Pindrop 🎤

The only 100% open source, truly Mac-native AI dictation app

Pindrop is a menu bar dictation app for macOS that turns your speech into text—completely offline, completely private. Built with pure Swift/SwiftUI and powered by Apple's WhisperKit for optimal Apple Silicon performance.

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Why Pindrop?

While other dictation apps compromise on privacy, performance, or platform fidelity, Pindrop is designed specifically for Mac users who refuse to compromise.

Pillar	What It Means
🍎 Mac-Native	Pure Swift/SwiftUI—not a web wrapper. Feels like Apple built it.
🔒 Privacy-First	100% local transcription. Your voice never leaves your Mac.
⚡ Apple Silicon Optimized	WhisperKit + Core ML = 2-3x faster than generic Whisper on M-series chips.
🏆 100% Open Source	No freemium tiers, no "Pro" features, no lock-in. Ever.

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Comparison

Feature	Pindrop	Handy	OpenWhispr
Platform	macOS only	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Framework	Swift/SwiftUI (native)	Tauri (Rust + Web)	Tauri (Rust + Web)
ML Engine	WhisperKit (Apple Core ML)	Generic Whisper	Generic Whisper
Apple Silicon	Native optimization	Emulated	Emulated
Source Code	100% open source	100% open source	Freemium (paid "Lazy Edition")
Battery Impact	Minimal (native)	Higher (web runtime)	Higher (web runtime)
Menu Bar Design	First-class native	Web-based UI	Web-based UI

The bottom line: If you want the best dictation experience on a Mac—maximum speed, minimal battery drain, and true native feel—Pindrop is the only choice.

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Features

• 100% Local Transcription — Runs entirely on your Mac using OpenAI's Whisper model via WhisperKit. Your voice never leaves your computer.
• Global Hotkeys — Toggle mode (press to start, press to stop) or push-to-talk. Works from anywhere in macOS.
• Smart Output — Text is automatically copied to your clipboard and optionally inserted directly at your cursor.
• Transcription History — All your dictations are saved locally with full search. Export to JSON, CSV, or plain text.
• Multiple Model Sizes — Choose from Tiny (fastest) to Large (most accurate) depending on your needs.
• AI Enhancement (Optional) — Clean up transcriptions using any OpenAI-compatible API—completely optional and off by default.
• Custom Dictionary — Define custom word replacements and vocabulary to improve transcription accuracy for names, jargon, and specialized terms.
• Beautiful macOS Design — Native SwiftUI interface that feels at home on your Mac.

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Built With

• Swift — Apple's modern, fast, and safe programming language
• SwiftUI — Declarative UI framework for truly native Mac apps
• WhisperKit — Apple's official Core ML implementation of OpenAI Whisper
• SwiftData — Modern data persistence framework
• Just one external dependency — WhisperKit. Everything else is Apple's first-party frameworks.

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) recommended for optimal performance
• Microphone access (required for recording)
• Accessibility permission (optional, enables direct text insertion; clipboard works without it)

Installation

Since Pindrop is currently distributed as a self-signed build, you'll need to approve it on first launch:

1. Download Pindrop.dmg from the releases page
2. Open the DMG and drag Pindrop to Applications
3. First launch only: Right-click Pindrop → Open
4. If you see "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified":
   • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
   • Scroll to "Security" section
   • Click "Open Anyway" next to Pindrop
   • Enter your password when prompted
5. Pindrop will now launch normally

Why this happens: Pindrop is self-signed because we don't have an Apple Developer account yet. The app is completely safe - this is just macOS being cautious about unverified developers.

Building from Source

Since this is an open-source project, you can also build it yourself. Don't worry—it's straightforward.

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/watzon/pindrop.git
cd pindrop

Step 2: Open in Xcode

open Pindrop.xcodeproj

Or simply double-click Pindrop.xcodeproj in Finder.

Step 3: Build and Run

1. In Xcode, select a scheme from the toolbar (Pindrop should be selected by default)
2. Press Cmd+R or click the Run button
3. The app will compile and launch

After the first build, Pindrop will appear in your menu bar (look for the microphone icon). The app runs exclusively in the menu bar—no dock icon.

Using the Build System (Recommended)

This project includes a justfile for common build tasks. Install just if you haven't already:

brew install just

Common commands:

just build              # Build for development (Debug)
just build-release      # Build for release
just test               # Run tests
just dmg-self-signed    # Build + create self-signed DMG
just clean              # Clean build artifacts
just --list             # Show all available commands

Release commands (maintainers):

just release 1.5.5          # Bump version, commit, tag, push → triggers CI
just update-appcast v1.5.5  # After CI: download and commit appcast.xml

Manual Build (Alternative)

To create a distributable build manually:

xcodebuild -scheme Pindrop -configuration Release build

The compiled app will be in build/Release/Pindrop.app.

Creating a DMG

To create a distributable DMG (self-signed):

just dmg-self-signed

This requires create-dmg:

brew install create-dmg

The DMG will be created in dist/Pindrop.dmg.

Creating a Release

Releases are built via GitHub Actions. To create a new release:

# 1. Bump version, commit, tag, and push (triggers CI)
just release 1.5.5

# 2. Wait for GitHub Actions to complete
#    Watch: https://github.com/watzon/pindrop/actions

# 3. Publish the draft release on GitHub
#    https://github.com/watzon/pindrop/releases

# 4. Update appcast.xml for Sparkle auto-updates
just update-appcast v1.5.5

First Launch

When you first open Pindrop, you'll see an onboarding flow:

1. Grant Microphone Permission — Required for recording dictations
2. Download a Model — Start with "Tiny" for the fastest experience (about 75MB)
3. Set Up Your Hotkey — Default is Option+Space for toggle mode
4. You're Ready — Press your hotkey and start dictating

Usage

Recording Modes

Toggle Mode (default: Option+Space)

• Press once to start recording (menu bar icon turns red)
• Press again to stop and transcribe
• Your transcribed text appears in your clipboard immediately

Push-to-Talk

• Hold your hotkey to record
• Release to stop and transcribe
• Configure a different hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys

Output

Transcribed text is always copied to your clipboard. If you've granted Accessibility permission, it's also inserted directly at your cursor in the active application.

