3× faster than typing — free to try

Speak naturally.
Let Whiskers handle the typing.

Hold a key, talk, release — text appears at your cursor in any Mac app. Local-first transcription, optional AI cleanup, no subscription.

Native macOS · Apple Silicon · Private by default

Slack

# design

alex10:42 AM

just installed Whiskers — wild 🤯 dictating prompts to Cursor instead of typing them

mira10:44 AM

ikr, the local-first transcription is the killer part 🔒 nothing leaves the Mac

youjust now

yeah I've been using it for slack replies and meeting notes — going back to typing feels weird now

BIS

Message #design

Native macOSApple Silicon, no Electron

Local by defaultAudio stays on your Mac

No subscription$23 once, keep it forever

Loved by early users4.9 ★ average rating

Real-time pasteLands at your cursor instantly

Dictate everywhere you work

Slack

Notion

VS Code

Chrome

Firefox

Gmail

Google Docs

Obsidian

The problem

You think three times faster than you type.

Ideas come out faster than your fingers can type them.

Emails, replies, and follow-ups pile up because typing is slow.

Most dictation tools demand a subscription, a cloud upload, or a second app.

Whiskers handles dictation, file transcription, and optional AI cleanup in one native Mac app.

Why now

AI raised the ceiling.
Your keyboard is the floor.

The tools you use every day got faster. Typing didn't. Voice is how you close the gap.

The chat tax

You spend half your day typing into AI chats — Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT. Speaking is 3× faster, and your thinking is faster than that.

The doc tax

Emails, replies, notes, briefs, comments. Most of your day is not deep work — it's getting words from your head into a text field.

The lock-in tax

Subscription dictation tools rent your voice back to you. Whiskers is one-time, local-first, and you bring your own keys.

Whiskers is the dictation app for the AI era — built for anyone who uses a computer, priced for people who'd rather not pay rent on their own voice.

Features

One app. No compromises.

Click any feature to see it in action — or let the demo run.

#launch — Whiskers HQ

# launch12 members

alex10:42 AM

anyone else tried Whiskers yet? I've basically stopped typing — dictating into Slack, Cursor, everything.

mira10:46 AM

yes!! it's wild. I cleared my inbox in like 20 minutes this morning 😅

youjust now

honestly Whiskers has changed how I work — I barely type anymore, just talk and it's already in the doc. easily saving 90 minutes a day.

❤️1

Message #launch

Works in any text field — Mail, Notes, Slack, VS Code, Cursor, Chrome.
Hold-to-talk, release to paste at your cursor instantly.
No clipboard, no app switching, no copy-paste dance.
Double-tap your hotkey to lock recording on for long, hands-free sessions.

Whiskers — File Transcription

File Transcription

Transcribe audio and video files with AI-powered processing and export options.

Files (3)

JohnFKennedyInauguralAddress.mp3

15:04·14.5 MBParakeet V2

0.0s15m 4s / 15m 4s

Transcript

You, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of your ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God…

AI TransformGroq — openai/gpt-oss-20bManage Prompts

Clean Transcript

product-interview.mp3

42.1 MB

Transcribing 2/4

team-sync-2026-05-04.m4a

32:14·58.7 MBParakeet V2

Drop in MP3, M4A, MP4, MOV — interviews, meetings, podcasts, lectures.
Export clean text or SRT subtitles, batch the whole queue.
Run on-device for free, or plug in your own Whisper, Deepgram, or custom-endpoint API key for top-tier cloud accuracy at pennies a month.
Replaces a $30/month transcription service in one drag-and-drop.

Send transcript text — never your audio — to Claude, GPT, or your own endpoint.
Bring your own API key. Pay providers directly — typically pennies a month, even for heavy use.
Pick from built-in prompts (Clean Transcript, De-Rambler, Email Draft, Translate…) or write your own for friends-vs-coworkers tone, languages, or any workflow.
Off by default. Turn it on per-shortcut, per-app, or globally.

Highlight text in any app — LinkedIn, Slack, Mail, Notes, your IDE.
Hit your hotkey, describe the change ("more formal", "fix typos", "translate to Spanish"), and Whiskers rewrites it in place.
Great for retroactive polish: tighten a paragraph, soften a reply, or swap tone for the audience.
Uses the same BYO LLM key — your text, your provider, no Whiskers middleman.

Add names, brands, libraries, CLIs, internal acronyms.
Stops the same words from getting flubbed call after call.
Especially helpful for engineers, podcasters, and researchers.

Cursor — auth.ts

auth.ts

routes.tsx

db.ts

export async function validate(req: Request) {

const token = req.headers.get("authorization")

if (!token) {

return new Response("unauthorized", { status: 401 })

}

// TODO: validate against issuer + expiry

return next(req)

}

main↑0 ↓000TypeScriptLn 17, Col 19Spaces: 2UTF-8LF

Whiskers can read on-screen text to ground transcription in your context — colleague names in Mail, code symbols in your IDE, acronyms in docs.
Say “get user by ID,” your screen shows getUserById, Whiskers types getUserById.
Screen text only. Stays on your Mac. Never stored, never uploaded.
Optional and off by default — turn it on in Settings.

