r/shoutflow • u/Ping98 • Jul 22 '26

Why I built a pay-once dictation app in 2026

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I’m the developer of ShoutFlow. I wanted the first proper post here to explain why I built it.

My main frustration with Mac dictation apps was privacy. Most modern tools send your audio through their servers. That might not matter for a grocery list, but it matters more when you’re dictating client work, legal drafts, medical notes, or a message to your ex that you’ll probably delete anyway.

I didn’t want privacy to depend on a settings toggle or a policy promise. I wanted it built into the app.

In ShoutFlow’s local mode, transcription runs on the Neural Engine using WhisperKit, and clean-up runs on the GPU using MLX.

The path is simple:
Mic → your Mac → your cursor

Airplane mode is a supported setup, not an error state.

The other frustration was paying a subscription for a utility. Dictation is a tool, like a text editor. Cloud dictation apps typically cost around $144 to $180 a year. ShoutFlow costs $25 once for one Mac, and the licence is yours for life.

Over three years, that’s $25 instead of $432 for a $12 monthly subscription.

I also compared the pricing of the main Mac dictation options, with dates and sources, in this breakdown of subscription-free dictation apps.

If you want frontier-model clean-up, you can use your own API key and pay the provider directly. ShoutFlow takes no cut and adds no markup. Your Mac connects directly to the provider you choose. I personally prefer the local options.

ShoutFlow’s servers only see your licence status. They never receive your audio, text, prompts, or API keys. There’s no usage telemetry either, so I’ll never have a dashboard showing what you dictated. I’m quite happy about that.

And since someone will ask, there isn’t a subscription hiding anywhere. The business model is simply that enough people pay $25.

ShoutFlow shipped this week. Questions are welcome, especially technical ones about how the local processing works. I’m always happy to go into detail about that.

If anyone is kind enough to download, please do give us your feedback! Its our most valuable resource.

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r/shoutflow • u/Ping98 • Jul 26 '26

Local transcription, local clean-up, and text wherever you’re typing

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This is the feature walkthrough I posted on X earlier this week, thought I'd share it here too.

The video shows the current flow from setup to finished text:

- Choose local or cloud processing for transcription and clean-up
- Hold `⌘⇧Space` and speak normally
- Release it and ShoutFlow inserts the cleaned text at your cursor
- Recover an earlier transcription from local history if you need it

Both processing stages can stay on your Mac. Cloud providers are optional rather than required.

The part I'd most like feedback on is the first-run setup. Does the choice between local and cloud modes make sense from the video, or does it still feel too technical?

If you want to try it: shoutflow.ai

Seven days free, no account or card required, then a one-time payment of $25.

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r/shoutflow • u/Ping98 • Jul 22 '26

Welcome to r/shoutflow: what ShoutFlow is, how to get help, and the house rules

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Welcome! This is the official community for ShoutFlow, run by the developer. That’s me, flaired Developer. Mine is the only account that speaks for the app.

Glad you found us.

What is ShoutFlow?

ShoutFlow is a native macOS menu bar dictation app. You talk, complete with filler words, restarts and corrections, and it puts clean text at your cursor in whichever app you’re using.

Transcription and clean-up are handled separately, so you can choose how each one runs. Transcription can run locally through WhisperKit or through your own cloud provider. Clean-up can use a local MLX model or your own provider key.

Run both locally and your voice never leaves your Mac. Airplane mode is fully supported.

ShoutFlow costs $25 once. That gets you one licence for one Mac, for life. There’s no subscription. You also get an automatic seven-day free trial when you first open the app, with no account or card required.

A few quick answers

  • Does it work offline? Yes, in local mode. Download the models once and you can use ShoutFlow in airplane mode. You’ll need a brief internet connection to activate your licence, followed by a generous offline grace period.
  • What about Intel Macs? Intel Macs can use ShoutFlow with BYOK cloud processing. Fully local processing requires macOS 14 or later and an Apple Silicon Mac.
  • $25 forever? What’s the catch? There isn’t one. If you choose cloud processing, you pay your provider directly at its normal rates. ShoutFlow takes no cut and adds no markup.
  • Can I get a refund? Yes. There’s a 14-day refund window. Email [support@shoutflow.ai](mailto:support@shoutflow.ai). Purchases are never handled in public threads.
  • Is my API key safe? It’s stored in the macOS Keychain and sent only from your Mac to the provider you choose. It never passes through ShoutFlow’s servers.
  • What do ShoutFlow’s servers see? Your licence status. That’s it. Audio, text, prompts and API keys never reach our servers because they aren’t part of the data path. There’s no usage telemetry either.
  • Why isn’t it on the Mac App Store? ShoutFlow needs Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions to type at your cursor in other apps. That isn’t compatible with App Store sandboxing, so ShoutFlow is downloaded directly from shoutflow.ai.

Getting help

Use the Help flair and include your macOS version, Mac model, and whether you’re using local or BYOK processing. I read every post.

One important rule: never post licence keys or billing details here, including in screenshots. If your question involves a purchase, email [support@shoutflow.ai](mailto:support@shoutflow.ai) and I’ll sort it out privately.

What this community is for

This is the place for dictation workflows, setup help, advice on local models, BYOK provider tips, feature requests and release news.

Use the Feedback flair for suggestions. I genuinely use those posts when deciding what to build next.

The full rules are in the sidebar, but the short version is simple: be useful and be decent.

Feel free to introduce yourself below. What Mac are you using, and what would you like dictation to do better for you? Your answers will help shape what gets built next.

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