Does MurmurAI work as a Mac dictation app in Slack, Mail, and browsers?

Yes. The global hotkey works system-wide. Focus a text field, speak, and MurmurAI inserts the transcription at the cursor. You can assign a different refinement prompt per app.

How is this different from Apple Dictation?

Apple Dictation is built into macOS and is fine for short phrases. MurmurAI uses Whisper-class models on-device, can refine wording with custom prompts, keep a Spoken Work history, and insert into apps that fight system dictation.

Does dictation require an internet connection?

No. Speech is transcribed locally. You only need the network to download a model once, or if you opt into cloud AI refinement with your own API key.

Home / Dictation

Mac dictation that types into any app

MurmurAI is an on-device dictation app for macOS. Press a global hotkey, speak, and the words land at your cursor — Slack, Mail, your editor, the browser. Audio stays on your Mac.

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MurmurAI Mac dictation and transcription home screen

How hotkey dictation works

Set a shortcut such as Option+Space. In any app, put the caret in a text field and start talking. MurmurAI transcribes with WhisperKit, Parakeet, or Apple Speech on your machine, then inserts the text. Optional AI refinement can clean grammar or match a house style before insert.

Toggle mode (default) is press to start and press to stop. Hold to talk listens only while the key is down. The menu bar stays tap-to-start, tap-to-stop either way.

Prompts per app

Assign a refinement prompt to Slack, Mail, or any target app so dictation already sounds like that channel. One prompt is always the Default.

Spoken Work

Your recent takes stay in one list — what you said, which app you said it into, and whether the text was inserted. Copy anything you need again.

MurmurAI vs Apple Dictation

Built-in Apple Dictation is convenient for a sentence or two. MurmurAI is for people who dictate full messages all day and want Whisper-level accuracy, custom prompts, and a history of what they said.

On-device Whisper and Parakeet models, not only the system recognizer
Insert into apps that ignore or fight system dictation
Hold to talk or toggle, plus a menu bar popover
Per-app prompts and Spoken Work history
No subscription — Pro is a one-time purchase

Private by design

Dictation audio is processed locally. Transcripts live on your Mac. The network is used to download models and, only if you choose, to send text to an AI provider you configure. See the privacy policy.

Questions

Does it work in Slack, Mail, and Chrome?

Yes. The hotkey is system-wide. Click the field, speak, and MurmurAI inserts at the cursor. Clipboard insertion is available for Electron apps when needed.

Do I need the internet?

Not for transcription. Download a model once, then work offline. Cloud refinement is optional.

Can I also transcribe files?

Yes. Drop MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, or MOV files onto MurmurAI. That workflow is covered on the on-device transcription page.

Dictate without sending audio to the cloud

Free to start. Pro is $24.99 once.

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