[opensourcedex]

voiceink is a free, open source miscellaneous project written in Swift and released under a custom open-source licence. It has 6,442 GitHub stars, 920 forks and 127 open issues, and was last pushed 14 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #11 of 25 tracked projects in Miscellaneous, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 47 stars over the last 6 tracked days.

What is voiceink?

What it is

VoiceInk is a native macOS application that transcribes speech into text almost instantly. It is written in Swift and published under the GNU General Public License v3.0, with the registry listing it as a Miscellaneous-category project built around the macOS platform. The README frames it as an open-source alternative to the paid voice-to-text products Superwhisper and Wispr Flow, and the repository ships the full source alongside a compiled build distributed through the project's own website.

The concrete problem it solves is paid voice dictation. Commercial transcription apps of this kind typically require a recurring subscription, and many of them route audio through remote servers. VoiceInk instead runs local AI models on the machine, with the README stating that processing happens entirely offline so that data never leaves the device, and that no subscription is required to use it. It lives in the macOS desktop ecosystem, and its transcription core is built on whisper.cpp, the high-performance inference implementation of OpenAI's Whisper model.

Key capabilities

  • Local AI models transcribe spoken input to text almost instantly, without sending audio off the device.
  • Modes use application detection to automatically apply pre-configured settings based on the app or URL in focus.
  • Context-aware processing reads screen content and adapts output to the surrounding context.
  • Configurable global keyboard or mouse shortcuts trigger recording, including push-to-talk.
  • A personal dictionary trains recognition on custom words, industry terminology, and smart text replacements.
  • Smart Modes switch between AI-powered profiles optimized for different writing styles and contexts.
  • A built-in AI assistant mode provides a conversational, ChatGPT-like voice interaction.

Who uses it and how

  • People who dictate into whatever application is open, relying on global shortcuts rather than switching into a dedicated transcription window.
  • Users who keep separate vocabulary and formatting profiles per app, and let automatic app detection select the right one as focus changes.
  • Professionals with specialized terminology who populate the personal dictionary so that names, jargon, and replacements come out correctly.
  • Privacy-conscious users handling sensitive speech who depend on fully offline processing rather than a hosted service.
  • Developers who fork the repository and build it themselves, since the project is not accepting pull requests at this time.

Getting started

Download the latest version with a free trial from tryvoiceink.com, or install through Homebrew with brew install --cask voiceink. Building from source is also supported by following the instructions in BUILDING.md, and macOS 14

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

VoiceInk

Voice to text app for macOS to transcribe what you say to text almost instantly

License Platform GitHub release (latest by date) GitHub all releases GitHub stars

Website • YouTube

Download VoiceInk

VoiceInk is a native macOS application that transcribes what you say to text almost instantly. You can find all the information and download the app from here.

VoiceInk Mac App

After dedicating the past 5 months to developing this app, I've decided to open source it for the greater good.

My goal is to make it the most efficient and privacy-focused voice-to-text solution for macOS that is a joy to use. While the source code is now open for experienced developers to build and contribute, purchasing a license helps support continued development and gives you access to automatic updates, priority support, and upcoming features.

Features

  • 🎙️ Accurate Transcription: Local AI models that transcribe your voice to text with 99% accuracy, almost instantly
  • 🔒 Privacy First: 100% offline processing ensures your data never leaves your device
  • ⚡ Modes: Intelligent app detection automatically applies your perfect pre-configured settings based on the app/ URL you're on
  • 🧠 Context Aware: Smart AI that understands your screen content and adapts to the context
  • 🎯 Global Shortcuts: Configurable keyboard or mouse shortcuts for quick recording and push-to-talk functionality
  • 📝 Personal Dictionary: Train the AI to understand your unique terminology with custom words, industry terms, and smart text replacements
  • 🔄 Smart Modes: Instantly switch between AI-powered modes optimized for different writing styles and contexts
  • 🤖 AI Assistant: Built-in voice assistant mode for a quick chatGPT like conversational assistant

Get Started

Download

Get the latest version with a free trial from tryvoiceink.com. Your purchase helps me work on VoiceInk full-time and continuously improve it with new features and updates.

Homebrew

Alternatively, you can install VoiceInk via brew:

brew install --cask voiceink

Build from Source

As an open-source project, you can build VoiceInk yourself by following the instructions in BUILDING.md. However, the compiled version includes additional benefits like automatic updates, priority support via Discord and email, and helps fund ongoing development.

Requirements

  • macOS 14.4 or later

Documentation

Contributing

This project is not accepting pull requests at this time. You're welcome to fork and modify VoiceInk for your own use.

You can still contribute by:

  • Reporting bugs via issues
  • Suggesting features or enhancements
  • Improving documentation via issues

For more details, see our Contributing Guidelines. For build instructions, see our Building Guide.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please:

  1. Check the existing issues in the GitHub repository
  2. Create a new issue if your problem isn't already reported
  3. Provide as much detail as possible about your environment and the problem

Acknowledgments

Core Technology

Essential Dependencies

Made with ❤️ by Pax

Frequently asked questions

Is voiceink free to use?

voiceink is open source. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does voiceink do?

The best open-source alternative to Superwhisper & Wispr Flow. Voice-to-text app for macOS with no subscription

What is voiceink written in?

voiceink is primarily written in Swift. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/beingpax/voiceink, and it has 6,442 GitHub stars.