Secretary42 Privacy-first dictation app · by insight42
Work up to 5× faster. Just speak.
Speaking beats typing: talk as you think, without switching keyboards or fussing over formatting.
Press one hotkey and talk. Secretary42 transcribes on your device and pastes the text at your cursor: email, docs, chat or code. Your words never leave your machine.
Get Secretary42 How privacy works
● 100% on-device● no cloud fallback● works offlinemacOS (Apple Silicon) & Windows x64
Why Secretary42
Six reasons to stop typing
Short videos. Sound stays off until you turn it on.
How it works
From thought to text in four steps
No app switching, no copy-paste dance. Dictation happens where you’re working.
1 Press your hotkey
A small overlay starts listening. The default is the backtick key; pick your own anytime.
2 Speak naturally
Talk the way you’d talk. Pause, think and keep going — no special phrasing required.
3 Transcribed on your device
The bundled whisper.cpp engine turns your audio into text locally — no cloud transcription.
4 Text appears where you work
Your words are pasted at the cursor, or sent to the clipboard or a file — your choice.
Privacy architecture
Your dictation stays on your device
Audio and transcript text are processed locally by the bundled whisper.cpp engine. Secretary42 does not use cloud transcription, and there is no cloud transcription fallback.
On device — stays on your machine
- Microphone audio
- Transcribed text
- Your local transcription history
- App settings and your license
Online — may use online services
- Paddle checkout & license delivery
- Whisper model downloads
- App update checks & downloads
- Support requests
- Diagnostics — opt-in, off by default
Diagnostics are opt-in and off by default. If you turn them on, only sanitized crash and performance metadata is shared — never your audio or transcript text. Paddle checkout, license delivery, model downloads, updates, and support are separate online flows, not part of the local dictation path.
Features
Fast, local dictation in one self-contained app
Dictate from any app
One global hotkey starts and stops dictation. You pick the key.
Speech-to-text on your device
whisper.cpp converts speech locally with quantized Whisper models. No cloud needed.
No Python, no extra tools
The whisper.cpp engine and FFmpeg ship inside the app.
Models under your control
Download, select, and remove Whisper models from the control panel.
Your history, kept locally
Past transcriptions are stored locally in SQLite — view, copy, or delete.
Lands right at your cursor
Automatic paste, or route the text to the clipboard or a file.
Speed or accuracy, your call
Pick a compact model for speed or a large one for top quality.
Hands stay on the keys
On macOS, start dictation with the Fn / Globe key (optional).
Models
Pick your speed-and-quality trade-off
Models download on demand and are stored locally. Small is the recommended default — a good mix of speed and quality.
Tinyfastest, lower accuracy~31 MB
Basefast with better accuracy~57 MB
SmallRecommended best balance of speed and quality~182 MB
Mediumhigher accuracy, slower~515 MB
Large v3maximum accuracy, slowest~1.5 GB
Sizes are approximate download sizes for the bundled quantized models. Larger models need more disk space and processing time.
Pricing
Pick monthly, or save with yearly
Secure checkout through Paddle. The app never handles your card details.
Monthly
€9.99 / month
- Local on-device transcription
- Choice of Whisper models
- Local transcription history
- Product updates while active
- macOS (Apple Silicon) & Windows x64
Best value Yearly
€99.99 / year — €8.33/mo
- Everything in Monthly
- Nearly two months free vs. monthly
- Choice of Whisper models
- Local transcription history
- Product updates while active
Buy through Paddle. Your activation key is delivered by email; paste it into Secretary42 to activate the app. By purchasing you agree to the Terms; see the Privacy Notice and Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What is Secretary42?
Secretary42 is a privacy-first dictation app for your desktop. Press a global hotkey and speak; your words are transcribed on your device by the bundled whisper.cpp engine and pasted where you’re working.
Is Secretary42 available now?
Yes. Secretary42 is generally available. You can buy a subscription and download it for macOS Apple Silicon and Windows x64.
How much does it cost?
It’s €9.99 per month or €99.99 per year. The yearly plan works out to about €8.33/month — nearly two months free compared with paying monthly.
Is my audio sent to the cloud?
No. Transcription runs on your device, and there is no cloud transcription fallback. Your audio and transcript text are processed locally.
What does connect to the internet?
Paddle checkout, license delivery, Whisper model downloads, app updates, support, and opt-in diagnostics may use online services. These are separate from the local dictation path.
Do I need an account?
No. Buy with your email through Paddle, receive an activation key by email, and paste it into Secretary42 to activate the app. Dictation itself runs locally on your device once the app is installed and activated.
How does Paddle payment work?
Paddle is our payment provider and handles checkout and billing securely. You choose monthly or yearly billing and complete checkout through Paddle; the app itself does not process your card details.
What platforms are supported?
macOS on Apple Silicon and Windows x64.
Does it work offline?
Dictation works offline once you’ve downloaded a model and activated your license — transcription happens on your device. Checkout, license delivery, model downloads, and updates need an internet connection.
What diagnostics are collected?
Diagnostics are opt-in and off by default. If you enable them, only sanitized crash and performance metadata is shared — never your audio, transcript text, or local file paths.