macOS

AI dictation for Mac, without another subscription.

Verenu runs on macOS 12 Monterey or later, with separate builds for Apple Silicon and Intel rather than one universal binary.

Installing on Mac

1

Pick your download

The download page detects Apple Silicon vs. Intel and offers the matching build.

2

Grant permissions

macOS will prompt for Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring on first use.

3

Hold Option+Space and speak

Release the hotkey and the cleaned-up transcript is typed into whatever app had focus.

See the full walkthrough in Install Verenu. Curious how the build is signed? See macOS code signing.

Why macOS asks for three permissions

Microphone
Needed to record your voice while you hold the hotkey.
Accessibility
Needed so the app can insert text into whatever app has focus, system-wide.
Input Monitoring
Needed to detect the hotkey being held, even when Verenu is not the active app.
The hotkey

Hold Option Space to record, release to send. It's a hold-to-record hotkey, not a toggle.

Where your key lives

Your provider API key is stored in the macOS Keychain, not in a plaintext config file.

Apple Silicon and Intel

Two separate builds, not one universal binary. The download page picks the right one automatically based on your Mac.

Works where you already type

Dictated, cleaned-up text is typed directly into whatever app had focus, like these.

EmailDocsSlackTerminalCode commentsBrowser fields
Cloud or local models

Bring your own API key from Groq, OpenAI, Google, or AssemblyAI, or run a local transcription and cleanup model on Apple Silicon.

Also need Windows?

Verenu ships a separate Windows build with its own hotkey and permission model. See AI dictation for Windows. For the open-source and BYOK details that apply to both platforms, see open-source AI dictation.