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Offline Dictation on a Mac, What Still Works With the Wi-Fi Off

Which Mac dictation apps work with no internet, in each maker's own words, and exactly what Aurator does and does not do offline.

By Nelson, maker of Aurator

Yes, you can dictate on a Mac with no internet. You need an app that turns your speech into text on the Mac itself, and you need its speech model downloaded before you go offline. Superwhisper, VoiceInk, Spokenly and Aurator all say they can do this, and MacWhisper lists offline among its features. Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice say they need a connection.

I make Aurator, so please read this knowing that. And this is not a test. I have not timed or measured any of these apps. What follows is what each maker says about its own app, on its own pages, all checked on 7 October 2026. Then I will show you exactly what my own app does with the Wi-Fi off, including the parts that do not work.

Why some dictation apps need the internet

Every dictation app does the same first job. It turns the sound of your voice into words. That job needs a speech model, and the model runs in one of two places.

Some apps send your audio to a server, and the model there sends back the text. There is no model to download, but without a connection there is no text.

Other apps keep the model on your Mac. Then your audio does not have to travel anywhere to become text, and the Wi-Fi can be off. The catch is that the model has to be downloaded first, and in some apps that means one for each language. A model you never downloaded cannot help you on a plane.

And many apps now do a second job, cleaning up or rewriting your words with AI. That part can run on a server too, even in an app whose speech to text runs on your Mac. So it is worth asking which parts of an app work offline, not only whether it does.

Does Apple's built-in Dictation work without the internet

Apple's macOS feature availability page lists 48 language and region versions for on-device dictation, among them Arabic, Danish, Hebrew, Thai and Vietnamese. A footnote says they require the speech models to be downloaded. Apple's Mac User Guide says you can check Keyboard settings to see if your general text dictation is "processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers." And Apple's privacy page says that otherwise, what you dictate is sent to Apple's server and processed there.

Two details matter. That check is about general text dictation, like composing messages and notes, and not dictating in a search box. And in those three pages, Apple never uses the word offline, so I will not say it for them. What Apple does say is that on-device dictation is available in those 48 versions, once the speech models are downloaded.

If you rely on Apple's Dictation, check Keyboard settings, then test it at home with the Wi-Fi off before a trip. I wrote more about where Apple's Dictation sends your voice.

Which Mac dictation apps work offline

Here is what each maker says, in its own words.

AppWorks offlineIn the maker's own wordsDictating offline costs
Wispr FlowNo"An internet connection is required for transcription."Needs a connection
Aqua VoiceSays it needs a connection"Aqua Voice requires an internet connection"Needs a connection
SuperwhisperYes, with local voice models"Local voice models transcribe without an internet connection."Free plan, unlimited with local Whisper models
VoiceInkYes, with local transcription and no cloud enhancement"Your voice data never leaves your Mac"One payment, with a free trial
MacWhisperIts site lists offline, with local models"Process sensitive content locally without data ever leaving your Mac."Pro is €64 once. The free version has system wide dictation, but the site does not say if it runs offline
SpokenlyYes, with a local model chosen"No internet required"Free Local Models plan, no time or word limits
AuratorYes, with Cloud off, on Apple siliconDictation, cleanup and the coach work with no internet once the speech model for your language has downloaded7 days free, then US$29 once

Each app has a detail worth knowing.

Wispr Flow. Its data controls page says transcription always occurs on the cloud, and its help centre says an internet connection is required for transcription. On a computer, its help centre says being offline does not stop you dictating, and if transcription fails, Flow warns you and saves the audio for a retry. On Android it shows "No internet. Try again later." I compared it with Aurator in full in Aurator and Wispr Flow, an Honest Comparison.

Aqua Voice. Its page comparing itself with Mac dictation says it requires an internet connection because it processes audio on a server, with its Avalon model. Its FAQ is a little softer. It says offline availability varies by platform, app version and mode, and asks you to contact support to check your setup. So if offline matters to you, ask them before you buy.

Superwhisper. Its documentation says it plainly, Superwhisper works offline, and its local voice models transcribe without an internet connection. Its free plan gives you unlimited dictation with local Whisper models. The AI part is narrower. Its docs say AI formatting offline needs its local S1-mini model in the Message or Mail mode, and that other AI processing needs the internet.

VoiceInk. Its FAQ says it processes all voice transcription locally. Its privacy documentation is careful in a way I really respect. It says that for an on-device workflow you choose local transcription, use no enhancement or a local one, and turn off Auto Learn or give it a local Ollama model. If you turn on a cloud enhancement, your transcribed text goes to the provider you chose.

MacWhisper. It does a lot with audio files, and it dictates too. Its site lists offline among its features and says it uses local models. Its free version includes system wide dictation, but the site does not say whether that dictation runs offline, so test it with the Wi-Fi off first. Pro is €64 once, as its site lists it, and adds what it calls system wide high quality dictation, dictating with AI prompts, speaker recognition and batch transcription.

