Voice dictation that works offline
Most dictation apps stream your voice to a server, so the moment your wifi drops, they stop. Glimpse runs the speech model on your own machine, so dictation keeps working with no connection at all.
Why offline matters
Planes, trains, basements, hotel wifi that barely loads a webpage, locked-down work networks. The places you most want to capture a thought are often the places with the worst connection. Offline dictation also means your audio never leaves your machine, so it's the private option by default.
How Glimpse does it
Glimpse downloads a local speech model once, then runs transcription on-device, using the Apple Neural Engine on Apple Silicon. Turn your wifi off and it still works, at the same speed and accuracy. There's no cloud round-trip in the loop.
What you give up offline (almost nothing)
Core dictation needs no internet. The only features that reach out are the optional AI ones, Cleanup and Edit Mode, and only if you turn them on and point them at a provider you configure. Plain dictation, custom words, and replacements all run fully offline.
Common questions
Does Glimpse work without an internet connection?
Yes. Core transcription runs on your device, so dictation keeps working with wifi off, on a plane, or on any disconnected machine.
Where does my audio go when I dictate offline?
Nowhere. It's transcribed locally on your machine and never uploaded. That's true online too, by default.
Is offline dictation free?
Yes. Glimpse dictation is free forever with no word or time limit, on both macOS and Windows.
Try Glimpse
Free dictation, local by default, no subscription. Five minutes to find out if it fits.
Download Glimpse