Whiskers — Transcript History

AI enhancement

Does the AI enhancement feature only fix filler words, or does it actually rewrite sentences for clarity? I want to make sure it's not changing the meaning of what I said — just cleaning up the rough edges.

0.0s18.3s / 18.3s

May 5 at 2:41 PM18.3s1.4s38 wordsAI Enhanced

2 min agoNotion

Does the AI enhancement rewrite the whole thing or just clean up filler words and ums? Want to…

18 min agoLinear

Can I add domain-specific terms to the custom vocabulary so it stops transcribing API names wrong…

Every transcript is saved locally and searchable instantly.
Copy, edit, or export anything you said — without digging.
Stays on your Mac. Never synced unless you want it to be.

How it works

From thought to text in three steps.

Hold your shortcut

Pick any key combo. A small HUD appears to confirm Whiskers is ready.

Speak naturally

Draft out loud — emails, notes, prompts, anything. Whiskers listens, transcribes, and stays out of your way.

Let go. Text appears.

Text appears at your cursor instantly. No paste, no copy, no switching apps.

Use cases

Built for anyone who'd
rather speak than type.

From engineers prompting Cursor to anyone clearing an inbox — Whiskers fits any workflow where words move from your head to a screen.

Coding & AI prompts

Talk through prompts for Cursor, Copilot, or Claude without breaking flow. Describe intent faster than you can type it.

e.g."Refactor auth to validate JWT before rate-limiting"

Emails & quick replies

Clear your inbox, answer messages, and send follow-ups while your train of thought is still fresh.

e.g."Thanks again for the intro — Thursday at 2 works for me"

Notes & brainstorming

Ramble out loud, then let the De-Rambler prompt clean it into organized text. Perfect when you know what you want to say but haven't found the words yet.

e.g."Stream-of-consciousness in → tight, structured notes out"

Audio & video transcription

Drop in interviews, meetings, lectures, and recordings to get searchable text or SRT subtitles back.

e.g."Transcribe the team sync and export subtitles for the walkthrough"

Everyday writing, faster

Slack threads, doc edits, browser forms, comments, captions — the dozens of small writing tasks that fill your day. Speak them and clear the deck.

e.g."Reply to all 23 unread threads before lunch"

Rewrite text in place

Highlight anything you've already written, hit your hotkey, and tell Whiskers how to change it — more formal, more casual, fix typos, translate. Works in any app.

e.g."Make this LinkedIn message sound more professional"

Why Whiskers

The fastest path from thought to text on a Mac.

Compared honestly — pick what fits your workflow.

Side-by-side comparison of Whiskers against typing, macOS Dictation, cloud dictation services, and the Whisper command-line tool.
	Whiskers	Typing	macOS Dictation	Cloud dictation	Whisper CLI
Speed at the cursor	Real-time	~40 wpm	Real-time	Real-time	Batch only
Privacy	Local by default	N/A	Local	Cloud upload	Local
Works in any Mac app	Yes	Yes	Limited	Yes	Terminal only
Custom vocabulary	Yes	N/A	Limited	Varies	Manual
File transcription	Yes — text + SRT	No	No	Often paid extra	Yes
Cloud transcription engine	BYO key, pennies/mo	N/A	N/A	Locked-in subscription	Manual
AI enhancement (LLM)	BYO key + custom prompts	No	No	Bundled, locked-in	No
Pricing	$23 once	Free	Free	$8–30 / month	Free
Setup	Download & go	None	None	Account required	Terminal install

Whiskers

Recommended

Speed at the cursor: Real-time
Privacy: Local by default
Works in any Mac app: Yes
Custom vocabulary: Yes
File transcription: Yes — text + SRT
Cloud transcription engine: BYO key, pennies/mo
AI enhancement (LLM): BYO key + custom prompts
Pricing: $23 once
Setup: Download & go

Typing

You already type. Whiskers is 3× faster on average.

macOS Dictation

Built-in, but limited apps and no file transcription or vocabulary.

Cloud dictation

Real-time, but uploads your audio and locks you into a subscription.

Whisper CLI

Free and powerful, but no cursor paste, no UI, terminal only.

From real users

People start with one workflow —
then use it everywhere.

~3×Faster than typingAverage speech is ~120 wpm vs ~40 wpm typing — talk it, don't type it.

200+Words per minuteDictate full thoughts at conversational pace, not at your fingers' pace.

0Cloud uploads by defaultLocal-first transcription. Cloud only if you explicitly opt in.

~110×Real-time, on-deviceParakeet V2 runs on the Apple Neural Engine — fast enough that text often appears before you release the hotkey.

“I vibe-code with Cursor 8 hours a day. Dictating prompts instead of typing them out doubled my throughput. Can't go back.”

