The right option
for your every word
A native macOS dictation app that turns your voice into text instantly. Local Whisper for complete privacy or Groq for real-time speed. No accounts. No friction.
Press anywhere to start dictating
Features
Built to stay out of your way
Every detail designed for one thing: getting your words out fast, naturally, and privately.
One-key activation
Hold Right Option, speak, and release. That is the entire interaction.
Completely private
Whisper runs on-device, so your voice stays local with no cloud processing.
AI writes from intent
Speak the intent and Wave turns it into polished text ready to send.
Groq for speed
Switch to Groq for faster transcription when you want minimal latency.
Works offline
No Wi-Fi needed. Whisper runs locally, so dictation still works offline.
Streams to your cursor
Wave inserts text at your cursor directly, with no extra paste step.
AI Mode
Speak the intent, not the draft
Instead of dictating every word, just describe what you need. Wave turns it into clean text at your cursor.
You say
“Write an email to apply for leave tomorrow, doctor appointment in the morning.”
Wave writes
Hi Sarah, I'd like to take tomorrow off for a doctor appointment. I'll wrap up anything urgent before I leave today.
Selection Mode
Select. Speak. Replaced.
Highlight any text, hold the shortcut, and speak your instruction. Wave rewrites it in place.
Selected text
i recieved your email and will look at it soon hopefully
You say “fix the grammar”
Wave replaces with
I received your email and will review it shortly.
Replaces selection in any app
How it works
One key. Any app. Every word.
No launcher to open, no mode to switch. Wave lives in the background until you need it.
Hold Right Option
Works in any app, on any screen. Wave is already running in the background, no window to open.
Say it out loud
Speak in full sentences or rough thoughts. Wave transcribes in real time while you stay focused.
Release to insert
Let go of the key and your words appear at the cursor, in whatever app you are in.
Works in Mail · Messages · Slack · Notion · Notes · Linear · Figma · Arc — and anywhere else you can type
Privacy
Your voice stays yours
Wave was designed with privacy as the foundation, not as a feature.
Local Whisper
OpenAI Whisper runs entirely on your Mac. Audio is processed in memory, never stored, and never sent anywhere.
Groq option
When speed matters more, switch to Groq's API for near-instant transcription. You supply your own API key.
No account. No telemetry. No nonsense.
Wave collects zero user data. No analytics trackers, no crash reporters, and no usage metrics phoning home.
FAQ
Common questions, answered
The basics on pricing, privacy, and how local versus hosted usage works.
Is Wave itself paid?
No. Wave is 100% free and open source. You can run it locally on your Mac without paying for the app.
When do I pay for Groq?
Only when you choose Groq for hosted transcription or AI rewrite features. Local Whisper usage stays free on your machine.
Can I use Wave fully offline?
Yes for local dictation with Whisper. Internet is only needed if you switch to Groq-hosted speech or LLM features.
Do I need an account to use Wave?
No account is required for the app itself. If you want Groq-hosted features, you use your own Groq API key.
Start speaking your mind
Download Wave free. Works on macOS 14+. No account needed.