A new open-source voice keyboard called AriaType just entered beta for macOS, and it does something most competitors skip: it processes everything on your device with zero cloud dependency.
The setup is simple. Hold Shift+Space, talk, release, and your words appear wherever your cursor is. Under the hood, AriaType runs OpenAI's Whisper speech-to-text model (the same one powering most local transcription tools) directly on your Mac. No account, no subscription, no data leaving your machine.
What separates AriaType from raw speech-to-text is the AI polish layer. After transcription, it can strip filler words like "um" and "uh," convert your rambling into formal or concise text, or even restructure what you said into an AI prompt format for tools like ChatGPT or Claude. You can also set custom rules for how your text gets cleaned up. The tool supports over 100 languages with auto-detection, plus specialized vocabulary for tech, legal, and medical fields.
The obvious comparison here is Wispr Flow, which also does local voice-to-text on macOS. AriaType's pitch is that it's completely free and open-source with the code on GitHub, while Wispr Flow runs $10/month on its Pro plan. The trade-off is maturity: AriaType is at v0.1.0 beta, so expect rough edges. Windows support is listed as "in development."
For anyone who does a lot of writing across different apps and wants voice input without trusting a cloud service, this is worth trying. The price is right, and the local-only approach means your dictation never touches a server. Just temper expectations for a beta product from a solo developer.