Is Murmur really free?

Yes. The Apple On-device engine is free forever, with no account, no word limit, and no trial timer. Cloud is optional: bring your own key for a supported cloud model and pay that provider directly. Murmur doesn't mark anything up.

Does Murmur work offline?

Yes. Apple On-device is the default. After macOS downloads its language assets, dictation runs locally without a network connection. Cloud engines require the internet and your own key.

Where does my audio go?

In Apple mode, nowhere. Audio streams into memory while the key is held and is discarded when you release it. No recording is written to disk. If you choose a cloud engine, audio goes only to the provider whose key you added — never to a Murmur server.

Does it work in every app?

Any app where you can place a text cursor: Cursor, VS Code, Terminal, Slack, WhatsApp, Notes, Gmail, Linear, Notion, Figma, your browser. No plugins or integrations. Password fields and secure inputs are deliberately skipped.

macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon. The Apple engine downloads its language assets through macOS on first use. Cloud engines need a network connection and your own key.

The Murmur 1.0.0 disk image is 1.9 MB. The installed app is under 10 MB. Murmur is a native SwiftUI and AppKit app, not Electron or Chromium, so it does not ship a browser runtime.

Do I need a cloud key?

No. Apple On-device is the default and needs no key at all. If you want cloud accuracy, add your own key for a supported cloud model. Keys are stored in the macOS Keychain.

How does Hinglish work?

Murmur defaults to English (India) + Hindi so it can switch languages inside one sentence. Output can be Roman Hinglish or Devanagari; Roman is useful for code, terminals, and Slack. Apple mode is private but can miss invented names. Cloud models can be stronger on code-switching.

History is stored locally when it is enabled. In the current build it is on by default. It is a plain JSON file in Murmur's application data folder, searchable and deletable from Settings, and you can turn it off at any time. Audio is never part of your history.

Is Murmur available for Windows or iPhone?

No. Murmur is a native macOS app for Apple silicon running macOS 26 or later. There is no Windows, iPhone, iPad, or web version.

How do I install Murmur?

Download the 1.9 MB disk image, open it, and drag Murmur into Applications. Murmur 1.0.0 requires macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon. It is free, with no account required.

Murmur — free, on-device voice to text for macOS. Speak once.It's already written.

Murmur is a free, native macOS dictation app. Hold Right Option, speak, and your words land at the cursor in any app — transcribed on-device, with no account and no word limit.

Download for Mac1.9 MB See it write

Free forever · On-device · 1.9 MB · No account · No word limit · macOS 26+ · Apple silicon

Live illustration

Ready

Hold right option

Apple SpeechAnalyzer · on-device

Scroll to hold Right Option.

Anywhere there's a cursor

Every app.
No plugins.

Not a browser extension. Not a meeting bot. It types at the system level, wherever you already work.

ChatGPT

Cursor

Antigravity

Claude

VS Code

Slack

Notes

Gmail

Terminal

Linear

Notion

Figma

Chrome

If you can put a cursor in it, you can murmur into it. Secure fields stay protected.

The price

Free isn't a trial.
It's the whole point.

Hosted dictation meters your voice because every word costs them money. Murmur's Apple engine runs on the Mac you already own, so there is nothing to meter.

Use it all day. The local engine is free forever, with no word counter, no account, and no expiry.

Unlimited on-device dictation
No account, no email, no trial timer
Every update included

See the engine options

Cloud is optional: bring your own key for a supported cloud model and pay the provider directly. Apple mode costs nothing, forever.

No
subscription
ever

Murmur · receipt

One Mac · one user · no renewals

Murmur.appincluded

Apple SpeechAnalyzerincluded

Words this monthunlimited

Account requirednone

Card on filenone

Subscriptiondoes not exist

Total due$0.00

Forever

Paid in full by the Mac on your desk

Small footprint

The details stay quiet.

No dashboards. No notifications. Just the details that let dictation disappear into your work.

Privacy

Your audio never touches the disk.

Audio streams into memory only while the key is held. Release it and the buffer is gone. No recordings folder. No upload queue.

Audio buffermemory only

Disk0 bytes

Uploadoff

Telemetryoff

Session ends on key-upnothing to clean up

Dictionary

Your words, spelled your way.

