Question 1

How does this compare to Apple’s built-in dictation?

Accepted Answer

Apple’s built-in dictation sends your audio to Apple’s servers for processing (unless you explicitly enable on-device mode, which has limited language support and lower accuracy). privisay always processes locally using the Whisper AI model, supports 99+ languages, and works completely offline. It also types directly at your cursor in any app — no copy-paste needed.

Question 2

Is this suitable for privileged or NDA-protected work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. privisay never transmits audio or text over the network. Your voice is processed in memory and immediately discarded. There’s no account, no cloud sync, and no telemetry. For professionals handling attorney-client privilege, NDA-protected materials, or sensitive business communications, privisay eliminates the data exposure risk that cloud dictation tools create.

Question 3

What Macs are supported?

Accepted Answer

privisay requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, or M4) running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Intel Macs are not supported.

Question 4

How is my voice data protected?

Accepted Answer

Your audio is captured in-memory, processed immediately by the on-device Whisper AI model, and discarded right after transcription. No audio is ever written to disk or sent over the network. We have zero access to your voice or transcriptions.

Question 5

Do I need an internet connection?

Accepted Answer

Only once during initial setup to download the AI model (~1.3 GB). After that, privisay works completely offline with no network requests.

Question 6

What permissions does privisay need?

Accepted Answer

Microphone access is required to capture your speech. Accessibility permission is optional but recommended—it allows privisay to type text directly at your cursor. Without it, text is copied to your clipboard instead.

Question 7

Can I use privisay on multiple Macs?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Your purchase includes a license to use privisay on any Mac computers you personally own or control.

Question 8

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If privisay doesn’t work for you, contact us for a full refund—no questions asked.

Question 9

Is privisay an alternative to Otter.ai and other cloud transcription tools?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unlike Otter.ai and other cloud-based transcription services, privisay processes everything on-device using OpenAI’s Whisper model. Your audio never leaves your Mac, there’s no account to create, and no subscription to manage. It’s a private, local alternative for professionals who can’t risk sending confidential audio to third-party servers.

Question 10

Does privisay use OpenAI Whisper?

Accepted Answer

Yes. privisay is powered by OpenAI’s Whisper speech recognition model, optimized for Apple Silicon via WhisperKit. The model runs entirely on your Mac’s Neural Engine and GPU — no data is sent to OpenAI or any other server. This gives you state-of-the-art transcription accuracy with complete privacy.

Question 11

Can I use privisay to transcribe meetings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. privisay can transcribe meetings, calls, and any spoken audio in real time. Because everything is processed locally on your Mac, your meeting content stays completely private — ideal for confidential client calls, board meetings, and sensitive discussions.

Icon	Meaning
Gray microphone	Ready to transcribe
Red circle	Recording in progress
Spinning arrows	Transcribing audio
Orange triangle	Error occurred (auto-clears after 3s)

How to Install & Use privisay

Installation

Usage

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