Gobbl
In short: Gobbl gives any Mac with Apple silicon free, offline dictation into any app. It runs Whisper locally, takes about half a second per sentence, and has no word cap, subscription or account.
Try it
This demo shows the flow and the three clean-up levels. The real thing listens to your microphone; this page doesn't.
Press and hold, or hold Space while the button is focused. In the app it's the right Option key.
So I think we should ship the update on Friday and then tell the beta testers.
How it works
- Hold the Gobbl keyThe right Option key, in any text field: Mail, Slack, Notes, a browser, your code editor.
- TalkGobbl starts recording instantly, so nothing is lost while the model wakes up.
- Let goWhisper transcribes on your Mac and the text lands where your cursor is.
The first time, pick a Whisper model in Settings and Gobbl downloads it once. After that, dictation works offline.
Three clean-up levels
Verbatim
Exactly what you said, ums and all.
Light
Removes filler words and fixes punctuation, on your Mac. The default.
Polish with AI
Tidies the text into clear writing. Only the text is sent, never the audio.
Whisper models
| Model | Size | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Whisper Small | About 480 MB | Recommended: the balance of speed and accuracy |
| Whisper Turbo | About 630 MB | The most accurate, a little slower |
| Whisper Base | About 150 MB | The fastest and smallest |
You can switch or remove the model any time in Settings, Dictation.
Custom words and language lock
Add names, products and jargon as custom words, and Whisper spells them your way. Whisper can detect your language automatically, but picking one language gives better results, especially if you mix languages when you speak.
Hands-free mode
For longer thoughts, double-tap and hold the Gobbl key to start hands-free dictation, then tap once to stop. No need to keep a finger down.
Your voice stays on your Mac
Audio is recorded and transcribed on your Mac, then thrown away. Nothing is uploaded, which is also why there's no word limit and no sign-up. If you choose Polish with AI, the finished text goes through Xeve's AI service to a provider that doesn't keep data, and the request shows up in Gobbl's local log. See Privacy.
Requirements
- A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later). Dictation isn't available on Intel Macs; the rest of Gobbl is.
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- Microphone permission, and Accessibility permission so the text can be typed into other apps.
Compared with cloud dictation
Cloud dictation apps can be excellent, and some work on Windows and phones too. The trade-off is that your audio goes to a server, and free tiers usually cap words. Wispr Flow, for example, is cloud-only, its Pro plan costs $15 a month, and its free desktop tier is capped at 2,000 words a week. Gobbl's dictation is Mac-only, and it's free, offline and uncapped.
Read the full Gobbl vs Wispr Flow comparison.
Dictation questions
Does my voice leave my Mac?
No. Dictation runs OpenAI's Whisper model on your Mac, so audio never leaves it. Only if you choose the Polish with AI clean-up level is the transcribed text (never the audio) sent for polishing. More on the dictation page.
Is there a word limit on dictation?
No. There's no word cap and no account, because transcription happens on your Mac.
Is Gobbl a free Wispr Flow alternative?
For dictation on a Mac, yes: it's free, has no word cap and runs on-device. Wispr Flow is cloud-based, works on more platforms and costs $15 a month for Pro. See Gobbl vs Wispr Flow.