Local dictation for macOS

Your voice.
In the code.
Not the cloud.

Hold fn, speak, release. Phantom Voice turns your words into finished text in the app already under your cursor. Transcription happens on your Mac.

Try the HUD
  • macOS 14+
  • Apple silicon
  • 14-day trial
  • No subscription
Local instrument 01 Scripted demo - no microphone used

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Hold the key below and say what should happen next.

HUD style

HUD size

Preview any style or size here. White Wave and Retro Fox are included with Voice. Retro Dog, Real Revolver, and Piano Keys are $3 each.

  1. Ready
  2. Listening
  3. Local process
  4. Inserted

Push to talk

Press and hold. Release to insert.

This is a scripted interaction. It does not access your microphone.

01 / Invisible until called 02 / Private by architecture 03 / Native to the Mac

Why local matters

The moment you dictate client information, privacy stops being only about you.

On your Mac
Audio stays on your Mac. Phantom Voice transcribes on the device and does not need a network request, so it keeps working with networking switched off.

Most dictation is harmless. The problem starts when the words are not entirely yours to share: a client's roadmap, a customer's name in a bug report, or a contract clause you need to reword.

Send that audio to a hosted transcription service and you have made a data-sharing decision on someone else's behalf.

Phantom Voice keeps the transcription local. Once the text is inserted, you decide where it goes.

See it work

Indicator atelier

Choose the signal that sits above your work.

Every approved sequence, shown three ways: magnified for inspection, checked for legibility at 26 px, and rendered at the size Phantom Voice actually draws it - a 32 pt glyph in a 43 pt pill, the Standard HUD size.

Included with Voice

Two styles ship with the app. Nothing extra to buy, and no separate trial.

white-wave

The default. A travelling line while it listens, a single node gliding on a thread while it works.

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Shipped HUD

Listening

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Shipped HUD

Transcribing

retro-silver-fox

A crisp pixel portrait. The character stays rigid; light carries the state.

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Shipped HUD

Listening

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Shipped HUD

Transcribing

Import your own New in 1.4.0

Not a style to pick - a style you bring. Drop in a folder of PNG frames or a single animated GIF and Phantom Voice plays it as the HUD indicator. Free, no license, included with Voice.

import-your-own

This is a real GIF, imported through Preferences → Indicator → "Import your own…" exactly like you would - not a mockup.

A custom animated GIF, imported by the user, playing as the Phantom Voice HUD indicator

One-time $3 add-ons

Each is a separate purchase with its own Phantom ID. Buy one, all three, or none - Voice works the same either way.

retro-dog

A pixel dog flicks its ears while it listens. While it transcribes it pants through a scatter of sparks that never touch the head.

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Shipped HUD

Listening

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Shipped HUD

Transcribing

real-revolver

A swing-out cylinder loads six rounds while it listens. While it transcribes it completes one full rotation, then fires once and holds the fired pose.

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Shipped HUD

Listening

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Shipped HUD

Transcribing

piano-keys

Four keys press a short phrase while it listens. While it transcribes, notes fly upward from a key bed that never moves.

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Shipped HUD

Listening

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Shipped HUD

Transcribing

Free 14-day trial

Download Phantom Voice

The full app for 14 days. No account, and nothing to cancel. Buy it for $10 once when you decide to keep it.

Download for macOS

    macOS 14+ Apple silicon

What's new in this version · Older builds

Release history

What's new.

Every release and what changed in it - the same notes the app shows you when it updates itself.

Reception

What people say once the trial runs out.

    Network behavior

    Every direct app connection, accounted for.

    Dictation does not use the network. These are the four HTTPS operations in the stock app - and none receives your microphone audio or dictated text.

