Kekoso
Transcribes dictation, files and calls on your Mac, with nothing sent to a server
Kekoso runs speech-to-text entirely on-device for dictation into any app, batch file/YouTube transcription, two-track call recording, and a local MCP server with twelve tools for Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Codex. It explicitly calls out that most 'private' dictation apps still upload audio to a server for recognition — Kekoso's model runs on the Neural Engine instead. One-time $29 purchase, macOS 14.4+ on Apple silicon, 7-day trial.
What holds up
- +Voice recognition runs on-device via the Neural Engine — audio is never uploaded, unlike most 'private' competitors
- +One-time $29 purchase, not a subscription — no recurring charge to track or cancel
- +Local MCP server with 12 tools means Claude Code and Claude Desktop can transcribe without an API key or per-minute bill
Mind the limits
- −Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14.4+ only — no Windows, Linux, or Intel Mac support
- −Only 7-day trial before the $29 purchase is required
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