Roundhand

What it is

Roundhand is a dictation app for Mac that converts speech to text using on-device recognition, so your audio never leaves your computer. Hold your chosen key, speak naturally, and Roundhand transcribes your words, cleans them up, and inserts the formatted text at your cursor.

The app adapts its output to the application you're using: short and casual in chat, full sentences in email, capitalized with punctuation in documents, plain text in forms, and exact casing in code. It works offline once the speech model downloads, making it private and always available.

Roundhand also records meetings from Zoom, Teams, Meet and other call apps, transcribing them on your Mac with speaker identification. Paid plans add cloud-based cleanup for better punctuation and meeting summaries. The free plan includes dictation with offline cleanup and meeting recording with no time limit.

Questions from the bench

What does the 15-day trial include?

The trial gives new Roundhand accounts 15 days of cloud cleanup with a limited allowance, requiring no payment details. It starts when you first sign in with your email address, and dictation with offline cleanup is available whether or not the trial is running.

Does Roundhand work without an internet connection?

Yes, dictation and the offline cleanup rules run on your Mac without an internet connection once the speech model has downloaded. Cloud cleanup, sign-in and checkout do require a connection.

Does Roundhand send my audio or text anywhere?

Roundhand processes audio on your Mac and never uploads it. Transcript text is only sent to a cleanup provider when cloud cleanup is enabled, and this can include the app identifier, window title, and web address for browsers, but nothing from password fields.

Can Roundhand take notes in my meetings?

Yes, Roundhand records meetings on your Mac when Zoom, Teams, Meet or other call apps start using the microphone. It provides a transcript with each speaker labeled, and with cloud cleanup enabled, it also writes a summary and action items for each person.

Which Macs does Roundhand run on?

Roundhand runs on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.