Yap
Fast, private voice dictation for Mac and Windows.
Overview
Yap is voice dictation for Mac and Windows that runs entirely on your own computer. Hold one key, speak, and release: Yap types clean, punctuated text into whatever app you are using, from email and documents to chat, terminals and AI coding tools. Speech recognition happens on the device, so recordings are never uploaded, and it keeps working offline after a one-time model download. Yap detects 25 languages from each recording with no settings to change, removes filler words such as “um” and “uh”, and keeps a searchable dictation history on your device. One subscription covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
Key features
- Hold one key (Fn on a Mac, Ctrl + Win on Windows), speak, and release: Yap types clean, punctuated text into the app you are using.
- Speech recognition runs on your own computer, so recordings are never uploaded.
- Works offline after a one-time download of the speech model.
- 25 languages, detected from each recording with no settings to change.
- Removes filler words such as "um" and "uh" and adds punctuation and capitals.
- Searchable dictation history that stays on your device.
- Recordings up to five minutes; tap the shortcut to keep recording hands-free.
- One subscription covers Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
Pricing
Free account with 3 days of dictation, no card. Then a 10-day trial with a card, after which Yap Pro is USD 6.90 a month or USD 69 a year.
View full pricing on yapapp.cc
Pros & cons
Pros
- Private: audio never leaves the device.
- Fast: a median of 0.56 s from releasing the key to text on an Apple M5 Pro Mac (older Macs take longer).
- Works offline, on planes and on restricted networks.
- About half the price of cloud dictation apps.
- No new editor to learn: it types into the apps you already use.
Cons
- Needs a Mac with Apple silicon or a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC; no Linux version.
- The first setup downloads a speech model (about 0.7 to 1.4 GB).
- Paid after the free days; there is no free-forever plan.
- No AI rewriting of what you said: Yap writes your words, tidied, not a new text.
Frequently asked questions
Yap is a dictation app. Hold one key, say what you want to write, and let go: Yap types it wherever your cursor is, in any app. It runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.
No. Speech recognition runs on your own device, so recordings are never uploaded. An internet connection is only needed to download the speech model the first time.
Yes. After the one-time model download, Yap works without an internet connection.
25 languages. Yap detects the language of each recording on its own, with no settings to change.
Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later), and Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit, on x64 and Arm). Intel Macs are not supported.
A free account gives you 3 days of dictation with no card. After that, a 10-day trial with a card, then USD 6.90 a month or USD 69 a year. Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.
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