    Phantom Voice direct network connections
    What connects Where it goes What it contains Can you turn it off?
    Software updates leftinverse.comSigned update feed and download Your app version and standard HTTPS request metadata. Never microphone audio or dictated text. No separate switch. You can stay offline - dictation still works, and a missed update check does not block it.
    License revocation list leftinverse.comShared public deny-list The same public deny-list for every licensed copy, plus standard HTTPS metadata. Your signed Phantom ID is checked on your Mac and is not uploaded. No separate switch. It is a best-effort launch check for activated licenses, and being offline does not lock you out.
    On-device model downloads huggingface.cous.aws.cdn.hf.coHugging Face currently redirects downloads to this delivery host The selected model file name and standard HTTPS metadata. Never microphone audio or dictated text. Not for first-run transcription setup. The optional cleanup model is off by default, and every downloaded model runs offline afterwards.
    The Phantom Line catalog leftinverse.comStatic product catalog The catalog JSON and standard HTTPS metadata. Never microphone audio or dictated text. Yes - do not open The Phantom Line. It does not poll in the background.

    Browser boundary. When you choose to buy, Phantom Voice asks macOS to open leftinverse.com in your default browser. Browser traffic and cookies belong to that browser session, not to Phantom Voice.

    How this stays honest. CI checks the stock app's reviewed HTTPS endpoints and follows model-download redirects. A new app-owned endpoint, or a changed model delivery host, fails the check until this page and the manifest are updated together.

    Asked by readers

    Anything the FAQ left out.

    Buy once. Keep it.

    One useful tool.
    One honest price.

    No account. No subscription. A 14-day trial before you buy.

    Phantom / 01

    Phantom Voice

    System-wide local dictation with White Wave included.

    $10one payment

    Sold

    • 14-day full trial
    • Local whisper.cpp transcription
    • White Wave and Retro Fox included
    • Import your own PNG/GIF indicator
    • Updates included
    Add-on

    Retro Dog

    Flicks its ears while it listens. Pants through a scatter of sparks while it works.

    Sold

    $3
    Add-on

    Real Revolver

    Loads six rounds while it listens. Spins once and fires while it works.

    Sold

    $3
    Add-on

    Piano Keys

    Presses a short phrase while it listens. Sends notes up while it works.

    Sold

    $3

    White Wave and Retro Fox are included with Voice at no extra cost. Retro Dog, Real Revolver, and Piano Keys are separate one-time purchases, each with its own Phantom ID and no trial.

    Useful answers

    Before you speak.

    01Does my audio leave my Mac?

    No. Dictation audio and the transcript stay on your Mac. The speech model is downloaded once, and after it is installed dictation can work offline. Purchase, model download, and update checks still use the internet when needed. If you need to get this approved at work, the vendor review page states it as two separate claims: what the software does, and what paperwork it creates.

    02Does it work in any app?

    Phantom Voice inserts the finished transcript into the focused text field system-wide, so it is designed for editors, terminals, issue trackers, documents, chat, and more.

    03What happens while it is idle?

    The native menu-bar agent stays out of the way with near-zero CPU use while idle. Its selected whisper.cpp context remains resident after warm-up so the next dictation can start quickly. Memory use depends on the model you choose.

    04What Mac do I need?

    Phantom Voice currently requires macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, and transcribes English. Large v3 Turbo is the recommended default, with Base, Small, and Medium available when you prefer a lighter model.

    On first run it asks for three macOS permissions: Microphone to hear you, and Accessibility plus Input Monitoring so the push-to-talk hotkey works system-wide. Keep Phantom Voice in your Applications folder, or macOS will not remember them.

    05What is optional local cleanup?

    Cleanup can refine punctuation and apply your personal dictionary using an additional local model of about 1.1 GB. It is off by default, and it never sends the text to a hosted AI service.

    06How do licenses and refunds work?

    Voice and each paid indicator use their own Phantom ID. There is no account or subscription. Phantom Voice includes a 14-day trial; the $3 indicator styles do not have one, since you can watch every one of them run at full size above before you buy. Purchases are covered by the refund policy.

    07I bought something, but no Phantom ID was sent to me. What should I do?

    First, check your trash or spam mail folder for the purchase email. If you still cannot find your Phantom ID, contact leftinverse@gmail.com.

    Phantom Voice

    Stop sending your thoughts away.

    Hold fn. Speak. Release. Keep the rest on your Mac.

    Downloads and trial

    New styles

    Get notified when new styles release.

    White Wave, Retro Fox, Retro Dog, Real Revolver, and Piano Keys are available now. Join to hear when the next style lands.