00:00 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Grouped by what people actually ask before installing. Every answer here is about Quickword specifically, not about dictation in general.
00:14 · About the product
About the product
What is Quickword?
Quickword is a free dictation app for the Mac and the PC. You hold a keyboard shortcut, speak, and the cleaned-up text is typed into whatever you were already writing in. It does the work on your own computer, and you can switch on syncing so all your devices share one history.
Does dictation software work offline, without an internet connection?
Quickword does. It turns your voice into text on your own computer, so it keeps working with the network off. Most subscription dictation apps, including Wispr Flow, have no offline option at any price.
Is my audio sent to a server when I use Quickword?
No, not the way it installs. Your recording is turned into text on your own computer and nothing is sent. If you switch syncing on yourself, the recording is sent to be transcribed, saved to your account, and deleted after 14 days.
What is the best free dictation app?
Depends on what you mean by free. If free means a trial that stops you at a word count, several apps qualify. If free means unlimited dictation with no account and no upload, the honest list is short: Quickword, the Handy project it is built on, Superwhisper's free tier, and a handful of similar tools. Quickword is the one on that list that also offers one history across your devices.
Is Quickword open source?
No. The source repository is private. Quickword is built on Handy by CJ Pais, which is MIT licensed and open, and the installers and update feed are published publicly, but the Quickword source is not. Anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
Who makes Quickword?
One person, Charles Lau, who built it to replace the dictation app he was paying for. That is the whole team, and it is worth factoring into your decision.
00:29 · Platforms
Platforms
Does Quickword run on Windows 11?
Yes, on ordinary Windows PCs, and it is one of the two versions you can download today. It is not on the Microsoft Store, and the version for ARM laptops has not been built.
Does Quickword run on a Mac?
Yes, on Macs with an Apple chip (2020 and newer), and that download is on the download page today. The version for older Intel Macs is not published yet. Apple has not certified this build, so macOS blocks the first launch and you have to allow it once in Privacy and Security.
Does Superwhisper work on Windows?
Superwhisper is a Mac-first product and reports of its Windows support conflict between sources, with several describing stability issues. If you need one dictation app that definitely runs on both a Mac and a PC, that is the gap Quickword is built for.
Does Wispr Flow work on Android?
Yes, Wispr Flow has an Android app. Quickword's Android version is an early test version you install by hand rather than a Play Store app, and it needs a Quickword Pro sign-in because the phone cannot turn your voice into text on its own yet.
Is there an iPhone app?
No, and there is no plan for one. If you need dictation on an iPhone, Wispr Flow is the app to use.
Is there a Linux build?
Not published. The Handy project Quickword is built on supports Linux and the build configuration still carries it, but Quickword's releases are Mac and Windows only.
00:44 · Installing
Installing
Why does Windows say "Windows protected your PC" when I run the installer?
Because the installer has not been certified by Microsoft, so SmartScreen has no record of it. Click More info, then Run anyway. The warning will keep appearing on new versions until a certificate is bought.
Why does macOS say the developer cannot be verified?
Apple has not certified this build, which needs a paid developer account. Open System Settings, then Privacy and Security, and click Open Anyway, or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Quickword.app in Terminal.
Is it safe to click past those warnings?
That is a judgement you have to make about the source, and you should make it carefully. The warning means your computer cannot confirm who published the file, not that the file is known to be harmful. Download only from the releases page linked on this site, and if uncertified software is against your policy, wait for a certified build.
Can I install it with winget or Homebrew?
Not yet. Those are planned once there is a certified build.
How do updates work?
The app checks for a new version at launch and every six hours, and offers it to you inside the app. Update checks can be turned off in Settings.
01:03 · Using it
Using it
How do I dictate into ChatGPT or Claude in a browser?
Click into the message box so the cursor is there, hold your shortcut, speak, and let go. The text arrives in the box as if you had typed it, so there is no extension to install and no site-specific integration to break.
What activation method is best if I have wrist or hand pain?
Use the tap-to-start option rather than holding a key. Holding a key for a whole sentence is exactly the sustained grip that aggravates a sore wrist. Quickword lets you tap once to start and once to stop, and you can change the keys.
Can a dictation app learn custom words or technical vocabulary?
Quickword has a word list you add terms to, so names, brands and jargon come out spelled your way rather than however they sounded. Replacement pairs, snippet-style expansions and entries learned from your own edits are designed and partly built, and they are not in a shipped release yet.
Can I redo a dictation if it came out wrong?
Yes. The recording is kept alongside the text, so Retry runs the original again rather than asking you to say it a second time. With Quickword Pro on, you can press Retry from a different device, and the recording is available for 14 days.
Is there a dictation app that keeps history across devices?
Quickword does, with Quickword Pro switched on. This is a genuine gap in the category. Wispr Flow's own help centre states that transcripts stay on the device that created them and do not sync, even with its Cloud Sync setting on, and Superwhisper has no cross-device sync at all.
Which languages does it support?
Quickword can work out which language you are speaking on its own, or you can pick one. It can also translate what you say into English as you go. The app itself is available in more than twenty languages.
Can I use voice dictation with Claude Code?
Yes. Because the recording pill never steals your typing, you can hold the shortcut while a terminal is in front of you, speak the prompt, and the text is typed straight into the session.
01:24 · Buying and trusting it
Buying and trusting it
How much does Wispr Flow cost per month?
$15 a month, or $12 a month if you pay annually, which is $144 a year, with a free tier capped at 2,000 words a week on desktop. That is taken from its own pricing page on 2026-09-04.
Is Wispr Flow worth $144 a year?
If you need an iPhone keyboard, meeting transcription, or a vendor that can pass a corporate security review, it is a reasonable price for those things. If what you actually use is hold a key, speak, get text, then you are paying a subscription every month for something your own computer already does for nothing.
What does Quickword cost?
The desktop app is free with no word cap and no account. Quickword Pro is free during early access, and a price will be published before anything is charged.
Will Quickword still exist in a year?
Unknown, and anyone who answers that question confidently about a one-person project is selling you something. What is true today: it is the developer's own daily driver on three devices, and there is no server behind the free app, so it keeps working on your computer whatever happens to the project.
What happens to my dictations if the project stops?
With syncing off, nothing. Your history is on your own computer and there is no service to switch off. With syncing on, you would need to export your history, and an export path is something to ask about before you rely on it.
How do I get support?
Through the contact route on the about page. It is one person answering, so expect a real reply and not an instant one.