{"version":"v1","licence":"CC-BY-4.0","id":"handy","name":"Handy","repo":"cjpais/Handy","repository_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy","docs_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#readme","description":"Free offline speech-to-text for Windows, macOS and Linux; press a shortcut, speak, and your words appear in any text field.","summary":"Handy (v0.10.0, Nov 2026, ~37k stars) is a desktop dictation app. Hold or tap a shortcut, speak, and it pastes the text into whatever app you are using. Transcription runs on your own computer with Whisper models (GPU when available) or CPU-friendly Parakeet, and its privacy page says it has no tracking telemetry. MIT, free, with installers for all three systems. Linux has more rough edges: Wayland shortcuts and paste can need extra setup. It does dictation only, so it is not linked to a paid product here.","capabilities":["speech-recognition"],"tags":["Dictation","Speech-to-text","Whisper","Desktop app","Windows","macOS","Linux","Runs AI locally","Works offline"],"alternatives":[],"facts":{"runs_locally":{"status":"yes","value":"Yes; a desktop app that transcribes on your own computer","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#readme","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"high","validation":"documentation_review","modes":["local"],"untrusted_source_quote":"This happens on your own computer without sending any information to the cloud."},"code_license":{"status":"yes","value":"MIT","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy/blob/main/LICENSE","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"high","validation":"documentation_review","spdx":"MIT","untrusted_source_quote":"MIT License"},"model_license":{"status":"partial","value":"Depends on the model you pick; Whisper is MIT and NVIDIA's Parakeet V3 is CC-BY-4.0. Other download options not checked","source_url":"https://huggingface.co/nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"medium","validation":"documentation_review","spdx":null,"applies":true,"untrusted_source_quote":"Use of this model is governed by the"},"commercial_use":{"status":"yes","value":"The app is MIT; Whisper's MIT and Parakeet's CC-BY-4.0 terms both allow commercial use, with credit for Parakeet","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy/blob/main/LICENSE","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"medium","validation":"documentation_review","untrusted_source_quote":"MIT License"},"paid_services":{"status":"yes","value":"None required; the app is free","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#why-handy","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"high","validation":"documentation_review","required":[],"optional":[],"untrusted_source_quote":"Accessibility tooling belongs in everyone's hands, not behind a paywall"},"hardware":{"status":"partial","value":"No minimum figures stated; Parakeet V3 is built for CPUs and Whisper uses a GPU when available","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#how-it-works","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"medium","validation":"documentation_review","cpu_ok":true,"min_vram_gb":null,"min_ram_gb":null,"untrusted_source_quote":"CPU-optimized model with excellent performance"},"platforms":{"status":"yes","value":"Windows, macOS and Linux, with installers for x64 and ARM","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#how-it-works","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"high","validation":"documentation_review","windows":"yes","macos":"yes","linux":"yes","untrusted_source_quote":"Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux"},"setup":{"status":"yes","value":"Easy; download an installer, grant microphone and accessibility permissions, set a shortcut","source_url":"https://github.com/cjpais/Handy#quick-start","checked_at":"2026-11-02","confidence":"high","validation":"documentation_review","level":"easy","untrusted_source_quote":"Launch Handy and grant necessary system permissions (microphone, accessibility)"}},"metrics":{"stars":37159,"forks":3494,"contributors":184,"archived":false,"last_push_at":"2026-11-02T23:56:50Z","latest_release":{"tag":"v0.10.0","published_at":"2026-11-02T13:13:42Z"},"fetched_at":"2026-11-03T01:20:55.050Z"},"url":"https://repoquarry.dev/projects/handy","note":"Installation guidance: follow docs_url. This service never installs or runs code."}