See your words as you speak
Pick a streaming engine and a small caption shows what you're saying while you say it: settled words in white, the model's current guess in grey. johTalk can type each word as soon as it settles.
Windows, macOS and Linux
Talk.
It types.
johTalk is voice typing for your whole computer. Press a shortcut, say what you mean, and the words land at your cursor in whatever app you're using.
- Free download
- $5.99 once, no subscription
- Up to 3 computers
- 30-day refund
Types wherever your cursor is
- Chat
- Docs
- Notes
- Code editors
- Terminals
- Browser fields
- Forms
How it works
Three steps. No new habits.
johTalk sits on top of your screen as a small capsule. It stays quiet until you need it, then gets out of the way again.
STEP 1
Press your shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+Space on Windows, Option+Space on a Mac, Super+A on Linux, or a shortcut you pick. Or click the little capsule on top of your screen.
STEP 2
Say it your way
Talk the way you would to a person. The capsule moves with your voice, so you always know it's hearing you.
STEP 3
Press it again
Your words are typed right where your cursor is, and copied to the clipboard too. That's the whole routine.
Features
Built for how you actually write
Short replies, long emails, prompts for an AI, notes to yourself. johTalk handles all of them without making you think about it.
Draft first, then send it
Want to look before anything goes anywhere? The prompt box collects your words in a small editor. Fix a name, keep talking, then copy it or drop it into the window you started from.
Never presses Enter
Line breaks become spaces, so dictating into a chat or a terminal can't send anything early.
Hold to talk
A second shortcut you hold while speaking. Let go and the text is pasted where you were.
Always on the clipboard
Every take is copied as well, for the odd app that won't accept typed text.
Quick after the first take
Local models stay loaded between takes and free their memory after five quiet minutes.
Engines
Your engine. Your keys.
Choose how your speech becomes text: free engines that run on your computer, or the cloud service you already pay for. Switching is one click, and each engine keeps its own settings.
Your keys stay on your computer. They're saved in johTalk's settings and only ever sent to the provider you picked. We never see them.
On your computer
Free. No key. Works offline once the model is downloaded.
- Local WhisperBundled. Downloads its model the first time you use it, about 150 MB by default.
- Nemotron StreamingLive English dictation on your CPU, typed while you're still talking.
- Meta Omnilingual ASRMore than 1600 languages, fully offline.
With your own API key
You pay the provider directly. Nothing goes through us.
- OpenAIWhisper and gpt-4o-transcribe.
- ElevenLabs ScribeScribe models with language hints.
- Google GeminiLive models type while you speak.
- Any OpenAI-compatible serverGroq, Fireworks, or a whisper server you run yourself.
- Custom command or WebSocketPlug in almost any other speech model.
Privacy
What you say stays yours.
Local means local
With a local engine, your audio and text are processed on your computer and go nowhere else.
Cloud goes direct
Choose a cloud engine and your audio travels straight from your computer to that provider, on your own account. It never passes through us.
We keep almost nothing
Our server knows your sign-in, your purchase and the names of the computers you unlocked. Not your words, not your audio, not your keys.
Pricing
One price. Yours to keep.
Download johTalk for free. When you're ready to dictate, unlock it once and it's yours on up to three computers. No subscription, no tiers, no upsell.
johTalk licence
$5.99once
US dollars. Pay once, keep it.
- Every engine, local and cloud
- Live captions and the prompt box
- Up to 3 computers, any mix of Windows, macOS and Linux
- Updates included
- 30-day refund, no questions asked
Sign in with Apple or Google. Secure checkout by Stripe.
Download
Get johTalk
Latest version · Free to download
Windows
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
macOS
Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or newer)
Linux
64-bit (x86_64)
What does the $5.99 buy?
A johTalk licence, paid once. It unlocks every feature and every engine on up to 3 of your computers, and updates are included. There is no subscription and nothing else to buy. If you choose a cloud engine, that provider bills you for your own API key.
Can I try it before I pay?
The download is free, so you can install johTalk and look around, but dictation stays locked until you unlock it. If johTalk isn't for you, email joh@johflow.com within 30 days of buying and you get a full refund, no questions asked.
Does it work offline?
Yes, with a local engine. Local Whisper comes bundled and downloads its model the first time you use it (about 150 MB for the default size). Nemotron Streaming and Meta Omnilingual ASR are one-click downloads in Settings. After that, dictation needs no internet. johTalk checks your licence now and then when you're online, so short stretches offline are fine.
Which engines can I use? Do I need an API key?
The local engines need no key: Local Whisper, Nemotron Streaming (live English) and Meta Omnilingual ASR (1600+ languages). If you prefer a cloud service, paste your own key for OpenAI, ElevenLabs Scribe or Google Gemini, or point johTalk at any OpenAI-compatible server such as Groq or Fireworks. A custom command or a custom WebSocket can plug in almost any other speech model.
What happens to my voice, my text and my API keys?
With a local engine, audio and text never leave your computer. With a cloud engine, your audio goes straight from your computer to the provider you picked, using your key, and never passes through our servers. Your keys are saved in johTalk's settings on your computer and are only ever sent to that provider.
Which systems does it run on?
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), and Linux on x86_64 as an AppImage or a .deb. Intel Macs are not supported. On Linux with Wayland, typing into other apps needs ydotool; the download page explains the setup.
What can it type into?
Almost anything with a text cursor: email, chat, documents, code editors, terminals and browser fields. Every transcript is also copied to your clipboard, so you can paste it if an app won't take typed text. johTalk turns line breaks into spaces and never presses Enter, so it can't send a message by accident.
How do updates work?
Updates are included. johTalk checks for new versions by itself and lets you install one with a click. The Linux .deb doesn't update itself; download the new .deb from this site when a new version is out.
How many computers can I use it on?
Up to 3 at a time, in any mix of Windows, macOS and Linux. To move johTalk to another computer, sign an old one out on your account page.
How do I uninstall johTalk?
First turn off "Start johTalk when I log in" in johTalk's Settings, under Account. Then on Windows, remove johTalk in Settings, Apps. On a Mac, drag johTalk from Applications to the Trash. On Linux, delete the AppImage, or run sudo apt remove joh-talk if you installed the .deb.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Within 30 days of buying, email joh@johflow.com from the address you signed in with and we refund the full $5.99. No questions asked. After a refund, johTalk locks again on your computers.
Do I need an account?
Yes, to unlock johTalk. You sign in on johflow.com with Apple or Google, so there's no new password. The account holds your licence and the list of computers using it.
Give your hands a break.
Download johTalk for free, then unlock it for $5.99, once.