Reed Dictation by W20 Labs
Open-Source Dictation for Mac
Reed is a free dictation app for Mac, and its source code is public under the Apache License 2.0. Hold a shortcut, speak, release: speech recognition and cleanup run on your Mac, and you can read every line that does it.
Download Reed — FreeApple Silicon (M1 or newer) · macOS 14 or later · English · No account
Source code: github.com/w20labs/reed. Licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
Published by W20 Labs, the maker of Reed. Details of the other projects below come from their own repositories, retrieved .
What is open in Reed
- The whole app. Capture, speech recognition, cleanup and text insertion are in the public repository, under the Apache License 2.0.
- How the network is kept out of dictation. The app’s network gate,
GateURLProtocol, blocks requests from the dictation path, so your audio and transcripts are never uploaded. Reed connects only to download the speech model, once, from Hugging Face, and to check for updates. See What We Collect. - No analytics or crash reports. There is no account and nothing that reports how you use it.
- How it is built. The repository’s README describes building the app yourself with
./build-app.shand Xcode, instead of downloading it. Build instructions.
Reed takes bug reports through its issue templates and ideas in GitHub Discussions; it does not accept unsolicited pull requests. How to contribute.
Other open-source dictation apps for Mac
Reed is one of several. These are dictation apps you start with a keyboard shortcut; each row comes from the project’s own repository.
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways.
| App | Licence | Platforms | Speech processing and how you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed | Apache 2.0 | Apple Silicon Macs, macOS 14 or later | On your Mac; English. Free download, or build from source. |
| Handy | MIT | macOS, Windows and Linux | Described as working completely offline. Free; also a Homebrew cask. |
| OpenWhispr | MIT | macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux | Local models, or cloud models with your own API key. Free downloads. |
| VoiceInk | GPL-3.0 | macOS 15 or later | Local models. The source is open; the ready-made app is sold, with a free trial. |
| OpenSuperWhisper | MIT | Apple Silicon Macs | Whisper on your Mac. Install with Homebrew. |
When another project may fit better
- You also work on Windows or Linux. Handy and OpenWhispr run on all three; Reed is Mac-only.
- You have an Intel Mac. OpenWhispr lists an Intel build; Reed needs Apple Silicon.
- You dictate in languages other than English. Reed supports English; check each project’s language support.
- You want to send pull requests. Reed does not accept unsolicited ones; the others’ repositories describe their own contribution rules.
When Reed may be the better choice
- You want filler words and restarts cleaned up. Reed removes “um” and “uh” and keeps the version of a restarted phrase you meant, on your Mac. How cleanup works.
- You want dictation that cannot reach the network. The gate is in the code, and the only connections are listed in What We Collect.
- You want a ready-made app as well as the source. The free download is signed and notarized by Apple; you can also build it yourself from the source.
Comparing Reed with non-open options too? See Reed and Apple Dictation and Reed and Wispr Flow.
Try Reed on your Mac
Download Reed, finish the model setup, and try the shortcut where you already write. Or read the code first at github.com/w20labs/reed.
Download Reed — FreeApple Silicon · macOS 14 or later · English. Reed is free and licensed under the Apache License 2.0.