Listen Orb
Free trialApple silicon · macOS 13+

AI voice dictation for Mac · Local or cloud

Speak your next prompt. Keep it on your Mac.

Dictate and refine text with AI running locally on your Mac, or choose OpenAI or xAI with your own key. Speak into supported Mac text fields, then select a passage and say “Orb” to edit it.

Explore local processing
Download free trialApple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+
On another device?

Open this setup and download link on your Mac. Apple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+.

Buy — $99 one time

Start with 3 days free. Every 500 words you successfully dictate adds 1 day, up to 7 days total. No card required · $99 one time

  • No Listen Orb account
  • One-time license
  • Local: no API key or usage fees
  • Cloud: provider usage billed separately

A real developer vocabulary workflow

A recorded Listen Orb workflow using user-defined preferred spellings. Transcription and vocabulary results can vary.

Explore the developer workflow

Read video transcript

Hold FnPush-to-talk in most standard Mac text fields.
Local or cloudChoose where transcription and AI polish run.
Your termsAdd, edit, import, or export your own vocabulary.

Draft by voice. Choose your preferred spellings. Refine a selection with the same Fn gesture. Results can vary by text field and task.

New in Listen Orb 2

Your words can stay on your Mac.

Local transcription, AI polish, and Orb Commands. Download your models once, then process speech and text on your Mac without an API key or per-use AI charges.

On your Mac · Beta

Choose Local.

  • Audio and text are processed on your Mac.
  • Dictate, polish, and refine selected text offline after model setup.
  • No automatic switch to a cloud provider if local processing fails.

Apple silicon · macOS 14 or later. The default models need about 2.43 GB of downloads, plus the app.

Set up local processing

Direct to your provider

Choose OpenAI or xAI.

  • Use your own provider account and API key.
  • Audio and text go directly to the provider you choose.
  • Keys stay in macOS Keychain; provider usage is billed separately.

Apple silicon · macOS 13 or later. Cloud processing needs an internet connection.

Set up a cloud provider

Local speech and text processing works offline after downloads. Model downloads, license checks, updates, and optional online features still use the internet. Speed and results depend on your Mac and selected models; review text before sending.

Selected text, transformed by voice

Say “Orb” to edit the words already on screen.

Select editable text, use the same Fn gesture as dictation, and begin with an explicit Orb instruction. Rewrite, shorten, format, or translate the selection without learning another shortcut.

Selected text

hey — I can't make tomorrow's 2pm check-in. can we move it?

Hold Fn and say

“Orb, make this more professional.”

Review the replacement

Read the result in the same field before sending it. The exact wording depends on your selection and instruction.

Explore optional polish for different destinations

Contextual polish is optional. It can use the current app and a short nearby-text excerpt to adjust presentation while aiming to preserve meaning. These interactive examples illustrate the modes.

What you say

“Hey Sam, quick update — actually make that a question — can you send the launch notes to McAllister by Thursday, and flag the API naming issue?”

Listen Orb writes

Hi Sam, Quick question: can you send the launch notes to McAllister by Thursday and flag the API naming issue?

Your terms after AI transcription

Keep names and specialist language in the form you chose.

The active provider transcribes each dictation. Listen Orb then applies your saved vocabulary after the optional AI polish step when a configured spoken form is recognized. New terms are ready as soon as you save.

Vocabulary entry

Preferred form
McAllister
Spoken forms
mick allistermac allister

Spoken

“Send the revised launch notes to mick allister.”

Inserted

Send the revised launch notes to McAllister.

Spoken forms are not sent during ordinary app requests. Vocabulary exports include them. Preferred terms may be sent as transcription hints.

Spoken forms are not sent during ordinary app requests. Vocabulary exports include them. Learn about vocabulary and exports.

Explore custom vocabulary

Your choice. No Listen Orb speech backend.

Choose where your speech and text are processed.

Choose Local to process audio and text on your Mac. Choose OpenAI or xAI to send them directly to that provider. The key is stored in macOS Keychain, and no Listen Orb account is required.

See the data path and polish controls
  1. 01

    Your Mac

    Listen Orb records only while you dictate. Your OpenAI and xAI keys are stored in Keychain. Settings and vocabulary stay on your Mac.

  2. 02

    Local or your cloud provider

    Local processes audio and text on your Mac. With OpenAI or xAI, audio goes directly to that provider using your key. Preferred written terms may be sent as hints; Contextual polish may send a short nearby-text excerpt. Cloud usage is billed by that provider.

  3. 03

    Text at the cursor

    Finished text returns to Listen Orb and appears in the active field.

Off skips optional polish. Standard uses transcript text only. Contextual may also use a short nearby-text excerpt. With Local, this processing stays on your Mac; with cloud, it goes to your provider.

Read the privacy details

An intentional tradeoff

Know the fit before you download.

