LumeVoice is a dictation app for Mac that types what you say into whatever app you're using. Hold the fn key, talk, and let go: your words appear at the cursor with punctuation added and the "ums" and false starts taken out. Below is how it works, how to set it up, and an honest comparison with the Apple Dictation that already comes with your Mac.
Short answer
Does a Mac have built-in dictation?
Yes. Every Mac comes with Apple Dictation, free. Turn it on in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation, then press the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut and speak. In many languages it runs entirely on your Mac. It types your words as you say them, and there's no custom word list for your own names and terms.
How LumeVoice works on a Mac#
LumeVoice (the app itself is called Lume) lives in your menu bar and listens for one key.
- Hold fn (Globe), speak, let go. Lume pastes the finished text wherever your cursor is.
- Go hands-free for longer pieces. Double-press fn and keep talking without holding anything down. Press fn once when you're done.
- Watch the pill. A small pill above the Dock shows a waveform while you talk and a check mark once the text lands. If no text field was selected, the pill shows your words with a Copy button, so nothing gets lost.
- Paste it again. Your last dictation can be pasted a second time from the pill or the menu bar.
- Transcribe files. Audio and video files (mp3, m4a, wav, aac, aiff, flac, ogg, mp4, mov, m4v) become text from the menu bar, or right-click a file in Finder and choose Open With.
One thing it deliberately doesn't do: follow orders. Lume writes down what you said. It never answers questions or carries out commands, so saying "open Safari" types the words rather than opening anything.
How to set up dictation on your Mac with LumeVoice#
- Download Lume for Mac from this page and open it. It runs on macOS 11.5 or later.
- Allow two permissions when macOS asks. Microphone access lets Lume hear you. Accessibility access lets it paste text into other apps. Setup walks you through both.
- Check your key. Setup asks you to press fn and confirms Lume can see it. If fn is awkward on your keyboard, choose a different key in Lume's settings.
- Try a sentence. Click into any text box, hold fn, say something, and let go.
Already use Apple Dictation? You can leave it on. Just check its shortcut in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation. If it's set to Press Fn (Function) Key Twice, a double-press of fn would start Apple Dictation and Lume's hands-free mode together, so pick another shortcut there.
How to dictate on a Mac#
For a quick reply, hold fn, say it, let go. For an email or a page of notes, double-press fn, talk for as long as you need, then press fn once to finish.
A few habits make the results better:
- Talk the way you'd explain it to a colleague. You don't need to say "comma" or "period"; Lume adds punctuation, capitals and paragraph breaks from context. If you want a break in a particular spot, say "new line" or "new paragraph".
- Correct yourself out loud. You don't have to stop and start again. Say the right thing and keep going.
- Say lists as lists. "Three things: the budget, the timeline and the hiring plan" can come out as a list rather than a run-on sentence.
You say: "Um, so can you send the deck to Sam, actually no, send it to the whole team, by Friday?"
Lume types: "Can you send the deck to the whole team by Friday?"
LumeVoice for Mac
- One key, every app: hold fn and talk; double-press for hands-free.
- Clean text, not a raw transcript: filler words removed, corrections applied, lists formatted.
- Your words, spelled right: a custom dictionary for names and jargon, plus snippets for text you repeat.
- Free to start: 3,000 free words, no card required.
Apple Dictation vs LumeVoice on Mac#
Apple Dictation is free, built in and better than its reputation. Here's what Apple documents for it as of October 2026 (macOS 27):
- You turn it on in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation, then start it with the Microphone key (on Macs that have one), the Dictation shortcut you choose, or Edit > Start Dictation.
- There's no length limit. It stops when you press Esc or your shortcut, or after 30 seconds without speech.
- In supported languages it adds commas, periods and question marks on its own, and you can say punctuation, "new line" and emoji names.
- Apple lists 63 language and region versions for Dictation on the Mac, and 48 for on-device dictation, which runs on the Mac itself after a speech model download. Keyboard settings tell you whether your dictation is processed on your Mac.
- On a Mac with Apple silicon, you can keep typing while Dictation is listening.
- With Apple Intelligence, Apple's Feature Availability page also lists "More advanced Dictation" for English.
