Kikitori
Private voice dictation for the Mac: speak, and your words appear
Why “Kikitori”
Kikitori (聞き取り) is Japanese for catching what you hear: listening comprehension. I built it out of frustration: every dictation tool I tried either misheard me or quietly shipped my voice to someone else's server. I wanted the opposite: a listener that gets the words right and keeps them on my Mac. That is the whole app: it listens carefully, so you can just talk.
Your voice never leaves your Mac
Privacy is not a setting in Kikitori. It is the architecture. That makes it GDPR (DSGVO) compliant by design:
- Transcription runs 100% on-device, powered by Whisper, the state-of-the-art open speech model
- Audio is processed in memory and discarded, never stored, never uploaded
- No cloud connection, no account, no analytics, no tracking
- Works completely offline after the one-time model download
- Nothing to consent to, because nothing is collected. The App Privacy label is “Data Not Collected”
Dictate confidential email, meeting notes, medical or legal drafts, or your private journal. Nobody hears it but your Mac.
How it works
- One shortcut: press the dictation shortcut, speak, press it again
- Live transcription: words appear while you speak, not after
- 99 languages: dictate in your language, or let Kikitori detect it
- Translate as you dictate: speak any language, get English text
- Works offline: after the one-time model download, no internet needed
Two editions
- App Store edition: dictation into a floating panel with automatic copy: stop speaking, press ⌘V wherever you are
- Direct download edition: types straight into whatever app you are working in while you speak (coming soon)
The free version includes everyday dictation with the fast Low accuracy tier. Kikitori Pro, a one-time purchase with no subscription, unlocks the Medium and High accuracy tiers powered by larger Whisper models.
Available on
Get the app
Coming soon to the Mac App Store.
Support & legal
Questions or feedback? Email hello@wissmueller.net.