Will Vaitly Voice run on my Mac?

Last updated 7 September 2026

The short list

• Mac: Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Any MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro with an M-series chip. Intel Macs are not supported.
• macOS: macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Later versions are supported.
• Disk space: the app itself is a 24 MB download. On first run Vaitly Voice downloads the default Parakeet speech model, so you want about 1 GB free. Optional larger models need more.
• Memory: 8 GB works for everyday dictation. 16 GB is recommended if you plan to run the larger optional models or a local Ollama model for transforms alongside your usual apps.
• Microphone: the built-in one is fine. Any USB or XLR mic works too. Bluetooth earbuds are the weak option: they compress the audio and tend to clip the first syllable of each phrase.
• Permissions: Microphone and Accessibility, both granted once in System Settings.
• Internet: only for the first-run model download, buying a plan, and any cloud transform you choose to configure. Standard dictation works offline.

Check your Mac in ten seconds

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Choose About This Mac.
3. Look at the Chip line. If it says Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 or later, you are good. If it says Processor and names an Intel chip, Vaitly Voice will not run on that Mac.
4. Check the macOS line while you are there. You need Sonoma (14) or newer. Anything older updates for free from System Settings → General → Software Update.

Why Apple Silicon only

Vaitly Voice does recognition on the Mac rather than on a server. That is the whole point of the product, and it only works well because the M-series chips have a Neural Engine and a GPU that share memory with the CPU. The default model, NVIDIA Parakeet, runs fast enough on an M1 that the text keeps up with your voice. On an Intel Mac it would be slow enough to be frustrating, and it would run the fans hard, so we chose not to ship a build that we would not want to use ourselves.

Disk space and the first run

The download from the download page is 24 MB. The first time you open Vaitly Voice it fetches the default speech model, which is why the first run needs an internet connection and why we suggest about 1 GB free. The model is stored in the app's own data folder under Library/Application Support, and it stays there until you remove the app. After that, dictation works with Wi-Fi off, in airplane mode, or on a network you do not trust.

Optional larger models, and any local Ollama model you point transforms at, are extra. Their sizes are shown in Settings before you download them.

Memory

With the default model, Vaitly Voice sits comfortably on an 8 GB Mac next to a browser and a mail client. We recommend 16 GB if you plan to use the larger optional models or run a local Ollama model for transforms, because those hold more in memory while they work. Recommended, not required: an 8 GB Mac with the default model is a perfectly good setup.

Microphones

The built-in microphone on an Apple Silicon Mac is better than most people expect, and it is what most Vaitly Voice users dictate with. If you are in a noisy office or want studio quality, any USB or XLR microphone the Mac sees as an input device works, and you can pick it in Settings → Recording.

Bluetooth earbuds are the exception. When they act as a microphone, the Bluetooth profile switches to a low-quality mode that compresses the audio, and there is a short wake-up delay that clips the first syllable of what you say. Recognition still works, but accuracy drops and the first word is often missing. If you use earbuds for listening, keep the Mac's own microphone as the input for dictation.

The two permissions, and why

• Microphone so Vaitly Voice can hear you while you hold the shortcut. Audio is processed on the Mac and is not uploaded during standard dictation.
• Accessibility so Vaitly Voice can notice the global shortcut in any app and type the text where your cursor is. macOS asks you to switch this on yourself in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility; the app cannot switch it on for you.

Both are asked for once, on the first run, and you can revoke either at any time from System Settings. Vaitly Voice asks for nothing else: no Screen Recording, no Full Disk Access, no Contacts.

Limits and the privacy boundary

Standard dictation runs entirely on the Mac: audio in, text out, nothing sent anywhere. Free use gives you 1,000 words a week with no sign-in, on 1 Mac; Pro covers 2 devices. Internet is needed for three things only: the first-run model download, buying or moving a plan, and any cloud transform you choose to set up. Transforms default to Apple Intelligence or a local Ollama model, and a cloud provider is used only if you configure one, sends text only, and is clearly labeled. Read more on offline recognition and in the privacy policy.

Not yet: Windows, iPhone and iPad

Windows is in development, and early access opens to people on the list first; there is nothing to download yet. There is no iPhone or iPad version and none planned, because iOS does not let a third-party app type into other apps the way Vaitly Voice does on the Mac.

Compared with cloud dictation

A cloud dictation app has lighter requirements on paper, because the heavy work happens on a server. The trade is that your voice leaves the machine and the app stops working when the connection does. Vaitly Voice asks a little more of your Mac and nothing of your network. See how Vaitly Voice compares with the alternatives.