Speakpad
One-time purchase · No subscription
Talk instead of type. In any app on your Mac.
Hold a key, speak, let go. Speakpad turns your voice into text right where your cursor is – privately, on your own Mac.
7-day free trial · Apple Silicon Mac · macOS 14 or later · No account needed
Three steps. No learning curve.
Hold your key
Hold Right Option (or Right ⌘, or fn) from any app. You'll hear a soft tick.
Say it naturally
Talk the way you'd talk to a person. No special commands to memorize.
Let go
Your words appear where your cursor is – email, Slack, docs, your browser, anywhere you can type.
Built to stay out of your way
Private by design
Speech is turned into text on your Mac. Your voice is never uploaded, stored or used to train anything.
Works in every app
Mail, Messages, Slack, Word, Google Docs, notes, code editors. If you can type in it, you can talk into it.
Fast
Runs on Apple Silicon's Neural Engine, so text shows up moments after you let go.
Optional AI polish
Add your own Anthropic API key and Speakpad removes "ums", fixes punctuation and handles "no wait, I mean…".
Your key, your choice
Pick Right Option, Right Command or the fn key, and choose a faster or more accurate speech model.
Lives in your menu bar
No windows to manage. A small pill shows when it's listening, then gets out of the way.
Pay once. Dictate forever.
Popular dictation apps charge $12–15 every month – up to $180 a year. Speakpad runs on your Mac, so there's no server bill to pass on to you.
Speakpad
$19one-time
- Unlimited dictation, all apps
- Runs privately on your Mac
- Use on up to 2 Macs
- Free updates for version 1
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Questions
Does it need an internet connection?
Only to download the speech model the first time, and for the optional AI polish. Dictation itself works offline.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Is my voice recorded or stored?
No. Speakpad only listens while you hold the key, turns the audio into text on your Mac, and then discards it.
What is AI polish, and does it cost extra?
It's optional. If you add your own Anthropic API key, Speakpad sends the text (never the audio) to Claude to tidy it up. You pay Anthropic directly for what you use, usually a tiny amount.
How does the free trial work?
Download it and use every feature for 7 days. No account or card needed. When you buy, you'll get a license key by email to paste into Speakpad's settings.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. If Speakpad isn't for you, email us within 14 days of buying and you'll get a full refund. No questions asked.