Draft at speaking speed
Pace the room and talk the scene, the argument, the chapter outline. oto turns it into text while the thought is still warm, with no keyboard between you and the idea.
Use case
A dictation app for writers
A dictation app for writers should do two things: get the words out of your head fast, and never read your manuscript on the way. oto does both. You talk, the draft appears at your cursor, and everything is transcribed on your Mac. First drafts are for momentum, editing can wait.
$8 once
offline by default
no account
For the drafting brain
Talk the ugly draft out. Polish it later.
Every writer knows the first draft just needs to exist. Speaking it beats typing it, and beats staring at the blinking cursor.
Markdown when you want it
Export any transcription as plain text, Markdown, or JSON. Voice notes drop straight into a Markdown-based workflow without reformatting.
No cloud reading your manuscript
Your unpublished work is transcribed on your Mac by default. No server sees your plot twist, your book proposal, or that chapter you're not sure about yet.
How it works
From spoken to draft in three steps.
1. Open your writing app
Scrivener, Ulysses, Pages, a plain text editor: put your cursor where the words should go. If it takes text, it takes dictation.
2. Press the hotkey and talk
Speak the draft. Hold for push-to-talk when you think in bursts, or toggle on and monologue through the whole scene.
3. The words land at your cursor
The text pastes into your document, and a copy waits in searchable history, so a great line is never lost to an accidental undo.
What it is, and isn't
oto transcribes what you say. It doesn't rewrite your voice into someone else's. If you want cleanup, it's optional and on your terms: local AI enhancement through Ollama, or bring your own OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini key. There are no plugins to install; oto works in any app that takes text.
Common questions
What writers ask first.
Will it get my character names right?
Teach it. oto's custom Dictionary learns your character names, invented places, and technical terms, so "Aeliana" stops coming out as "a Liana" by chapter two.
Does my draft ever leave my Mac?
Not by default. Transcription runs on-device, there's no account, and no telemetry. Cloud engines are strictly opt-in with your own key, off unless you turn them on.
Keep exploring
More ways people use oto.
Meeting transcription on your Mac
Long meetings recorded on-device, with your side and theirs kept separate.
Whisper and Parakeet dictation on your Mac
Two local engines, pick your model, dictate in 100+ languages with Whisper or go fast with Parakeet.
All use cases
Nine short guides to what people actually do with oto.
Write the way you talk.
Draft by voice, keep your manuscript on your Mac, and pay once: $8, no subscription, forever yours.
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