Audience
Professionals, writers, and teams who want private on-device speech-to-text dictation on Mac and Windows
About Secretary42
Secretary42 is a desktop dictation application for professionals, writers, developers, and other people who want to turn speech into text while working in their usual Mac or Windows apps. A customizable global hotkey starts and stops dictation; the bundled whisper.cpp engine transcribes speech locally using downloadable Whisper models, and sends the result to the active cursor, clipboard, or a file. Users can choose models that balance speed and recognition quality and review, copy, or delete locally stored transcription history. The app is designed for drafting email, documents, notes, support replies, issue reports, and documentation. Dictation runs on the device without cloud transcription; an internet connection is used separately for checkout, license activation and checks, model and app downloads, support, and optional diagnostics. Secretary42 is available for macOS on Apple Silicon and Windows x64.
Other Popular Alternatives & Related Software
Morning
Morning is a macOS dictation app for people who want to turn speech into text wherever they can type. Hold a keyboard shortcut, speak, and release to paste the transcription at the cursor in apps such as email, notes, messaging tools, terminals, and coding assistants. Speech recognition runs locally on the Mac using Whisper models, and dictation can work offline after a model is downloaded. The app supports macOS 14 and later on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. It also places media controls and AirPods status in a notch-style interface, including on Macs without a physical notch. Optional AI text cleanup can be enabled separately and sends text to a selected provider. Morning offers unlimited dictation, a three-day free trial, and a one-time license purchase with lifetime updates; it is designed for Mac users, writers, developers, and other people who dictate into everyday apps.
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FluidVoice
FluidVoice is a free, open source macOS dictation app that pairs local speech recognition with Fluid-1, an on-device AI model for polishing dictation. One hotkey lets users speak into any text field across email, documents, chat, terminals, code editors, and other apps, with text appearing in near real time. Local speech models keep dictation on-device and work offline, while optional AI post-processing can use Fluid Intelligence, OpenAI, Groq, or custom providers. Fluid-1 cleans up rough dictation, fixes formatting, capitalization, dates, names, and numbers, and adapts tone to the active app without changing the speaker’s meaning. Users can create custom prompts for different apps, while Write Mode, Command Mode, and Direct Dictation make it easy to switch contexts. FluidVoice supports more than 40 languages across models including Nemotron Speech 3.5, Parakeet Flash, Parakeet TDT v2 and v3, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, and Whisper.
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StarWhisper
StarWhisper is free voice-to-text software for Windows that lets you dictate anywhere with AI-powered transcription. It works offline with local Whisper AI or connects to OpenAI for 99% accuracy. Features include 29+ languages, GPU acceleration, wake word activation, auto-paste, file transcription, and multiple AI models. A free tier (500 words/day) covers casual use, while Pro plans unlock unlimited transcription and all models.
Key Features:
- Offline transcription with local Whisper AI
- GPU acceleration for fast processing
- 29+ language support
- Wake word activation
- Auto-paste into any app
- File transcription
- Multiple AI model sizes
- OpenAI API integration
Use Cases:
- Dictate documents and emails
- Transcribe meeting recordings
- Voice-driven coding and notes
- Accessibility for users with mobility issues
- Multi-language content creation
Learn more about StarWhisper
Whisperstream
Whisperstream is a desktop dictation app for Windows PCs and Apple silicon Macs (beta) that converts speech into text for the focused field in other applications using a push-to-talk shortcut. After its speech-recognition models are downloaded, dictation can run locally and offline. Available models include NVIDIA Parakeet, Qwen3 ASR and Cohere Transcribe. Optional cleanup uses the on-device Stream-1 Mini model or a provider configured by the user. Features include custom vocabulary and text replacements, app-specific enhancement profiles, searchable transcript history, audio-file transcription, and voice playback and replies for Claude Code and Codex sessions. It supports dictation into compatible text fields without an add-in and is designed for people who want to speak into coding editors, email, documents and other applications. Model downloads, software updates and optional online functions may require internet access.
Learn more about Whisperstream
Pricing
Starting Price:
€9.99/month
Pricing Details:
€9.99 per month or €99.99 per year. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. Prices include VAT for EU customers; Paddle displays the final amount before payment.
Integrations
No integrations listed.
Company Information
insight 42
Founded: 2018
Germany
insight42.com/home/secretary42/
Videos and Screen Captures
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Product Details
Platforms Supported
Windows
Mac
Training
Documentation
Support
Online
Secretary42 Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kinds of users and organization types does Secretary42 work with?
Secretary42 works with these users and organization types: Mid Size Business, Small Business, Enterprise, Freelance, Nonprofit, Government, and Startup.
Q: What languages does Secretary42 support in their product?
Secretary42 supports these languages: English.
Q: What kind of support options does Secretary42 offer?
Secretary42 offers support via online.
Q: What type of training does Secretary42 provide?
Secretary42 provides training in the form of documentation.
Q: How much does Secretary42 cost?
Pricing for Secretary42 starts at €9.99/month.