Project words, names, and invented products. Add them once and they come back right every time.

Project · BoutiqueAI9 words

BoutiqueAIkarigarPrepWAIGrowdemyGupshupPrisma+3

boutique aiBoutiqueAI

prep waiPrepWAI

grow demyGrowdemy

gup shupGupshup

Applied after transcriptionAll enabled

Hinglish

English. Hindi.
Same sentence.

Code-switch mid-thought. Murmur keeps the language mix intact — and can write it in Roman script for code, Slack, and terminal.

Output

Kal standup mein onboarding flow discuss karte hain, phir notes bhej dete hain.

English (India) + Hindi · one continuous session

Latency

Under a second to the first word.

The on-device path is built to show text in under a second. Local means no round trip, no spinner, no wait.

First visible wordtarget · M-series

0.42s

on-device

First word

Let's

0.00.42s1.0s

Apple Intelligence

Raw speech in.
Finished text out.

Optional final polish removes filler, adds punctuation, and keeps your numbers and dictionary terms exactly as they were.

Spokenraw

so basically, um, ship the onboarding flow today

Polish final text

Written…

Waiting for polish…

The listening bar

It drops in. It gets out of the way.

The only interface is a glass pill at the notch. Live words, newest on the right, gone the moment you release.

Local first

Free by default.
Cloud when you want it.

Start with Apple's on-device model — no key, no account, no meter. When accuracy matters more than zero cost, bring your own cloud key and switch in one click.

Apple On-deviceNo session cap · no billing

Free

The default. SpeechAnalyzer runs on your Mac, works offline, and has no meter attached. English (India), English (US/UK), Hindi, and Multilingual India.

LanguageEnglish (India)Engine statusReady · on-deviceBillingFree forever

Keys live in the macOS Keychain. Sent only to the provider you choose.

How cloud stays optional

ModelsSwitch engines without switching workflows.Keychain

Engine

LanguageEnglish (India)

Engine statusReady · on-device

BillingFree forever

API keyNot required

Apple On-device needs no key, no account, and no connection.

Settings → Modelsclick an engine to try the chooser

The comparison

Free is easier
to explain.

What changes when the model runs on the Mac you already own, instead of someone else's cloud.

Murmur vs. hosted dictationOct 2026

Murmur compared with a typical hosted dictation tool
What matters	Murmur	Typical hosted dictation
Price	Free forever	Free tier, then a subscription
Word limit	None on-device	Weekly cap on the free plan
Account	Never	Required
Audio route	Stays on your Mac	Sent to the cloud
Engines	Local + your own cloud keys	The vendor's model only
Custom words	Yours, project by project	Limited or plan-gated
Hinglish	Built in	Varies by vendor
Your own cloud key	Optional, in Keychain	Not available
Works in every app	Yes	Yes

Hosted plans vary and change. This comparison reflects publicly listed entry plans and product documentation as of October 2026. Murmur's Apple engine is free forever; cloud engines are pay-as-you-go with your own provider key.

Check the engines

From the maker

“I built Murmur because I dictate into Cursor, Terminal, WhatsApp, and Notes for hours a day. Hosted tools counted every word I spoke. I wanted the words to just land — and I wanted them to stay mine.”

Vishawjeet SidhuSoftware engineer · maker of Murmur vsidhu.com

Good questions

No fine print.

Murmur is a small, single-purpose tool. Here is exactly what it does, what it doesn't, and where your voice goes.

Ask a human

Murmur is a free macOS dictation app that turns speech into text at the cursor in any app. Hold the Right Option key, speak, and release. Apple SpeechAnalyzer transcribes on-device, so it works offline and needs no account.

Murmur for macOS

Hold the key.
Start talking.

Free, on-device, and out of the way. Your next sentence lands at the cursor.

Download for Mac1.9 MB See how engines work

macOS 26+ · Apple silicon · 1.9 MB download · under 10 MB installed. Need help?

Free on-device1.9 MB downloadNative SwiftUI + AppKitNo accountNo word limit

Murmur — free, on-device voice to text for macOS. Speak once.It's already written.

Every app.No plugins.

Free isn't a trial.It's the whole point.