How to use Spokenly on a Mac: the shortcut, the models, modes and the settings worth changing

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Spokenly works in three moves: press and hold your shortcut, speak, and release. The text lands in the app in front. Before that, pick a dictation model. Local models such as Parakeet and Whisper run on your Mac for free, and online models come with Spokenly Pro or your own API key. Everything else, from translation to cleanup, is set up through modes.

I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about Spokenly with that in mind. Every fact about Spokenly here comes from its own documentation at spokenly.app, read on October 11, 2026.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

On this page: 10 sections
  1. Your first dictation
  2. Pick a model
  3. Modes
  4. Fix words that come out wrong
  5. Settings on a Mac worth knowing
  6. Use the MacBook microphone key
  7. Free, Pro and sync
  8. Spokenly and YapToText
  9. The short version
  10. Questions

Your first dictation

  1. Open Spokenly and choose a model under Dictation Models. A local model keeps the audio on your Mac.
  2. Set your shortcut in Settings, Recording Shortcut. It can be keys, a mouse button or a trackpad gesture.
  3. Click into any text field.
  4. Hold the shortcut and speak in full sentences.
  5. Release. Your words appear in the active app.

If the text only arrives when you press Command V, you have the Mac App Store version. This page explains why and how to switch.

Pick a model

  • Local. Parakeet, Whisper and Apple Speech Analyzer run on the Mac. Spokenly's free tier includes local models with no word cap and no account.
  • Online. Several cloud models, through Spokenly Pro or your own key.
  • Punctuation. Spokenly's docs say most models add punctuation from context, so you do not need to say period. If you want to speak punctuation, they say Apple Speech Analyzer converts it to symbols with no setup.
  • Names and jargon with Whisper. A prompt helps Whisper spell them. Keep it under about 900 characters, because Whisper reads only the last 224 tokens.

The docs suggest trying a couple of models to see which suits your language and accent. Parakeet vs Whisper compares the two local families.

Modes

A mode is a saved profile with its own AI Instructions, transcription model, AI provider and output action. There is always one main mode, and you add as many as you like. Translation, cleanup and formatting are all written as AI Instructions. There is no separate language dropdown.

In order of priority, from Spokenly's modes page, read October 11, 2026.

How a mode is chosenDetail
A trigger wordStart a dictation with the mode's word and it runs for that one dictation. The word is dropped from the output
Its own shortcutMac only, with automatic, toggle, push-to-talk or double-tap activation
A websiteMac only. The mode turns on for that site
An appMac only. The mode turns on for that app
OtherwiseThe main mode

A mode's output can be inserted, pasted with Enter pressed, copied to the clipboard, or saved to history only. It can also include context for the AI: the clipboard, the focused app, text around the cursor and the browser's address.

Fix words that come out wrong

  • Word Replacements. Rules that run after transcription, in Settings. Each has an Original and a Replacement, matching is case-insensitive on whole words, and several variants can share one rule, separated by commas. Regular expressions are optional.
  • Dictionary. Key terms that help supported online models recognize names and jargon. In live transcription only the first 50 terms apply.
  • Local Model Cleanup. A small language model on your computer that removes filler words and repeats, applies corrections you say out loud, fixes punctuation and writes numbers as digits. It is off by default.

Settings on a Mac worth knowing

  • Smart Spacing. On by default. Adds spaces and lowercases the first word when you dictate into the middle of a sentence. It cannot read the cursor's surroundings in terminals and some Electron apps.
  • Smart Paragraphs. Off by default. Breaks long dictation into paragraphs at about 45 words or four sentences, on the Mac.
  • Quick Send. Press Return while recording and Spokenly inserts the text, then presses Return for you, which sends a chat message in one step.
  • MacBook Taps. Tap the MacBook's case two, three or four times to start and stop. Website version only, on MacBooks with a compatible motion sensor.

Use the MacBook microphone key

The key with the microphone in the function row normally starts Apple Dictation. Spokenly's docs show how to remap it to F5 with hidutil, a tool built into macOS, and then record F5 as the Spokenly shortcut:

hidutil property --set '{"UserKeyMapping":[{
 "HIDKeyboardModifierMappingSrc":0xC000000CF,
 "HIDKeyboardModifierMappingDst":0x70000003E
}]}'

The mapping resets at restart unless you install a LaunchAgent, which the docs also give. To undo it:

hidutil property --set '{"UserKeyMapping":[]}'

On a managed Mac, hidutil may be restricted by your organization.

Free, Pro and sync

Local dictation is free. Spokenly Pro, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year when I checked on October 5, 2026, gives the online models without limits. Pro also includes settings sync for word replacements, modes, model settings and API keys, each off until you enable it. History, recordings and downloaded models are not synced. The Spokenly pricing page has the plans, and Local Only Mode covers keeping everything on the device.

Spokenly and YapToText

Spokenly from its docs, read October 11, 2026. YapToText from its own settings.

SpokenlyYapToText
Free partLocal models, no word cap, no accountEverything. No paid tier
Runs onMac, iPhone, Windows and LinuxApple silicon Macs, macOS 14 or later
Default triggerHold a shortcut you setTap Right Command
CleanupLocal Model Cleanup, off by default, or AI Instructions in a modeBuilt in, on the Mac, on by default
Mode per appAuto-activation by app or websiteAuto mode, plus apps you assign to a mode
Cloud modelsYes, with Pro or your own keyNone

Spokenly is the better fit if you want cloud models, a phone app or Windows and Linux. YapToText fits if you want one free Mac app with nothing to configure and no cloud at all. The Spokenly alternative page goes deeper.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

The short version

  • Dictate. Hold the shortcut, speak, release.
  • Model. A local one for free and private. Online with Pro or your own key.
  • Modes. AI Instructions, model and output, switched by trigger word, shortcut, site or app.
  • Wrong words. Word Replacements.
  • Only pastes with Command V. That is the App Store version.

If Spokenly changes these steps, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

How do I use Spokenly?

Hold your Spokenly shortcut, speak, and release. The text is typed into the active app. Choose a dictation model first under Dictation Models.

Is Spokenly free?

Local models are free with no word cap and no account. Online models need Spokenly Pro or your own API key.

How do I make Spokenly type punctuation I say out loud?

Spokenly's docs say to switch to Apple Speech Analyzer under local models, which converts spoken punctuation to symbols, or to use a mode with AI Instructions.

Can Spokenly use the microphone key on a MacBook?

Yes. Its docs remap that key to F5 with the built-in hidutil tool, then record F5 as the Spokenly shortcut.

Does Spokenly sync settings between devices?

With Pro, word replacements, modes, model settings and API keys can sync, each category off until you enable it. History and recordings do not sync.