mac. There is no network code, so it works without a signal for prompting coding agents, writing emails, and sending Slack messages.
Best for
Best use cases
Entering prompts for coding agents
Writing emails
Sending Slack messages
Dictating without a signal
Features
On-device speech processing
Runs with Apple's on-device Speech framework.
Keyboard dictation
Press a key to start or stop, and rebind the key if needed.
Local history
Every transcription is saved on the Mac for search and reuse.
Offline use
There is no network code, so dictation works without a signal.
Pros
- Processing happens on Apple devices, so audio never leaves the Mac.
- No account, API key, or telemetry is required.
- Transcriptions are saved locally and can be searched and reused.
- Dictation works without a signal.
Cons
- The download environment listed on the page is macOS 26 (Tahoe) with Apple Silicon.