Voice Dictation for macOS

By the Viora team · Last updated April 27, 2026.

Viora replaces typing with speaking. Hold a global hotkey, talk the way you actually think, and clean text drops at the cursor of whatever app you were already using — chat, email, IDE, doc, form, anywhere. There is no separate window to wrestle with, no copy-paste, and no "raw transcript" that you need to clean up afterward.

This page is the product overview. If you want the full guide on Mac dictation in general — including how the built-in macOS feature compares — see the Mac dictation guide.

How it works

1. Hold the hotkey. By default it's Fn; on keyboards without an Fn key, Ctrl+F. Both are fully customizable.
2. Speak naturally. Pause, restart, change your mind, fill with "um" — Viora cleans it up.
3. Release. Cleaned-up text drops into the cursor of whatever app you're focused on. The Capsule sits in the corner so you always know Viora is ready, never in the way.

That's the whole loop. There's no transcript window to copy from, no "send to GPT" step, and no need to switch apps before or after.

Speak naturally, get polished text

Most dictation tools transcribe your literal words. Viora reads what you meant.

• Filler words removed. "Um", "uh", "you know", false starts — gone before they hit the page.
• Punctuation and capitalization handled. You don't need to say "comma" or "period."
• Edits when you change your mind. Restart a sentence and Viora keeps the version you actually wanted.
• Tone matches the app. A reply in Slack reads casual; a paragraph in Mail reads professional. Viora picks up the cue from the surface you're typing into.

The result is text that reads like you typed it — just three to four times faster.

Works in any text field

Viora doesn't depend on app-specific integrations. It writes into whatever has the cursor:

• Chat: Slack, Messages, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram
• Email: Mail, Gmail in the browser, Outlook, Superhuman
• Docs: Notion, Google Docs, Obsidian, Bear, Apple Notes, Ulysses
• Code: Cursor, VS Code, Xcode, Warp, the Terminal
• Browser: any input on any site
• Forms: support tickets, CRMs, anywhere a text box exists

If you can type into it, Viora can dictate into it.

Built for macOS

• Native on Apple Silicon and Intel. Dedicated arm64 and x64 builds — full M-series speed, no Rosetta tax.
• Stays out of the way. The Capsule docks to a screen corner, half-hides at the edge, and only expands when you have something to look at.
• Global hotkey. No window switching, no menu hunting. The shortcut works the same in every app.
• Custom dictionary. Names, products, technical terms — Viora learns the words you actually use.

Privacy

Viora processes audio through managed cloud transcription so the dictation pipeline stays fast and accurate. Recordings are cached locally on your Mac, and a Privacy Mode toggle lets you opt out of capturing the surrounding context (selected text, active app name) when that matters. We don't train models on your data.

If "no audio ever leaves my Mac" is a hard requirement, Viora won't satisfy it today; Superwhisper does.

Specs at a glance

Get started

1. Download Viora — installer for macOS Apple Silicon and Intel.
2. Launch and pick your hotkey on the onboarding screen.
3. Hold the hotkey in any app and start speaking.

That's it. Most people are productive within the first few minutes.

Related reading

• Mac dictation: the complete guide — how dictation on macOS works in general (built-in, third-party, and Viora)
• Viora vs Wispr Flow — a side-by-side with the cross-platform incumbent
• Viora vs Superwhisper — a side-by-side with the offline-first option
• Pricing — plans and add-on packs