Glimpse is an open-source, local-first voice dictation app. It’s for anyone who wants the “talk instead of type” workflow without the usual friction: minimal setup, fast UI, and text that inserts directly at your cursor in any app. Key features: • On-device transcription • Custom dictionary + text replacements • App-specific modes / profiles

Most voice dictation apps charge monthly and process your speech in the cloud. Glimpse takes the opposite approach: unlimited voice typing that runs on your Mac or Windows PC, stays private, and remains free. It works in every app and includes automatic vocabulary learning, voice-powered editing, app-specific writing styles, and audio or video transcription. The code is open source, and advanced features are a one-time purchase rather than another subscription.

Hi Product Hunt! I built Glimpse because I wanted modern voice dictation without another subscription or sending everything I say to someone else’s servers. Glimpse runs on macOS and Windows and works anywhere you can type. Press a shortcut, talk, and it inserts the result at your cursor. Core dictation is free, unlimited, and can run entirely on your device. Over time, it grew beyond basic speech-to-text. You can teach it names and custom terms, create spoken replacements, rewrite selected text with your voice, use different writing styles for different apps, and transcribe audio or video files. The project is also fully open source. Version 1.0 is the point where Glimpse feels like a complete product rather than an experiment. I’d especially like to hear how the setup feels, which speech models work best for you, and where dictation still gets in your way. I’m here all day and happy to answer anything about the app, local speech recognition, privacy, or building it.

Glimpse

Fast, local dictation with smart features

Fast, local dictation with smart features

Glimpse 1.0

Previous Glimpse Launches

Previous Glimpse Launches