{"id":45707339,"title":"Show HN: Dictly – Local, real‑time voice‑to‑text for macOS (sub‑100ms, no cloud)","points":4,"user":"JannikJung","time":1761429558,"time_ago":"7 hours ago","type":"link","content":"

TL;DR: I built a native macOS dictation app that transcribes locally and instantly. \nText appears as you speak (measured ~100 ms first‑character latency). \nNo accounts, no servers, no tracking.

Links:\n• Website: https://dictly.app\n• Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/dictly-no-keys-just-clarity/id...\n• Free download; optional Pro tier (pipelines, unlimited history, etc.)

What it does

Real‑time transcription — streaming text while you talk, not after you stop.

Quick‑Capture Overlay (macOS) — global hotkey, drop text into any app/field.

Custom Pipelines — local post‑processing steps for cleanup, punctuation, or house style.

Dictionary Profiles — teach domain terms (names, brands, code tokens, etc.).

Local Analytics — see time saved vs typing (computed on device, never sent anywhere).

Why I built it

I wanted dictation that felt as immediate as typing and was trustworthy. Most tools stream audio to a server; I wanted something that never leaves the machine.

How it’s built (high‑level)

Swift + Apple speech/ML frameworks.\nStreaming audio capture → on‑device recognition → local pipeline → paste into the active app.\nWorks with Wi‑Fi off; there are no network requests in the transcription path.

What’s different vs built‑ins

Always on‑device + streaming with a global overlay that works in any app.\nExtensible, deterministic cleanup via pipelines (not a black‑box cloud).\nPer‑project dictionaries to tame jargon and proper nouns.

Numbers (early)

Latency: ~100 ms (first visible characters from speech onset) in typical conditions on modern Macs.\nPrivacy: zero telemetry; no account; no background syncing. Everything stays local.

Trade‑offs (calling them out up front)

Accuracy depends on mic and environment (no surprise).\nFor weird proper nouns/jargon, you’ll want a dictionary profile.\nHeavy background noise will degrade results (pipelines can only do so much).

What I’m looking for from HN

Performance impressions on different hardware.\nFailure cases (accents, acronyms, coding, meetings).\nPipeline ideas you’d actually use (e.g., Markdown formatting, code‑block guards, style rules).\nIntegration wishes: CLI? Shortcut actions? Editor‑specific helpers?

I’m a solo dev. \nHappy to answer pointed questions and ship fixes fast. \nIf you spot hand‑wavy claims, call them out.","url":"https://dictly.app/","domain":"dictly.app","comments":[],"comments_count":0}