Handy
Cross-platform local speech-to-text app that uses Whisper or Parakeet with voice-activity detection, then pastes the transcription into the active application. MIT licensed.
A free, MIT-licensed desktop app that transcribes your speech locally with Whisper or Parakeet and pastes the text into whatever you're typing in.
What it is
Handy is a cross-platform desktop speech-to-text application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You press a keyboard shortcut, speak, and the transcribed words appear in the active text field. Recognition runs on your own machine, using either Whisper models (Small, Medium, Turbo, or Large, with GPU acceleration when available) or the CPU-friendly Parakeet V3 model. Silero voice-activity detection filters out silence before transcription. The project is MIT licensed and designed to be extended.
Key features
- Configurable shortcut in hold-to-record, toggle, or both modes
- Local transcription with Whisper or Parakeet V3 models
- Voice-activity detection using Silero to skip silence
- Automatic pasting of text into the currently focused application
- Command-line flags for controlling a running instance
- Optional transcription hook that can rewrite text before it is pasted
Use cases
- Dictating into any text field without sending audio to a cloud service
- Hands-free typing for accessibility needs
- Adding a custom text-cleanup or conversion step through the transcription hook on macOS or Linux
- Triggering recording from external hotkey managers on Linux Wayland setups
Who it's for
People who want simple, private dictation and are comfortable installing a desktop app. It also suits developers who want to script or extend the tool, since the source is open and the README documents hooks and CLI flags.
Getting started
The README points to releases on its GitHub page and the handy.computer website, with Homebrew and winget packages maintained separately. On Debian or Ubuntu it recommends installing the downloaded .deb with APT so dependencies resolve. After installation, launch Handy, grant microphone and accessibility permissions, and set your shortcut in Settings. Build instructions are in BUILD.md.
Alternatives
The directory also lists related desktop AI apps such as Chatbox, Dive, and PocketPal AI. These are listed as neighbouring entries, not as products the Handy README compares against.
Drafted with AI from the project's public documentation; verify against the source. Written 2 Nov 2026.