Spokenly. Its own description says it uses cloud models by default, with free Whisper and Parakeet models on the Mac as an option for unlimited offline dictation. So if you want it offline, choose a local model first. Its local models are free with no time, word or session limits, and no account. It also has a Local Only Mode that turns off all network activity except downloading local models.

What works offline in Aurator, and what does not

Aurator uses the speech model Apple provides on the Mac. With Cloud off, dictation, cleanup and the coach all work with no internet, once the speech model for your language has downloaded. In practice that means dictating into any app with a text field, Aurator's own cleanup rules that take out sounds such as um and uh, the voice commands like "new paragraph" and "scratch that", your personal dictionary, your History, and the coach's six scores.

Write for me, edit by voice and the rewrite styles are different. They work offline only when Apple Intelligence is on, because then they run on Apple's on-device model, which Apple says is available when you are offline. Without Apple Intelligence, those features need Cloud and your own Anthropic key, and that needs the internet. I went through what that on-device model can and cannot do in What Apple's On-Device Model Can and Cannot Do for Your App.

And here is what does not work offline.

  1. Cloud. Deepgram's live words while you speak, and Claude's rewrites, need the internet. If Deepgram fails in the middle of a dictation, Aurator finishes it on your Mac.
  2. A language whose speech model has not downloaded yet. Until it has, a press of the dictation key records nothing, and the small pill Aurator shows tells you why. It shows the download in percent, or with no internet it says, for example, "Could not download the Spanish (Mexico) speech model. Connect to the internet, then try again."
  3. Intel Macs. Aurator is made for Macs with Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, Apple's on-device speech engine may not be available, and then dictation works only with Cloud and your own Deepgram key. So on an Intel Mac, please do not count on Aurator offline, and use the free week to check.
  4. Updates and the licence check. Aurator goes online to check for updates, and about once a day to check your licence with tryaurator.app. Neither carries your voice or your words. With no internet, your licence keeps working for up to 60 days after the last check, then asks you to connect once.

How to get ready before you go offline

These steps work for any app, with the Aurator details in each one.

  1. Turn the cloud off. In Aurator, turn Cloud off in Settings. In Superwhisper, VoiceInk, MacWhisper and Spokenly, choose a local model.
  2. Download the speech model for every language you use. With Cloud off, Aurator downloads the models for your dictation language, both Automatic languages and every app rule's language when it opens, and again as soon as you change one of those settings. So choose your languages while you are online, and if the pill shows a download, let it finish. In the other offline apps, download the local model you want in their settings.
  3. Check where the AI part runs. In Aurator, Write for me and the rewrite styles work offline when Apple Intelligence is on. In other apps, check whether the cleanup or rewriting uses a local model or a cloud one.
  4. Let the app go online before you leave. The 60 days count from the last licence check, so if Aurator has been open with internet in the last day or two, you have close to all of them.
  5. Test it at home with the Wi-Fi off. Dictate a paragraph into Notes. If it works at your desk with the Wi-Fi off, you know before you leave.

Where the other apps are the better choice

  1. Apple's Dictation comes with macOS, so there is nothing to buy or install. Apple lists 48 language and region versions for on-device dictation, including languages Aurator does not have, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese. Aurator works in ten languages, in about thirty regional versions.
  2. Superwhisper gives you unlimited offline dictation on its free plan, supports more than 100 languages and dialects, and has apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. I compared it with Aurator in Aurator and Superwhisper, an Honest Comparison.
  3. Spokenly has free local models with no time, word or session limits and no account, and its Local Only Mode turns off network activity apart from downloading models. If you want one switch that keeps an app off the network, that mode is made for it.
  4. MacWhisper has a free version with system wide dictation and subtitle export, and its Pro version does much more with audio files, such as speaker recognition and batch transcription.
  5. VoiceInk is open source under the GPL v3 licence, so anyone can read its code, and it runs on older versions of macOS. Aurator needs macOS 26.
  6. Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice need a connection, but if you are almost always online they have real strengths. Wispr Flow supports more than 100 languages and Aqua Voice says it understands 49, and both run on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

And on cost, Superwhisper and Spokenly both say you can dictate offline for free, with no limit on how much, and MacWhisper's free version includes dictation too. Aurator is US$29 once after the free week. If plain offline dictation is all you need, one of those free plans may be enough, and I want to say that honestly.

What I would tell you to do

If you dictate on planes, in the country, or anywhere the Wi-Fi is weak, choose an app that transcribes on your Mac, download your languages before you go, and test it with the Wi-Fi off at home. Any of the apps above that transcribe on your Mac can do that first job.

If you also want your words cleaned up on the Mac, a coach that reads your own dictations, and Write for me that keeps working offline with Apple Intelligence, that is what I built Aurator to do. And if you think I got something wrong about any of these apps, please let me know. I would really like to correct it.

Aurator is a native macOS app and is not affiliated with Apple. You can download it here, and read more at tryaurator.app. Seven days free, with every feature, then US$29 once, with a full refund within 30 days if it is not for you.

Sources, all checked on 7 October 2026