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Dictation · Open Source · AI

Free, local dictation with Handy

Handy is an open-source speech-to-text tool like Wispr Flow that runs entirely on your computer. Installing it, picking a model for Turkish, setting the shortcut, and three side-by-side tests against Wispr Flow.

Time
10 min
Level
Beginner
Steps
5
Prompts
0
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You hold a shortcut and talk; when you let go, the text lands wherever your cursor is. That's what Wispr Flow does. Handy does the same thing for free, entirely on your own computer; your voice never leaves it. In this guide I installed Handy, picked a model for Turkish, and ran three side-by-side tests against Wispr Flow. Hit Copy in the top right of any command, paste it, keep going.

What we're making

We'll install Handy and set it up for dictation. If all you need is speech-to-text, Handy is enough. If Wispr Flow's meeting listening, automatic notes and text cleanup aren't worth paying for, take a look at this repo.

  • Free and open source (MIT licensed)
  • Local: the model runs on your computer; once it's downloaded, no internet needed
  • Works on Mac, Windows and Linux

  1. Install Handy

    On a Mac with Homebrew:

    Terminal
    brew install --cask handy

    If you don't use Homebrew, download it from handy.computer or the Releases page on GitHub. On Windows, winget install cjpais.Handy works too.

  2. Setup screens

    The first time you open Handy, a short setup walks you through:

    1. Pick your languages. Tick the languages you'll dictate in. I picked English and Turkish.
    2. Allow the microphone.
    3. Allow Accessibility. Handy needs it to paste text into other apps. On a Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → Handy.

  3. Pick a model

    On the Choose a speech model screen, every model has an accuracy grade for English and for the other languages you picked. This is what I saw for Turkish:

    ModelTurkish gradeSize
    Qwen3-ASR 0.6B (recommended)C-811 MB
    Nemotron Streaming 3.5 (faster)C716 MB
    Whisper Large v3 Turbo (more accurate)B845 MB

    Handy recommends Qwen3, but its high grade is for English. If you'll speak Turkish (or another non-English language), check the grades and pick the best one; for me that was Whisper Large v3 Turbo. Show all 29 models lists the rest.

  4. Set your shortcut

    The default shortcut on a Mac is ⌥ Option + Space. Use Change to pick another. If you also have Wispr Flow installed, give them different shortcuts or they'll clash.

    While the model downloads, you can test it with Try it yourself.

  5. Use it

    1. Click where you want to type.
    2. Hold the shortcut and talk. A small recording indicator appears at the bottom of the screen, and its waves move as you speak.
    3. Let go. The text is pasted where your cursor is.

    If you'd rather tap once to start and tap again to stop, change the shortcut mode in settings.

Handy or Wispr Flow? Three tests

I read the same text to Handy first, then to Wispr Flow. All three tests were in Turkish.

1. A plain paragraph. I read the blurb of a novel. Both gave exactly the same result.

2. Ottoman poetry. I read a couplet by Şeyh Galip, then kept talking normally:

bağlanıp zülfünde bozdum ahdi de peymanı da / çeşmini gördüm unuttum derdi de dermanı da

  • Handy got the words right (ahdi de peymanı) but added no punctuation; it pasted the poem and my comments as one flat block.
  • Wispr Flow split the sentences and punctuated them but wrote ah dide instead of ahdi de. It also cleaned up the spot where I stumbled and repeated myself, turning it into a normal sentence.

3. A short email. I dictated "Hi Gökhan, I'm sending the invoices attached..."

  • Handy pasted it as plain text.
  • Wispr Flow put the greeting, body and sign-off on separate lines, like a real email.

Verdict

HandyWispr Flow
PriceFreePaid
PrivacyFully localCloud
SpeedFaster (no extra processing)A bit slower
Punctuation and cleanupBarely anyVery good
Meeting notesNoYes

If privacy matters to you and you don't want to pay, Handy does a solid job. If you want maximum output, Wispr Flow is still worth the money. I pay for Wispr Flow myself; this isn't sponsored.

Troubleshooting

I talk but nothing gets pasted. Accessibility permission is missing. Turn Handy on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. If it's already on, turn it off and on again.

The shortcut doesn't work. Another app (Wispr Flow, Raycast, Spotlight) may use the same shortcut. Change it in Handy.

It's stuck on "Transcribing...". The model loads into memory the first time; wait a few seconds. If the model is still downloading, let it finish.

Results in my language are poor. Check the model. If you picked one with a low grade for your language, switch to Whisper Large v3 Turbo in settings.

It gets names wrong. Handy's settings have a custom words list. Add the names and terms you use often.

Done?

  • Installed Handy
  • Gave microphone and Accessibility permission
  • Downloaded a model with a good grade for my language
  • Set a shortcut that doesn't clash with another app
  • Tried hold → talk → let go in a text box

Tell me on Instagram where you got stuck and I'll add it to the guide.