Chirp lets you voice-type into any application on your computer using a single hotkey. Press Fn on Mac or Alt+M on Windows to start recording, speak, press the key again, and the transcribed text is auto-pasted at your cursor. It works in email, Slack, VS Code, Google Docs, terminal apps, and anything else that accepts text input.
The Problem with Built-In Dictation
Both macOS and Windows include built-in dictation features, but they share a common limitation: inconsistent app support. Apple's dictation works well in Safari and Apple apps, but struggles in many third-party applications. Windows Speech Recognition works in some apps but not others, and the accuracy varies widely.
The root cause is how these system-level features interact with different text input methods. Some apps use non-standard text fields, custom rendering, or embedded web views that do not play nicely with the OS dictation pipeline. The result is a feature that works sometimes, in some apps, under some conditions.
How Chirp Solves This
Chirp takes a different approach. Instead of trying to integrate with each app's text input system, Chirp uses the system clipboard and an automated paste action. When you stop recording, Chirp transcribes the audio locally, copies the text to the clipboard, and simulates a paste keystroke (Cmd+V on Mac, Ctrl+V on Windows). This works in virtually every application because paste is universally supported.
The result is a voice-typing tool that genuinely works everywhere. If you can paste text into an app, you can voice-type into it with Chirp.
The Workflow in Detail
On macOS
- Default hotkey: Fn (the globe key on newer Macs)
- Click into any text field in any application
- Press Fn to start recording
- Speak your text naturally
- Press Fn again to stop
- Chirp transcribes locally via whisper.cpp and auto-pastes the text
On Windows
- Default hotkey: Alt+M (customizable in settings)
- Click into any text field in any application
- Press Alt+M to start recording
- Speak your text naturally
- Press Alt+M again to stop
- Chirp transcribes locally and auto-pastes the text
Apps Where This Works
Because Chirp uses the clipboard-and-paste method, it is compatible with essentially every desktop application. Here are some specific examples writers and professionals use daily:
Email Clients
Dictate replies in Apple Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird, or any webmail interface in your browser. Especially useful for longer replies where typing feels tedious.
Messaging Apps
Voice-type messages in Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, or Telegram. Instead of switching to your phone for voice messages, dictate clean text directly into the chat window.
Code Editors
Dictate comments, documentation, commit messages, or even pseudo-code in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Sublime Text, or Vim. Developers who need to write documentation alongside code find this particularly useful.
Writing and Note-Taking Apps
Works perfectly with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Notion, Obsidian, Bear, Scrivener, and any other writing tool. Dictate first drafts at speaking speed, then edit at your own pace.
Terminal and Command Line
This is where Chirp really stands out. Built-in dictation almost never works in terminal emulators (Terminal.app, iTerm2, Windows Terminal, Alacritty). Because Chirp uses paste, you can dictate text into a terminal session. Useful for writing long git commit messages, editing config files, or composing emails in terminal clients.
Web Forms and CRM Software
Dictate into Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, or any web-based tool. Customer support agents and sales reps can voice-type notes and responses instead of typing them out. Works in any browser.
Customizing the Hotkey
The default hotkeys (Fn on Mac, Alt+M on Windows) are chosen because they are unlikely to conflict with existing shortcuts. But you can change them in Chirp's settings to any key or key combination that suits your workflow. Some users prefer a mouse button, a function key, or a specific modifier combination.
Privacy and Offline Operation
All transcription happens locally on your device using whisper.cpp. No audio is sent to any server. No internet connection is needed after the initial install. This is especially important for users who dictate sensitive information — medical records, legal notes, business communications, or personal thoughts. Your words stay on your machine.
Performance Across Platforms
Chirp is built with Tauri 2.0, which gives it native performance on every platform. On macOS with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4), Metal GPU acceleration makes transcription especially fast — typically one to three seconds. On Intel Macs and Windows machines, transcription uses the CPU and takes slightly longer depending on your hardware, but still completes within a few seconds for typical dictation sessions.
Linux is also fully supported. Chirp runs natively on major distributions and uses the same whisper.cpp engine. The global hotkey works with X11 and Wayland (via XDG portal integration on supported compositors).
Getting Started
Download Chirp from chirp.la. You get 28 free transcriptions to test the full experience. After that, unlimited voice-typing is $9.99/year across up to 5 devices. No account required to start — just install and press the hotkey.