Say it. Franz types it.
Hold a key and talk. Let go, and the words land where you're typing, in Franz or any other app on your Mac.
Every app on your Mac
Mail, Notes, your browser. Even Terminal.
Turn on Dictate in other apps once. macOS asks for one Accessibility permission. After that, the same key works in every app with a text field, including Notion. Franz pastes the words in and puts your clipboard back the way it was.
Password fields are off limits. Franz stops before the microphone starts, so nothing gets recorded there. Under macOS secure input, it also skips fields it can't read. If no text field was focused, the words stay copied so you can paste them yourself.
The Mac App Store version dictates inside Franz only. Apple's sandbox doesn't let Store apps type into other apps.
Set up dictation in other appsHow it works
Hold your key and talk.
- 01
Hold your key. Right ⌥ is suggested, and you can choose another one in Settings.
- 02
Talk. The pill sits at the bottom center of your screen, showing the words as you go.
- 03
Let go. The words land where you were typing. You can edit them like anything you'd typed yourself.
Why it reads better
Typed replies come out colder than you mean them.
You know the answer you'd have given out loud. Warm, a bit rambling, with the apology in the middle where it belongs. Then you type it and it turns into four words and a full stop. Nobody reads that as friendly. You were just tired of typing.
Talking gets the first version out the way you'd actually say it. You still edit it and you still cut half of it. But you're editing something warm instead of building something short. Franz sits at both ends of that trade. It already transcribes the voice notes that land in your chats. Now it works the other way round too.
Languages
Two languages, no switching.
Set up two languages and just talk. Franz listens in both and goes with the one you're speaking. If it picks wrong, press ⇧ while you talk. Only that dictation switches. Choose from the languages shown here; Apple's recognizer sets the list.
- German
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Cantonese
- Chinese
The AI check
It fixes what it misheard.
Speech recognition still gets a name or an odd word wrong now and then. With the AI check on, Franz reads the transcript once before it goes in and fixes only what doesn't make sense. You see each fix as old → new, and one tap of your key right after puts back what it heard. It doesn't restyle your words.
The check uses the AI you set up in Franz: Franz Cloud, your own API key or Ollama.
On your Mac
Your voice stays on your Mac.
Speech recognition always runs on your Mac, on Apple's on-device engine. No audio goes anywhere, in any mode. With Franz Cloud or your own API key, the transcript text goes to that provider for the AI check.
With Ollama on your Mac or the check off, nothing leaves your Mac.
Do you need a dictation app?
Maybe not a second one.
Wispr Flow and Aqua Voice are really good at this. They run on Windows and your phone. They learn your words and offer voice commands on paid plans. If you dictate all day, get one of them. If you mostly dictate replies and emails, you may not need a second subscription.
Wispr Flow Pro is $15 a month and Aqua Voice Pro is $12. Franz Max costs $12 a month, with your messengers, Franz Mail and the Magic Bar in it. Dictation already comes with Franz Pro for $6 a month.
Competitor prices in USD, as of October 2026. Franz prices follow your currency.
Franz vs Wispr Flow, side by side- Wispr Flow Pro
- $15/mo
- Aqua Voice Pro
- $12/mo
- Franz Max
- $12/mo
- Franz Pro
- $6/mo
- dictation included
Questions
The things people ask first.
No. Dictation uses Apple's on-device speech recognition, so it needs macOS 26 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac.
Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 26 or later. Intel Macs can't: Apple's recognizer needs the Neural Engine that Apple Silicon has.
Franz Pro, Max and Lifetime include it, and so does the trial. You'll need macOS 26 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac. The Mac App Store version dictates inside Franz only. The download from meetfranz.com also dictates in other apps.
No. Recognition runs on your Mac in every mode. Only the AI check can send text, never audio, to a provider. With Franz Cloud or your own API key, the transcript goes to that provider for the check. With Ollama on your Mac or the check off, nothing leaves.
German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Cantonese and Chinese. Set up two at a time. Franz listens in both and picks the one you speak. Press ⇧ while you talk to switch just that dictation.
For some people, yes. If you mostly dictate replies, emails and notes on a Mac, Franz has it built in, and the recognition runs on your Mac. If you need Windows or your phone, your own vocabulary or voice commands, Wispr Flow or Aqua Voice do more.
Yes, in any app with a text field. Turn on Dictate in other apps and allow Accessibility in macOS. That's the only permission this setting needs. The Mac App Store version dictates inside Franz only.
Franz pastes the words in, then puts back whatever was on your clipboard before. If no text field was focused, the words stay on the clipboard so you can paste them yourself.
No, on purpose. Franz stops before the microphone starts, so nothing gets recorded. Under macOS secure input, it also skips fields it can't read.
Only when something doesn't make sense, like a name it misheard. It never rewrites your style. You see every change. One tap of your dictation key right after puts back what it heard.
Yes. Right ⌥ is suggested, and you can pick Right ⌘, fn or record another key in Settings. macOS dictation listens on fn too, so if you pick fn, turn macOS dictation off in System Settings → Keyboard. fn needs Dictate in other apps switched on.
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