Yaps vs Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is free, built into every Mac, and perfectly fine for a quick sentence here and there. But if you dictate regularly - for work, for writing, for accessibility - you'll quickly run into its limits. Yaps picks up where Apple Dictation leaves off.
Same words, spoken naturally. Yaps cleans up your speech so you don't have to.
How Yaps compares
Apple Dictation is a great baseline. Here's what Yaps adds.
| Feature | Yaps | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | High (AI cleanup) | Good |
| Auto-Punctuation | Full | Basic |
| Fully Offline | Yes | Apple Silicon only |
| Privacy (No Upload) | Yes | Apple Silicon only |
| Text-to-Speech | Yes | No |
| Voice Notes | Yes | No |
| Studio Editor | Yes | No |
| Voice Commands | Yes | No |
| Smart History | Yes | No |
| Custom Voices | Max | No |
| Meeting Transcription | Max (coming soon) | No |
| Price | From $0 | Free |
Apple Dictation comes free with your Mac, runs on-device on Apple Silicon, and works well for everyday use. Yaps is built for people who depend on voice input professionally - with AI-powered text cleanup, TTS, voice notes, studio editing, and a searchable history.
Typing vs Dictation
Same sentence. Watch the difference.
Typing
~40 WPM
Dictation
~150 WPM
Everything Apple Dictation isn't
Apple built the basics. Yaps built the rest.
Better Speech-to-Text
Higher accuracy, better punctuation, smarter formatting - all running locally on your Mac. Yaps handles technical vocabulary, proper nouns, and natural speech patterns better than Apple's built-in option.
Text-to-Speech
Apple Dictation only goes one direction. Yaps also reads text back to you - perfect for proofreading, accessibility, or listening to long documents while you do something else.
Voice Notes
Record quick voice memos that are automatically transcribed and searchable. Apple has Voice Memos, but it doesn't transcribe. Yaps does both in one app.
Studio Editor
A dedicated text-to-speech workspace. Write or paste text, choose from 18+ voices, and generate audio with waveform preview. Export as WAV with SRT subtitles. Apple Dictation has nothing like it.
Voice Commands
Go beyond dictation into voice control. Open apps, switch windows, trigger macOS shortcuts, and create custom voice actions. Apple's Voice Control exists but is separate and less flexible.
Smart History
Every dictation session is logged and searchable. Find that email you spoke last Tuesday, or revisit meeting notes from last month. Apple Dictation keeps no history at all.
Hear from people like you.
“I used Apple Dictation for two years before trying Yaps. The accuracy difference was obvious in the first five minutes. But what really sold me was the voice notes and history. I dictate 20-30 times a day and being able to search past dictations is something I can't live without now.”
Emily Nakamura
Technical Writer
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More than what comes built in
Start free. See the difference in five minutes.
Requires macOS 13.0+ (Apple Silicon recommended)