Dictation for writers
A first draft only needs to exist, and talking is often the quickest way to get one. Press a shortcut and talk, and Glimpse types into whatever you write in. Free and unlimited on Mac and Windows, and your manuscript never leaves your computer.
Write in the app you already use
If your cursor is in it, Glimpse types into it: Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, a notes app or a plain text file. There's no separate editor to copy out of. Pause as long as you need to find the next line. Glimpse keeps listening until you stop it.
It learns your world
Add character names, invented places and your own jargon to the custom dictionary, and Auto Dictionary picks up new ones as you go. Replacements expand a short phrase into one you use all the time. All of it is free.
Your words, or a tidy version
Plain dictation keeps your sentences as you said them, which is what you want for prose with a voice of its own. When you'd like help, AI Cleanup (with a license) tidies punctuation and false starts with a model you pick, and Edit Mode rewrites selected text when you say how. Personalization sets a different style for each app, so your email can come out tidier than your manuscript.
Voice memos, interviews and research
Talked through a chapter on a walk? Drop the recording into the Library and Glimpse transcribes it on your computer. Recording Mode captures interviews and calls with speakers labeled, with no bot in the call. Export to text or Markdown. Both come with a license and the 14-day trial.
Private, and paid for once
Transcription runs on your Mac or PC and works offline, so unpublished work isn't uploaded anywhere. Every dictation is saved to History, searchable. Dictation is free with no word limit on every model, and the extras are a one-time $25, not a subscription.
Common questions
Can I dictate a whole book with Glimpse?
Yes. Dictation is free with no word limit, it keeps listening through pauses until you stop it, and it types into whatever app you write in. Every dictation is also saved to History, so nothing is lost.
Does it work with Scrivener, Word and Google Docs?
Glimpse types into whatever app or text field has your cursor, so it works in Scrivener, Word, Google Docs and other writing apps with nothing to set up.
Will it change my writing?
Not unless you ask. Plain dictation types what you said. AI Cleanup, with a license, is optional, and Personalization lets you give each app its own style.
Can it transcribe recordings I made on my phone?
Yes, with a license. Drop audio or video files into the Library and Glimpse transcribes them on your computer, then export to text, Markdown, SRT or VTT.
Is my manuscript private?
Yes. Transcription runs on your computer by default and works offline. Nothing is uploaded unless you set up a cloud speech or AI provider yourself, with your own key.
Try Glimpse
Free dictation, local by default, no subscription. Five minutes to find out if it fits.