Show HN: Dicty – Privacy-first local voice dictation and dev documentation tool

Dicty launched as a privacy-first local voice dictation and developer documentation tool for macOS and Windows, offering offline speech recognition through Whisper Nano, Base, Fast, Turbo, and Pro models plus NVIDIA Parakeet, with zero-latency transcription in 90+ languages. The app supports 400+ local and cloud language models, including offline GGUFs such as Qwen, Llama, Mistral, and DeepSeek R1 and cloud options like Claude 3.7, DeepSeek V3, GPT-5, Gemini, and Grok via user-supplied API keys, and its core engine is free with no subscriptions, minute limits, or audio tracking. Dicty syncs generated documentation to Obsidian, Linear, Notion, and Confluence, and its Pro tier adds offline transcription of .mp3, .m4a, and .wav audio and video files.

Dictate.Transcribe.Transform. Instant voice-to-text for macOS and Windows. Dictate anywhere, format with any LLM, and sync directly with your Git workflow. Engineered for control, privacy, and speed. See the actual desktop interface. No hidden cloud lock-in—manage your local speech models, custom prompt modes, and API keys with complete transparency. Offline Speech Models with Full Benchmarks Dicty gives you direct control over your local speech recognition engine. Download and switch between Whisper Nano, Base, Fast, Turbo, and Pro models directly within the desktop app. Maximum Modularity Modular, private, and customizable. Choose your speech recognizer, your LLM refiner, and your formatting logic with zero vendor lock-in. Fast Speech Recognition & Live Translation Zero-latency local transcription in 90+ languages. Choose from Whisper Nano to Ultra Turbo or NVIDIA Parakeet models without cloud delay. 400+ Local & Cloud Language Models Run offline GGUFs locally Qwen, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek R1 or connect cloud LLMs like Claude 3.7, DeepSeek V3, GPT-5, Gemini, and Grok with your own API keys. Smart Formatting & Custom Prompts Transform raw speech into clean prose, commit notes, or structured meeting summaries. Customize prompts directly in the app. 100% Private & Free Core Engine No subscriptions, minute limits, or audio tracking. Your voice and transcripts stay completely on your machine. The Architecture Built for how engineers actually think. Five core systems that turn scattered spoken intent into durable, connected knowledge, or handle your everyday transcriptions flawlessly. Rapid Voice Capture Push hotkey, speak your thoughts, done. Captures the 'Why' behind code changes without losing flow or breaking context. Link Directly to Code Ground your docs in reality. Select related PRs, commits, and branches so every doc links directly to production code. Living, Self-Updating Docs Prevents documentation decay. Reconciles new updates with existing architecture files rather than creating redundant, linear logs. Sync to Any Tool or Vault Your docs, your vault. Seamless native export to Obsidian, Linear, Notion, or Confluence. Audio & Lecture Transcription Pro Never write down lectures or interviews by hand again. With Dicty Pro, drop any recorded audio .mp3, .m4a, .wav or video into Dicty for instant offline transcription, then let local or cloud AI summarize key takeaways, formulas, and study notes without time limits. Translate Text to Voice on the Fly Highlight text anywhere—documentation, PR diffs, articles, or foreign copy—to translate text to voice on the fly. Powered by dual local neural engines Kokoro-82M and Silero 48kHz for studio-grade, real-time speech without cloud latency or clipboard overwrite. The Architectural Librarian Stop making messy notes that nobody reads. Other tools just pile up random notes that get lost forever. Dicty is different. You speak, and it puts your thoughts right where they belong—clean, organized, and always in one place. Linear logging Append-only. Redundant. Decaying. Four documents describe the same system. Which one is true? Nobody knows. Living architecture docs Self-healing. Reconciled. Authoritative. Every input voice notes, PRs, standups, commits feeds directly into your central ARCHITECTURE.md . One canonical source of truth, always current, always grounded in code. How it Works From spoken word to synced doc in four steps. Speak Trigger via local shortcut and dictate your architectural intent or task context. Select Artifacts Attach relevant GitHub PRs, commits, or ticket links. Reconcile Dicty's AI synthesizes the diffs and voice input into structured markdown. Direct Sync Push updated docs straight to your target knowledge storage. Integrations & Ecosystem Works seamlessly with your tech stack, local AI engines, and team vaults. How Dicty compares to alternative apps. Engineered specifically for developers, architects, and privacy-conscious professionals. Zero subscription paywalls. | Capability | Dicty.io | Superwhisper | MacWhisper | Wispr Flow | |---|---|---|---|---| | 100% Free Desktop Engine No Monthly Subscriptions | | $8.49/mo | €64 Pro | €15/mo | | Cross-Platform Availability macOS & Windows | | Mac Only | Mac Only | | | Zero-Latency Hardware Acceleration Metal on Mac, AVX2 on Windows | | Metal Only | Metal Only | | | Choice of Speech Models NVIDIA Parakeet, Whisper Ultra | | | Whisper Only | | | Active Codebase Context Git PRs, Commits, Branches | | | | | | Architectural Librarian & Multi-Vault Sync Obsidian, GitHub, Linear | | | | | | 400+ Cloud & Local Text Models Claude, GPT-5, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek | | Limited | | | | Complete Privacy Zero Audio Recorded to External Cloud | | | | | Looking for granular feature breakdowns, pricing math, and architectural details? View All Side-by-Side Comparisons https://dicty.io/compare 100% free on your Mac & Windows. Upgrade only for extra cloud AI. Speak as much as you want for $0. No limits, no subscriptions. Upgrade to Pro only if you want built-in cloud models and automatic cloud sync. Starter Forever Free & Private - 100% local speech engine Whisper, NVIDIA Parakeet - Unlimited offline voice dictation & typing - Architectural Librarian & Git branch context - Speaker Diarization Up to 2 hrs / session - Up to 3 custom system prompts & styles - Up to 20 custom vocabulary terms & acronyms - BYOK Bring-Your-Own-Key for OpenRouter & Claude - Built-in Cloud AI Quota: Inactive BYOK only Download App https://dicty.io/download Pro - Everything in Starter - Active Built-in Cloud AI Quota Gemini 2.0, Claude 3.5, DeepSeek, GPT-4o - Unlimited Custom System Prompts & Modes - Unlimited Vocabulary & Custom Acronyms - Multi-Vault Cloud Sync Obsidian, Notion, Confluence, GitHub - Batch Audio & Video File Transcription + Diarization - Multi-Project Profiles & Fast Switching - Priority Model Routing & Early Beta Access Get Pro https://dicty-backend.dicty-backend.workers.dev/auth/google?source=web Early Supporter Lifetime Community License - All Pro features unlocked forever - Grandfathered benefits & cloud compute balance - Direct roadmap voting & priority feedback - Private developer channel access VIP Discord - Founding supporter badge & zero recurring fees - Support independent developer tooling Buy Early Supporter https://dicty-backend.dicty-backend.workers.dev/auth/google?source=web Detailed Comparison Matrix Full breakdown of limits, audio processing engines, and local vs. cloud features. | Feature | Starter $0 | Pro $4/mo | Early Supporter $99 | |---|---|---|---| | Speech & Audio Engine | | | | | On-Device Whisper C++ / Metal & AVX2 Metal GPU acceleration on Mac and AVX2 CPU on Windows Nano to Large V3 Turbo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | | NVIDIA Parakeet TDT / CTC Sub-400ms low latency speech model | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Translate Text to Voice on the Fly Instant speech synthesis on highlighted text. Kokoro-82M vector blending & Silero 48kHz broadcast speech | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Audio Privacy & Zero-Retention Audio processed in RAM; never leaves your machine | | | | | Meeting Audio Duration Microphone and system loopback recording | Up to 2 hrs / session | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Speaker Diarization & Dialogue Scripting Multi-speaker turn separation & executive summaries | | | | | Audio & Video File Transcription Batch drag & drop for lectures, meetings, and interviews .mp3, .m4a, .wav, .mp4 | | | | | AI Reasoning & Models | | | | | Bring-Your-Own-Key BYOK Connect your personal OpenRouter, OpenAI, Claude, or local Ollama keys | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Built-in Managed Cloud AI Quota Zero setup Gemini 2.0 Flash, Claude 3.5 Haiku, DeepSeek V3, and GPT-4o tokens without API keys | Inactive BYOK only | Included monthly quota | Included + Top-ups | | Custom System Prompts & Modes Tailored formatting styles Email, Code, Slack, Jira, Book Prose | Up to 3 presets | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Custom Vocabulary & Acronym Library Specialized tech stack jargon, libraries, and name phonetic anchors | Up to 20 words | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Architectural Librarian & Context | | | | | Architectural Librarian VKE Voice-to-Knowledge Engine synthesizing architecture documentation | | | | | Git Provider Context PRs, Commits, Branches Inspects diffs and active PRs across GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket | Local & Active Branch | Full Multi-Repo Context | Full Multi-Repo Context | | Issue Tracker Context Linear, Jira Links spoken insights to existing tickets and backlog items | Manual linking | Auto-sync & Fetching | Auto-sync & Fetching | | Multi-Vault Sync Obsidian, Notion, Confluence Automated documentation commit and push to remote wikis | Local export | Direct Remote Sync | Direct Remote Sync | | Workspaces & Access | | | | | Project & Workspace Profiles Custom setups per client or repository with isolated prompts | 1 Active Profile | Unlimited Profiles | Unlimited Profiles | | License Term Subscription billing frequency | Free Forever | Monthly or Yearly | Lifetime Access | | Roadmap Voting & Community Channel Direct influence on feature development and VIP Discord channel | Community https://discord.gg/CNEkeVj3b | Priority Support | Direct Roadmap Voting & VIP Channel | Looking to equip your entire engineering team? Contact us for Team & Enterprise Deployments https://dicty.io/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection 1e767b727271307a777d6a673077715e79737f7772307d7173 Have questions before choosing a plan? Discuss with users and the team on Discord https://discord.gg/CNEkeVj3b Got Questions? Frequently Asked Questions Everything you need to know about Dicty’s privacy, offline capabilities, AI customization, and performance. Yes The core desktop app, local Whisper speech models from ultra-fast Nano to studio-grade Large V3 Turbo , local audio file transcribers, and offline LLM integrations like LM Studio and Ollama are 100% free. There are no monthly paywalls, no artificial audio duration cut-offs, and no hidden subscriptions.