Use case
Private dictation for lawyers and confidential work
For lawyers, therapists, journalists and anyone handling sensitive material, SayWrite keeps audio and transcripts on the Mac and never uploads them.
7 days free · no card, no account · then $30/year or $5/month · no word limit
On your phone? SayWrite runs on a Mac. Send yourself the link and download it there.
- ≈0.2 s warmstop to result in an archived M5 Pro speech test. Test conditions
- 0 bytesof your audio uploaded for transcription. What does go online
- Offlinedictation keeps working on a plane, with the speech model downloaded and ready
- $30/yrafter a 7-day free trial, with no word limit
SayWrite is not HIPAA-certified and holds no compliance certifications. On-device processing may make your obligations simpler, but check your professional, contractual and legal requirements, and your organization's policies, before you use any tool with confidential material.
Why it matters
The question to ask any dictation tool
Where does the audio go? Many dictation services transcribe in the cloud, which means a provider processes, and may store, what you say. That can be perfectly acceptable with the right agreements in place. It's also a question you have to be able to answer for a client file, a therapy note or an unnamed source.
With SayWrite the answer is short: nowhere. Speech recognition runs on your Mac's Neural Engine, the temporary recording is deleted once it's transcribed, and AI Polish runs on Apple's on-device model or your own server at 127.0.0.1.
Use cases
Who it's for
- Lawyers and legal staff: memos, emails and notes on privileged matters.
- Therapists, counselors and clinicians: drafting notes and letters without a cloud processor in the loop.
- Journalists: notes and drafts that might identify sources.
- HR, finance and executives: personnel matters, deal notes, board materials.
Setup
A careful setup
- Decide on History. It's stored only on your Mac, but you can keep it for as little as 7 days, or turn it off entirely. Password managers are always excluded.
- Choose your AI, or none. AI is off by default. If you turn it on, Apple's on-device model needs no server; Ollama or LM Studio run on your Mac at 127.0.0.1.
- Update checks, activation and license renewal. SayWrite checks its update feed once a day, sending nothing you've said or written; turn it off in Settings › General if your policy requires. With a subscription, turning SayWrite on sends saywrite.app the license key or sign-in link, a random install ID, the Mac's model and its name (each subscription covers up to 2 Macs), and about once a week it checks the license (daily near expiry), sending only the key. A gift key never connects.
- Feedback only when you send it. Send Feedback contacts saywrite.app only when you click Send, with the message you typed. Untick “Include diagnostics” if you'd rather not share app and Mac details, and use “See exactly what's sent” to check the request first.
- Protect the Mac itself. On-device data is only as safe as the device: use FileVault, a strong login password and your organization's device management.
Verification
Show your IT team
The security page documents every component, every network connection and how to verify them with a firewall or lsof. The privacy policy lists exactly what's stored and where.
Frequently asked questions
Is SayWrite HIPAA compliant?
SayWrite is not HIPAA-certified and doesn't sign BAAs. Because audio and text never leave your Mac, there's no SayWrite cloud service processing your data, but whether that meets your obligations is a question for your compliance team.
Does anything I dictate leave my Mac?
No. Speech transcription stays on your Mac. Separate network uses include speech-model setup or recovery, an optional daily update check, and, for subscribers, turning SayWrite on for a Mac (license key or sign-in link, a random install ID, the Mac's model and name) and a weekly license check that sends only the license key. Send Feedback sends the message you type, only when you click Send. If you enable it, it also talks to your own AI server at 127.0.0.1 on your Mac. Speech processing does not upload your audio; feedback sends the content you choose to submit, and your local AI server has its own settings.
Can I stop SayWrite from keeping a history?
Yes. Turn History off, or keep it for 7, 30, 90 or 365 days. You can clear it at any time. Audio is never saved: each recording is deleted once it's transcribed.
Keep reading
Say it messy. We'll write it neat.
Try it free for 7 days in the app: no card, no account. Then $30 a year or $5 a month, charged when you buy. No word limit.
On your phone? SayWrite runs on a Mac. Send yourself the link and download it there.
7-day free trial · no card, no account · macOS 15+ · Apple silicon