Alex P.Indie Developer

“I run a small law practice. I dictate client emails, intake notes, and quick memos all day. Whiskers paid for itself in the first afternoon — no subscription, no cloud, no IT department needed.”

Priya N.Solo Practitioner

“I batch-transcribe 4 podcast episodes a week. Whiskers replaced a $30/mo service and the SRT export is cleaner than what I was getting from Descript.”

Emily W.Podcast Host & Creator

Pricing

Start free. Unlock unlimited when you need it.

Download Whiskers for free with daily limits, then pay once for unlimited access.

Free

Get Whiskers on your Mac and use it every day with a limited free tier. It is the full native experience, just capped so you can decide whether it belongs in your workflow.

$0to start

Limited daily dictation to see how Whiskers fits your workflow
Native macOS app tuned for Apple Silicon
Works in every Mac app with a text cursor
Private-by-default local transcription

Best if you want to try Whiskers before you pay. Exact daily limits stay off the landing page to keep the offer simple.

Unlimited

Pay $23 once. Dictate forever. No subscription, no account, no upsell — just the full app without the daily cap.

$23one-time

Pay once. Keep it forever.

Unlimited dictation with a one-time $23 purchase
No subscription and no account required
Batch audio and video transcription
Custom vocabulary, transcript history, and optional AI cleanup

30-day refund — no forms, no hoops.

Lemon Squeezy hosts secure checkout with discount-code entry, one payment, and unlimited access.

Want to learn about the social sharing discount? Read the details.

What's the difference?

Free gets you the full native app with a daily dictation cap — enough to feel the workflow and decide if it fits.

Unlimited removes the cap and unlocks file transcription, custom vocabulary, history, and AI cleanup — for one $23 payment.

FAQ

Good questions. Straight answers.

01How does Whiskers keep my audio private?

02What does 'local-first' actually mean technically?

03Is Whiskers an Electron app?

04What apps does it work with?

05Do I need an internet connection?

06Can I use a cloud transcription model like Whisper or Deepgram?

Yes. Whiskers ships with great on-device models by default, but you can plug in your own API key for Whisper, Deepgram, or any custom endpoint and use top-tier cloud transcription instead. You pay the provider directly — typically pennies a month even for heavy use — and Whiskers takes no cut. It's the same quality you'd get from a $15–30/month subscription service, without the subscription.

07Can I transcribe audio or video files?

08Can I use it for coding and AI prompts?

09What does AI cleanup do?

It sends your transcript text, not your audio, to Claude, GPT, or your own endpoint for cleanup, grammar fixes, or reformatting. It's optional and bring-your-own-key — you pay the LLM provider directly, usually pennies a month. Pick from built-in prompts like Clean Transcript, De-Rambler, Email Draft, or Translate, or write your own — for example a casual tone for friends, a polished tone for coworkers, or a translation into any language you regularly use.

10Can I rewrite text I've already typed or pasted?

11Is Whiskers free to use?

12Why is the upgrade one-time instead of a subscription?

13What Macs does it support?

14What if it's not for me?

Stop typing what you could just say.

Free download with daily limits. $23 once for unlimited — 30-day refund if it doesn’t earn its place.

Speak naturally.
Let Whiskers handle the typing.

You think three times faster than you type.

AI raised the ceiling.
Your keyboard is the floor.

One app. No compromises.

File Transcription

Enhancement Prompts

Dictionary

From thought to text in three steps.

Hold your shortcut

Speak naturally

Let go. Text appears.

Built for anyone who'd
rather speak than type.

Coding & AI prompts

Emails & quick replies

Notes & brainstorming

Audio & video transcription

Everyday writing, faster

Rewrite text in place

The fastest path from thought to text on a Mac.

Whiskers

Typing

macOS Dictation

Cloud dictation

Whisper CLI

People start with one workflow —
then use it everywhere.

Start free. Unlock unlimited when you need it.

Free

Unlimited

Good questions. Straight answers.

Stop typing what you could just say.

Speak naturally.Let Whiskers handle the typing.

You think three times faster than you type.

AI raised the ceiling. Your keyboard is the floor.

One app. No compromises.

From thought to text in three steps.

Hold your shortcut

Speak naturally

Let go. Text appears.

Built for anyone who'd rather speak than type.

Coding & AI prompts

Emails & quick replies

Notes & brainstorming

Audio & video transcription

Everyday writing, faster

Rewrite text in place

The fastest path from thought to text on a Mac.

Whiskers

Typing

macOS Dictation

Cloud dictation

Whisper CLI

People start with one workflow — then use it everywhere.

Start free. Unlock unlimited when you need it.

Free

Unlimited

Good questions. Straight answers.

Stop typing what you could just say.

Speak naturally.
Let Whiskers handle the typing.

AI raised the ceiling.
Your keyboard is the floor.

Built for anyone who'd
rather speak than type.

People start with one workflow —
then use it everywhere.