History

Access all your past transcriptions:

• Click the menu bar icon → History (or press Cmd+H)
• Search through any transcription
• Copy individual entries or export to JSON/CSV/plain text

Settings

General

• Output Mode: Clipboard only, or clipboard + direct insertion
• Language: English (more languages coming in future updates)

Hotkeys

• Configure your toggle hotkey and push-to-talk hotkey
• Press the "Record New Hotkey" button and press your desired keys

Models

Model	Size	Speed	Accuracy
Tiny	~75 MB	Fastest	Good
Base	~150 MB	Fast	Good
Small	~500 MB	Medium	Better
Medium	~1.5 GB	Slower	High
Large	~3 GB	Slowest	Highest

Start with Tiny or Base for daily use. Switch to Medium or Large when you need maximum accuracy.

AI Enhancement

• Toggle AI-powered text cleanup on/off
• Enter any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint
• Your API key is stored securely in the macOS Keychain—not in UserDefaults

Troubleshooting

App doesn't appear in menu bar

Pindrop is a menu bar-only app—it intentionally has no dock icon. Look for the microphone icon in the top-right corner of your menu bar.

Microphone permission denied

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
2. Enable permission for Pindrop
3. Restart the app

Direct text insertion not working

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
2. Click "+" and add Pindrop
3. Restart the app
4. Clipboard output still works without this permission

Transcription is slow

• Use a smaller model (Tiny or Base)
• Make sure you're on Apple Silicon (Intel Macs are supported but slower)
• Close other resource-intensive applications

Model download fails

• Check your internet connection
• Ensure you have enough disk space (75MB–3GB depending on model)
• Try downloading again from Settings → Models

Hotkey doesn't work

• Check for conflicts with other apps
• Try a different key combination
• Click the menu bar icon first to ensure the app has focus

Architecture

Pindrop/
├── Pindrop/                     # Main app bundle
│   ├── PindropApp.swift         # App entry point + lifecycle
│   ├── AppCoordinator.swift     # Central service coordination
│   ├── Services/
│   │   ├── AudioRecorder.swift      # AVAudioEngine recording
│   │   ├── TranscriptionService.swift # WhisperKit integration
│   │   ├── ModelManager.swift       # Model downloads
│   │   ├── HotkeyManager.swift      # Global shortcuts
│   │   ├── OutputManager.swift      # Clipboard + text insertion
│   │   ├── HistoryStore.swift       # SwiftData persistence
│   │   ├── SettingsStore.swift      # Settings + Keychain
│   │   ├── PermissionManager.swift  # Permissions handling
│   │   ├── AIEnhancementService.swift # Optional AI cleanup
│   │   └── DictionaryStore.swift    # Custom dictionary
│   ├── Models/
│   │   ├── TranscriptionRecord.swift
│   │   ├── WordReplacement.swift
│   │   └── VocabularyWord.swift
│   ├── UI/
│   │   ├── Main/
│   │   │   ├── MainWindow.swift
│   │   │   ├── DashboardView.swift
│   │   │   └── HistoryView.swift
│   │   ├── Settings/
│   │   │   ├── SettingsWindow.swift
│   │   │   ├── GeneralSettingsView.swift
│   │   │   ├── HotkeysSettingsView.swift
│   │   │   ├── ModelsSettingsView.swift
│   │   │   ├── AIEnhancementSettingsView.swift
│   │   │   ├── DictionarySettingsView.swift
│   │   │   └── AboutSettingsView.swift
│   │   ├── Onboarding/
│   │   │   ├── OnboardingWindow.swift
│   │   │   ├── OnboardingWindowController.swift
│   │   │   ├── WelcomeStepView.swift
│   │   │   ├── PermissionsStepView.swift
│   │   │   ├── ModelSelectionStepView.swift
│   │   │   ├── ModelDownloadStepView.swift
│   │   │   ├── HotkeySetupStepView.swift
│   │   │   ├── AIEnhancementStepView.swift
│   │   │   └── ReadyStepView.swift
│   │   ├── Theme/
│   │   │   └── Theme.swift
│   │   ├── Components/
│   │   │   └── CopyButton.swift
│   │   ├── StatusBarController.swift   # Menu bar icon
│   │   ├── FloatingIndicator.swift     # Recording indicator
│   │   └── SplashScreen.swift
│   └── Utils/
│       ├── Logger.swift           # Logging wrapper
│       └── AlertManager.swift     # Alert handling
├── PindropTests/                  # XCTest suite
└── Pindrop.xcodeproj              # Xcode project

Running Tests

xcodebuild test -scheme Pindrop -destination 'platform=macOS'

Community

Join the conversation and get help:

• GitHub Discussions — Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with other users
• GitHub Issues — Report bugs or request features

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on how to get started.

Whether you're fixing a bug, adding a feature, or improving documentation, your help makes Pindrop better for everyone.

License

MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• WhisperKit — The Swift implementation that makes this possible
• OpenAI Whisper — The original speech recognition model

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Note: This project is currently open source and free to build yourself. Pre-built binaries may be available for purchase in the future.