Listen Orb is focused push-to-talk dictation for Apple silicon Macs. It is not a meeting recorder, file transcription tool, or voice agent.

Choose Listen Orb if

You want a focused, customer-controlled Mac path.

  • Your primary writing happens on an Apple silicon Mac.
  • You want Fn push-to-talk and text at the active cursor.
  • You want no Listen Orb account and no Listen Orb speech backend.
  • You prefer a one-time app license, with local processing or your own OpenAI or xAI API key.

Choose another setup if

You need a broader platform or processing model.

  • You need Windows, iPhone, Android, or Intel Mac support.
  • You need local processing on macOS 13 or earlier.
  • You need meeting or audio and video file transcription.
  • You want cloud AI usage bundled with the app license.
Download free trialApple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+
On another device?

Open this setup and download link on your Mac. Apple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+.

Buy — $99 one time

Simple setup

Start dictating in a few guided steps.

Choose Local or add your cloud key, allow the required Mac permissions, and try a sentence. Resume anytime from Finish Setup in the menu bar.

  1. 01

    Start

    Choose the free trial or enter a Polar license.

  2. 02

    Choose processing

    Download models for Local, or choose OpenAI or xAI and add your key, stored in Keychain.

  3. 03

    Allow access

    Enable Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring.

  4. 04

    Practice

    Try a sentence in the practice field.

  5. Manage an existing license

    Open the Polar customer portal to recover or manage your license. No Listen Orb account is required.

Simple ownership

One-time license. No subscription.

Start with 3 days free. Every 500 words you successfully dictate adds 1 day, up to 7 days total. No card required. One license works on up to 3 Macs.

Pay once for the Mac app. There is no recurring Listen Orb fee.

Local processing has no API usage fees. For cloud, pay the active provider separately for API usage. OpenAI and xAI each bill the account that issued the key. ChatGPT subscriptions and SuperGrok are not API credit. Listen Orb does not resell usage. Understand API billing or see a real seven-day example.

One-time Mac license

$99One-time Mac license
  • 3 days free, up to 7 with use
  • Local processing included
  • No subscription
  • One license for up to 3 Macs
Buy the license — $99 one time
Download the free trialApple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+
On another device?

Open this setup and download link on your Mac. Apple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+.

One license for up to 3 Macs. No Listen Orb account or subscription. Local needs no API key. For cloud, your OpenAI or xAI API key is stored in macOS Keychain; that provider bills usage separately. Applicable tax is shown at checkout.

License and purchase details · Recover a license · Contact support

Straight answers

Before you download.

The essentials before you start your trial.

Is Listen Orb fully local or offline?

Yes. Choose Local on an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later. After downloading models, transcription, polish, and Orb Commands run on your Mac without sending audio or text to a cloud provider. Downloads, license checks, updates, and optional online features still need internet. OpenAI and xAI processing always needs internet.

Do I need a Listen Orb account or ChatGPT Plus?

No Listen Orb account is required. Local needs no API key. For cloud processing, you need an OpenAI or xAI API key with that provider's API billing enabled. ChatGPT subscriptions are not OpenAI API credit. SuperGrok, grok.com, Cursor, or an X login is not an xAI API key.

How is API usage billed?

Local processing has no provider API usage charges. For cloud, the active provider bills API usage separately from Listen Orb. OpenAI bills its API project; xAI bills its API account. Check that provider for actual usage. Understand API billing.

What leaves my Mac?

With Local, audio, transcripts, and selected text are processed on your Mac. With OpenAI or xAI, audio and text go directly to that provider. Preferred written terms may be sent as hints, and Contextual polish may also send a short nearby-text excerpt.

Does vocabulary learn automatically?

No. You add preferred spellings and pronunciations yourself.

What can Orb Commands do?

Orb Commands rewrite selected editable text after an explicit spoken “Orb” instruction. They do not click controls, submit messages, execute code, or control other app actions.

Where does AI fit in?

Your selected local models or cloud provider transcribe each dictation. Standard and Contextual can optionally polish the transcript; Off skips that step. Listen Orb then applies your saved vocabulary.

What happens after the trial?

Buy one license to keep using the Mac app on up to 3 Macs, including local processing. Cloud provider API usage remains separate.

AI voice dictation for Mac

Put your voice at the cursor.

Start with 3 days free. Every 500 words you successfully dictate adds 1 day, up to 7 days total. Choose Local or bring your OpenAI or xAI API key. No card or Listen Orb account is required.

Download free trialApple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+
On another device?

Open this setup and download link on your Mac. Apple silicon · Cloud: macOS 13+ · Local: macOS 14+.

Or buy — $99 one time

More to explore

Go deeper on the workflow that matters to you.

Explore custom vocabulary or the developer workflow in more detail.

More recorded product demonstrations
Listen Orb — AI Voice Dictation for Mac