Mellon
Free local speech-to-text for Mac with phonetic corrections
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What is Mellon?
Mellon is an AI‑powered, voice‑to‑text dictation app for macOS that lets you speak instead of type into any text field across your Mac. It turns spoken language into polished written text at speeds above 250 words per minute, with strong accuracy for technical jargon, medical terms, and programming syntax. The app runs entirely offline and locally on your Mac, so your voice and text never leave your device, making it ideal for privacy‑sensitive workflows.
Key features include context‑aware understanding of what is already on your screen, so it can spell names, drugs, acronyms, and code terms correctly on the first try. It integrates system‑wide, working in apps like Notion, Slack, VS Code, Obsidian, Mail, Safari, Chrome, Figma, and Word without requiring copy‑pasting or special plugins. A built‑in medical dictionary with over 600,000 clinical terms plus custom vocabulary support helps doctors, nurses, and other clinicians document notes accurately.
Mellon is tailored for power‑focused users such as developers, medical professionals, writers, lawyers, researchers, and email‑heavy workers who want to save hours per week by dictating instead of typing. It also adds AI‑assisted editing through agent mode, where you can ask Mellon to rephrase or polish text in place, and supports custom prompts and your own API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or Groq. The tool includes a local HTTP‑server API that mimics OpenAI‑compatible endpoints, so you can hook it into other workflows and automations.
Mellon pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Mellon is offered as a free local app for macOS with lifetime access, no subscription, and no hidden fees. The LOCAL plan is completely free, includes offline access, on‑device processing, and runs directly on your Mac without requiring any account. There are no paid tiers currently advertised; the product positions itself as a one‑time free tool with an optional donation channel for users who want to support development.
Mellon pros
- Runs 100% offline on your Mac
- No data sent to the cloud or third‑party servers
- No account or signup required
- No subscription; free lifetime access
- Works in every macOS text field system‑wide
- High‑speed dictation over 250 words per minute
- Context‑aware: reads your on‑screen text to spell jargon correctly
- Built‑in medical dictionary with 600,000+ clinical terms
- Custom dictionary support with unlimited user‑added terms
- Agent mode for voice‑controlled rewriting and editing
- Custom prompts for medical notes, legal briefs, code comments, etc.
- Bring your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq
- Local HTTP server API with OpenAI‑compatible endpoints
- Supports custom API providers and local LLM backends
- Fully configurable hotkeys, languages, and behavior
Mellon cons
- macOS‑only; no Windows or Linux support
- Currently English‑only with limited language coverage
- Requires macOS 12 or later, not compatible with older versions
- No cloud sync or multi‑device continuity
- Setup limited to local Mac configuration only
- Lacks some advanced collaboration features found in team‑focused tools
- No built‑in mobile version or iOS companion app
- Free tier may evolve in future versions or features
Frequently asked questions about Mellon
What is the best dictation app for Mac?
Mellon is positioned as one of the best dictation apps for macOS, running entirely locally on your Mac with no cloud processing, high accuracy, and support for every text field. It reaches speeds above 150 words per minute, works offline, and does not require a subscription or account, making it attractive for privacy‑minded users who want fast, system‑wide dictation.
What is the best free dictation software?
Mellon is marketed as the best free dictation software for Mac, because it processes everything on your device, works in every app, and requires no signup, payment, or data collection. Unlike many so‑called free tools that limit usage or send audio to the cloud, Mellon stays local and offline while offering high‑speed, context‑aware transcription.
How does Mellon compare to other dictation apps?
Compared to tools like Wispr, VoiceInk, MacWhisper, and Apple’s built‑in dictation, Mellon emphasizes being free, fully local, and universal across all macOS text fields. It offloads no audio to the cloud, has no subscription, and supports medical‑grade accuracy and custom vocabularies, which many competitors either charge for or do not provide.
Is there a free speech‑to‑text app for Mac?
Yes; Mellon is a free speech‑to‑text app for Mac that runs entirely on your device, with no signup, no payment, and no hard limits on usage. Your voice and text stay on your Mac, and it works offline in every app you use, from code editors to messaging apps and web browsers.
Why is Mellon free?
The team behind Mellon states that they believe everyone should have access to fast, private voice‑to‑text, and since the app runs entirely on your Mac with no cloud processing or subscription backend, they can offer it for free. The product is built as a privacy‑first tool they want to exist in the world, and making it free supports that vision.
How can I support or donate?
If Mellon has been useful, the creators invite optional donations via their website. Contributions help cover maintenance costs and fund ongoing improvements, but donating is not required to use the app, and there are no features gated behind payment.
Which macOS versions are supported?
Mellon works on macOS 12 (Monterey) and newer. The team recommends running the latest macOS version for the best performance and stability, especially when using advanced features like agent mode and API integrations.
How is Mellon different from built‑in macOS dictation?
Apple’s built‑in dictation sends your voice to Apple’s servers, while Mellon processes everything locally on your Mac. This makes Mellon faster, more private, and usable offline, and it also supports more flexible shortcuts and universal app integration beyond the constraints of Apple’s system dictation.
Do you support languages other than English?
Currently Mellon supports English with high accuracy; the team is working on adding support for Spanish, French, and German in future updates, but these additional languages are not yet generally available.
Who is Mellon built for?
Mellon is built for power‑focused professionals such as developers, medical workers, lawyers, writers, researchers, and heavy email or chat users who want to document, code, and communicate by speaking instead of typing. It is especially suited for clinicians needing accurate medical documentation and developers who want to dictate code comments, notes, and messages without leaving their editor.