Here's how the two compare for everyday writing:
| Apple Dictation | LumeVoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, built in | 3,000 free words, no card required, then Pro |
| How you start | Microphone key, your shortcut, or Edit > Start Dictation | Hold fn while you talk, or double-press for hands-free |
| Internet | Not needed in many languages | Required (cloud-based) |
| Punctuation | Commas, periods and question marks added automatically | Punctuation, capitals and paragraph breaks from context |
| Filler words and self-corrections | Not a documented feature | Removed and applied automatically |
| Spoken lists | Not a documented feature | Numbered or bulleted lists |
| Your names and jargon | No custom word list in Dictation settings | Custom dictionary |
| Text you repeat | Not a Dictation feature | Snippets |
| Languages | 63 language and region versions; you choose the language | 100 languages, detected automatically |
| Audio and video files | No | Yes |
| Other devices | Apple devices | Windows, iPhone and Android too |
Swipe to see all columns
Where Apple wins is clear: it costs nothing, it can work without a connection, and in many languages your audio can stay on your Mac. Where LumeVoice earns its place is what happens after transcription: filler words, false starts and lists are handled for you, and the names and terms you add to your dictionary come out spelled right.
When Apple Dictation is enough#
Plenty of people don't need a dictation app at all. Stick with the built-in option if:
- You dictate a few short messages a day and don't mind fixing the odd word.
- You need dictation without an internet connection, or your audio must stay on your Mac. LumeVoice is cloud-based and can't offer that; Apple Dictation or a local app such as Superwhisper or MacWhisper can.
- You want to control your Mac by voice, opening apps and clicking buttons. That's Apple's Voice Control, a separate accessibility feature. LumeVoice only writes.
Not sure? Try both on the same real email and compare how much editing each one leaves you. Our step-by-step guide to Apple Dictation covers the built-in tool, and LumeVoice vs Apple Dictation goes deeper on the differences.
What the cleanup does to your words#
Speech is transcribed in the cloud by Whisper large-v3-turbo running on Groq, with Mistral's Voxtral as a fallback. A language model then tidies the text before it's pasted:
- Filler words and stutters go: "um", "uh", "like", "you know".
- Self-corrections are applied: "let's meet at five, actually six" becomes "Let's meet at six."
- Punctuation, capitals and paragraph breaks are added from context, and spoken punctuation ("comma", "new line", "new paragraph") still works.
- Spoken lists become numbered or bulleted lists.
- Grammar and spelling are fixed.
- Custom dictionary: names, product terms and acronyms you add are passed to speech recognition, so they come out spelled right.
- Snippets: say a short cue and Lume types the full text, such as your address, a sign-off or a link.
- Writing styles: presets such as Default, Casual, Excited and Casual Lowercase.
Does it work in every Mac app?#
Yes. Because Lume pastes at the cursor, it works anywhere you can type: Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, Microsoft Word, Google Docs in Safari or Chrome, Slack, Notion, ChatGPT, VS Code and Terminal. There's no plug-in or browser extension to install. LumeVoice doesn't make one, and it doesn't need one, because the Mac app types into web pages too.
For tips on specific apps, see dictating in Google Docs, in Microsoft Word and in Slack.
Languages#
LumeVoice understands 100 languages and works out which one you're speaking, so there's nothing to switch when you move from English to Spanish. You can also set an output language: speak English and get Spanish text.
Is LumeVoice private?#
LumeVoice is cloud-based, so it needs an internet connection, and your audio is sent for processing. It isn't stored after processing (zero data retention), what you say is never used to train models, and your dictation history stays on your Mac, not on LumeVoice servers.
If your audio must never leave your computer, that's a real reason to choose Apple Dictation or a local app instead, and we'd rather you knew that up front.
How much does LumeVoice cost?#
Every new account gets 3,000 free words, no card required, so you can try it on real work first. Pro is $14.99/mo, $79.99/yr, or $249 lifetime. The first time you upgrade in the app, Pro Monthly and Pro Annual start with a 7-day free trial (card required). The full breakdown is on the pricing page.
Students and teachers get 50% off Pro (details for students). Anyone who finds typing hard because of a disability, injury or health condition gets 50% off, with no proof needed (accessibility discount). Email hello@lumevoice.com and enter the code you get back at checkout on your Mac.
Requirements#
- macOS 11.5 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel
- An internet connection
- A microphone (the built-in one is fine)
- Microphone and Accessibility permissions, which setup asks for
The short version#
If you dictate now and then, or need it to work offline, Apple Dictation is free and already on your Mac. If you write a lot, in many apps, and want the filler and false starts handled for you, hold fn and try LumeVoice with 3,000 free words on your own emails and documents.