About YapToText and the person who makes it
By Ryleigh Newman · Published · Updated
YapToText is a free, open-source Mac dictation app: press one key, talk, and your words are typed into any app, with speech recognition and cleanup running entirely on your Mac. I am Ryleigh Newman, and I make it by myself. It has been on the Mac App Store since July 22, 2026, under the GPL-3.0, and the source is on GitHub.
The name is one word, with a capital Y, T and T. It is not related to Yaptxt, to Yap by Frigade, or to any other product with a similar name.
Download for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.
On this page: 9 sections
What it does
YapToText is speech to text for the Mac that runs on the Mac. Tap Right Command, talk, tap again, and the words land at your cursor in any app, with punctuation, formatting for where they are going, and editing by voice. Your voice never leaves your Mac.
- Dictation into any app. One key starts and stops it, and any key can be that key. Your first dictation takes three steps.
- Cleanup that keeps your words. Auto mode picks a treatment for each dictation, and six built-in modes, from Raw Transcription to Code Comment, shape the words for where they go. The modes page covers each one.
- Editing by voice. Select text anywhere, tap Right Option and say the change. That is Quick Edit.
- File transcription. Drop an audio or video file on the Utility page and get the text back, on your Mac. The file transcription guide has the details.
- Two models, both on device. Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) hears you, and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct does the cleanup. Both ship inside the App Store build, and the AI Models page can swap either one.
There is no account, no subscription, no analytics and no paid tier. The only network use is a model download you start yourself.
Who makes it, and why
I do. My hands make typing difficult, so I dictate every day, and I built YapToText as an accessibility tool because I needed one. The dictation apps good enough to replace a keyboard wanted a subscription, a copy of every word I said, or both. So I built the dictation app I needed and gave it away.
It is one person's project, built on the same foundation as InputConfig, my input-mapping app. The longer story is on why I built a free, open-source dictation app, and more about me is at ryleighnewman.com.
Where to get it, and which version you get
There are three ways to get YapToText, and they are not always on the same version.
| Where | Version on October 3, 2026 | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mac App Store | 1.5.3 (21), released September 29, 2026 | Both models inside, about 2.9 GB. Updates come through the App Store. |
| Homebrew | 1.5.2 (19) | About 12 MB, without the models. Download a speech model before your first dictation. |
| GitHub source | 1.5.2 (19) | Build it with Xcode 26 or later. |
The install page walks through each route, and what is new lists every release in the app's own words.
Facts for the record
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | YapToText |
| Developer | Ryleigh Newman |
| Price | Free, no paid tier, no locked features; tips optional (pricing) |
| License | GPL-3.0 |
| Requirements | macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, Apple silicon |
| On the Mac App Store since | July 22, 2026 |
| Mac App Store ID | 6786382289 |
| App Store developer page | Ryleigh Newman |
| App Store category | Utilities, rated 4+ |
| Current version | 1.5.3 (21) on the App Store; 1.5.2 (19) on GitHub and Homebrew |
| Size | About 2.9 GB from the App Store; about 12 MB from Homebrew, without models |
| Speech model | Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5), 574 MB, on device |
| Cleanup model | Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, 2.3 GB, on device |
| Speech languages | 29, plus auto-detect |
| Interface language | English |
| Account, analytics, tracking | None |
| Network use | Only a model download you start yourself |
| Source | github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText |
What it does not do
A few limits, so nobody installs it expecting something else:
- Intel Macs. Not supported. It needs Apple silicon.
- Other platforms. There is no iPhone, iPad, Windows or Linux version.
- Sync. Nothing is synced or backed up by the app. Export Preset in Settings, Advanced moves your modes, dictionaries, commands, AI actions and settings to another Mac, but never your history.
- Subtitles and speakers. File transcription gives plain text, with no timestamps, subtitles or speaker labels.
- Live translation. It does not translate as you speak. Quick Edit can translate a selection when you ask.
- An accessibility rating. It is built to work alongside VoiceOver and Voice Control, but I have not run a full test pass with them, so I do not call it fully accessible. The accessibility page says what it does today.
How the facts on this site are checked
Every number about YapToText on this site comes from the source code of the build the App Store sells, or from the App Store record, and I keep a fact sheet that cites the file and line for each one. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, read on the date each page names, and every page lists those pages under Sources with the date I read them. I do not publish accuracy percentages or speed figures for YapToText, because I have not run a test that would back them; the star ratings on the AI Models page and your own History are the only numbers I will point to. If a page here says something the app does not do, that is a bug, and a GitHub issue fixes it.
How to reach me
Bugs and ideas go to GitHub issues, and every one gets read. Settings, About has a Copy Diagnostics button that gathers your Mac model, versions, model setup and latency, never your words, to paste into a report. The privacy policy explains what the app does and does not collect.
If you do not use GitHub, my contact page has an email address and the places I am online. Writing about the app? The press kit has the facts, the icon and the screenshots. The help pages cover every feature, one page each.
The short version
- What. A free, open-source Mac dictation app that runs entirely on your Mac.
- Who. Me, Ryleigh Newman, one person who dictates with it every day.
- Where. The Mac App Store for most people, Homebrew or the source on GitHub for the rest.
Free, on device, and made by someone who depends on it. If something is wrong, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.
Download for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/ryleigh-newman/id1891900456 (checked 2026-10-05)
Questions
Is YapToText free?
Yes. There is no paid tier, no weekly or monthly word allowance, and no account. Tips in the app are optional, and no feature is locked.
Is YapToText open source?
Yes, under the GPL-3.0, at github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText. GitHub has 1.5.2 today, and the App Store has 1.5.3.
Who makes YapToText?
Ryleigh Newman, one developer whose hands make typing difficult. I built it because I needed it, and I dictate with it every day.
When did YapToText come out?
It was first released in July 2026 and has been on the Mac App Store since July 22, 2026. The newest version, 1.5.3, came out on September 29, 2026.
Is YapToText the same as Yaptxt or Yap?
No. Those are unrelated products by other people. YapToText is the app on the Mac App Store with ID 6786382289, made by Ryleigh Newman.