Offline dictation
Offline voice typing for Windows
Offline voice typing means the speech model runs on your own computer instead of a company's server, so dictation works with no internet connection and your audio never leaves the machine. VaakApp does this on Windows 10 and 11: press a shortcut, speak, and your words are typed into whatever app you're using.
The recognition engine is Whisper, OpenAI's open-source speech-recognition model, running locally through whisper.cpp. The Whisper base.en (English) weights are compiled into the installer, which is why it's around 250 MB and why there is nothing to download or sign into on first run.
How it works
Five steps, none of which touch a network
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You press a global shortcut
VaakApp lives in the Windows tray and does nothing until summoned. The shortcut is yours to choose, and it works no matter which window has focus.
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Your microphone is captured locally
Audio goes from your microphone into memory on your own machine. It is not written to a cloud bucket, not streamed to a socket, and not queued for later upload.
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A speech model on your CPU transcribes it
The Whisper base.en (English) model is compiled into the application binary, so recognition happens on your processor. This is the step that every cloud dictation tool performs on a server instead.
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The text is typed where your cursor is
The recognised text is injected as keystrokes into whatever window is focused — a document, a browser field, a chat box, a terminal.
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The pill vanishes
No summary screen, no confirmation dialog, no celebration. The audio is done with and the app goes quiet until you press the shortcut again.
You can verify the claim rather than trust it: disconnect your network adapter entirely and dictate. Everything behaves identically, because nothing in that sequence needed the internet in the first place.
What you need
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). ~250 MB disk. Works fully offline.
No GPU is required, no account is created, and no separate model download is needed to start. 7-day free trial. No credit card. Full features.
Capabilities
What offline dictation still gets you
Running locally rules out anything that needs a large language model in a data centre. It does not rule out the parts people actually use every day — all of these run on your machine.
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Type with your voice, anywhere
A global shortcut turns speech into text in any app — editor, browser, chat, email.
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100% on-device
Whisper speech recognition runs locally. Your audio and transcripts never leave your machine.
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Polished or Live
Polished types your whole phrase cleaned up; Live types as you speak.
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Your words, learned
A personal Dictionary fixes names, jargon, and acronyms — and nudges recognition toward your terms.
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Snippets
Say a short phrase to drop in a saved block — a signature, an address, a canned reply.
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VaakPad
A built-in voice notepad — dictate a quick thought when you don't have another app open.
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Calm by design
A quiet pill that appears, types, and vanishes. No streak nags, no interruptions.
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Your Voice
Optional, on-device-only stats: words dictated, time saved, a quiet activity heatmap.
The trade-offs
Where offline is the worse choice
Local transcription is not free of cost, it just moves the cost. Here is where that lands on you.
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English only, in v1
The bundled model is English. If you need to dictate in another language today, VaakApp v1 is not the right tool.
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Windows first
Version 1 runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. macOS and Linux are planned, not shipped — we're not going to pretend otherwise.
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It uses your CPU
Local transcription costs local compute. On an older machine you will feel that, and no amount of marketing copy changes the trade: you are paying in milliseconds instead of paying in privacy.
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Recognition is probabilistic
Every speech model mishears things — proper nouns, jargon, homophones. The personal Dictionary exists precisely because that's true. Read what it typed before you send it.
If any of those is a dealbreaker, VaakApp is not the right tool for you yet — and our Wispr Flow comparison is candid about where a cloud tool wins.
Dictate with the network unplugged.
$9.99 once, 2 devices, no subscription. 7-day free trial. No credit card. Full features.
FAQ
Offline voice typing: common questions
Can voice typing work without an internet connection?
Yes, if the speech model runs on your own machine. VaakApp ships a Whisper speech-recognition model inside the application, so it transcribes locally on your processor. Unplug your network entirely and dictation still works exactly the same.
Does Windows' built-in voice typing work offline?
That depends on your Windows version and settings, so check your own machine rather than trusting a blanket claim. What we can say precisely is how VaakApp works: the model is embedded in the app, it runs on your CPU, and no dictation audio is sent anywhere.
How accurate is offline speech recognition?
VaakApp uses OpenAI's Whisper, the same family of model behind many commercial dictation tools, running locally. Accuracy depends on your microphone, accent and background noise. Speech recognition is probabilistic — always read what it typed before you send it.
Is offline dictation slower than cloud dictation?
It uses your own CPU instead of a server, so speed depends on your machine rather than your connection. The trade you're making is explicit: no round trip to a data centre and no network dependency, in exchange for using local compute.
What do I need to run offline voice typing on Windows?
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). ~250 MB disk. Works fully offline. There is nothing else to install and nothing to download after setup — the speech model is already inside the installer, which is why it's around 250 MB.