VocalLabs
Free Forever · MIT LicenseOpen-Source Wispr Flow AlternativemacOS 13+ & Windows 10+

The free, open-source Wispr Flow alternative for Mac & Windows.

VocalFlow is a 100% free, open-source app for voice dictation on macOS & Windows. Hold a hotkey, speak, and your words appear in any app — Notion, VS Code, Slack, browsers, terminals. No subscription, no account, no limits.

View on GitHub

Free forever · No account · No subscription · Free Deepgram API key (with $200 credit)

VocalFlow — live demo
v1.0.0 — Released March 19, 2025

What's in v1.0.0

The first stable release of VocalFlow ships everything you need for a seamless voice-first workflow on macOS & Windows.

Voice Input

Hold hotkey → speak → release. Text appears at cursor in any app.

Real-time ASR

Powered by Deepgram's streaming WebSocket API for instant transcription.

Groq Post-Processing

Optional spelling, grammar, translation & code-mixing via Groq LLM.

Visual Feedback

Waveform animation overlay displays during recording so you always know it's listening.

Smart Audio Management

System audio mutes during recording with audible chimes marking start and stop.

Full release notes

View the complete v1.0.0 changelog on GitHub →

Get Started

Up and running in minutes

Free download. No account, no subscription, no credit card. Just install and speak.

1

Download & unzip

Download the macOS build (.pkg installer, or .zip) from the latest release.

2

Install the app

Run the .pkg installer, or drag VocalFlow.app into your /Applications folder.

3

Clear quarantine (.zip only)

If you used the .zip, macOS may quarantine it. Run this once in Terminal:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/VocalFlow.app
4

Grant permissions

Open VocalFlow and allow Microphone and Accessibility access in System Settings when prompted.

5

Add your API key

Click the menu bar icon → Settings → paste your Deepgram API key. You're done.

How It Works

Three steps to voice nirvana

01
Hold your hotkey

Press and hold your configured global hotkey — Right Option / Command on Mac, Right Alt / Ctrl on Windows. VocalFlow listens anywhere, in any app.

02
Speak naturally

Your voice streams in real-time to Deepgram's WebSocket API. Transcription happens as you talk.

03
Text appears instantly

Release the key. Groq optionally polishes the transcript, then the text is pasted at your cursor (Cmd+V on Mac, Ctrl+V on Windows).

Features

Everything you need, nothing you don't

Configurable Hotkeys

Choose Right Option / Command on Mac, or Right Alt / Ctrl on Windows. Set it once and forget it.

Real-time ASR

Audio streams directly to Deepgram's WebSocket API for ultra-low-latency transcription.

AI Post-Processing

Groq LLM optionally corrects grammar, transliterates code-mixed speech, or translates across languages.

Universal Compatibility

Works in every app on macOS and Windows — Notion, VS Code, Slack, browsers, terminals. Any text field.

Menu Bar / Tray App

Lives quietly in your macOS menu bar or Windows system tray. Zero UI friction, always ready.

Secure Key Storage

API keys are encrypted at rest — macOS Keychain on Mac, Windows DPAPI on Windows. Never in plain text.

Built by Vocallabs · MIT License

The open-source alternative to Wispr Flow — free forever

VocalFlow is our gift to the developer community: a free, open-source Wispr Flow alternative for macOS and Windows. Fork it, extend it, build on it. We believe voice-first computing should be open, free, and accessible to everyone.

📂Native Mac + Windows⚖️MIT License🔒Encrypted keys🌍30+ languages
View on GitHubStar the repo

Tech Stack

Powered by best-in-class tools

🍎

Swift & SwiftUI

Native macOS app. No Electron, no bloat.

AVAudioEngine for real-time audio
🎙

Deepgram

State-of-the-art speech-to-text via WebSocket streaming.

Nova-2 model · <250ms latency
⚡

Groq

Optional LLM post-processing at Groq's blazing inference speed.

Grammar · transliteration · translation

Architecture Flow

Hotkey Monitor→AVAudioEngine→Deepgram WS→Groq LLM→Text Injection

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Download VocalFlow — free forever

The free, open-source Wispr Flow alternative for macOS & Windows. Download once, dictate everywhere — no subscription, no account, no limits.

All releases on GitHub

Free · Open Source · MIT License · No account required

Enterprise & Security

Your data security is our top priority. We maintain the highest standards of compliance and security certifications.

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