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Handy

Open-source dictation app: press a shortcut, speak, and your words are typed into any text field on your computer.

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Is Handy free?

Yes, Handy has a free plan. What you get: Free to run on your own computer. To get it: download Handy from handy.computer and install it; then pick a speech-to-text model to download on first launch; then press the shortcut, speak, and your words appear in the text field. Verified on github.com.

Free plan at a glance

Includes
  • Free to run on your own computer
Duration
Free forever
Your content
The maker says it isn't used to train AI

How to get it free

Self-host
  1. Download Handy from handy.computer and install it
  2. Pick a speech-to-text model to download on first launch
  3. Press the shortcut, speak, and your words appear in the text field

Good to know

  • Asks for microphone and accessibility permissions on macOS
  • Cloud post-processing is optional and sends text to the provider you choose
Get the free plan

handy.computer, Checked Source

Key features

  • Push-to-talk or toggle shortcut that pastes text into any text field
  • Speech models run on your own device, so audio is not sent to the cloud
  • Choice of models, including Whisper and Parakeet
  • Works on Windows, macOS and Linux
  • Optional AI post-processing with a provider you set up, or a local model

Best for

Tasks
Transcribe audio & video
People
People who dictate emails, notes and chat messages, Privacy-minded users who want speech to stay on their device, Developers who want to extend an open-source dictation tool

Limitations

  • Transcribes microphone input only, not system audio such as video calls
  • Records a segment and then transcribes it; live captions are not available yet
  • Very long recordings can fail, so the docs advise keeping them short

Screenshot

Handy screenshot, as published by Handy
Image published by Handy

FAQ

Is Handy free?
Yes. Handy has a free plan: Free to run on your own computer. We last checked github.com's pricing page on 2026-10-22.
What does the Handy free plan include?
Free to run on your own computer. Source: https://github.com/cjpais/Handy (checked 2026-10-22).
How do I get Handy for free?
Steps: Download Handy from handy.computer and install it; Pick a speech-to-text model to download on first launch; Press the shortcut, speak, and your words appear in the text field. Start at https://handy.computer/ (checked 2026-10-22).
Do I need an account to use Handy for free?
Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host Handy (Download Handy from handy.computer and install it). Checked 2026-10-22.
What's the catch with Handy's free plan?
Asks for microphone and accessibility permissions on macOS. Cloud post-processing is optional and sends text to the provider you choose. Checked 2026-10-22.
What are free alternatives to Handy?
TurboScribe, Notta and Typeless all have free plans. We checked their free offers between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25.
Does Handy send my speech to the cloud?
The maker says no. Transcription happens on your device, and the only network requests are for downloading models and checking for updates. If you turn on post-processing with a cloud AI provider, the text is sent to that provider.Source: handy.computer/docs/faq
Can Handy transcribe video calls or YouTube audio?
Not currently. The docs say Handy only transcribes microphone input.Source: handy.computer/docs/faq
Which operating systems does it run on?
Windows, macOS and Linux.Source: github.com/cjpais/Handy

Free alternatives

Sources

Free offer
Verified on handy.computer
…free and open source app for speech to…
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How we check free offers

Added by our team. We check that a free option exists and record the date; signing up is between you and Handy, so read their privacy policy and terms first.

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