FAQs

Yes — HoldSay runs 100% on your Mac. After a one-time model download on first launch, dictation, recording, transcription and summaries all work with no internet connection.

No. Your audio and transcripts never leave your Mac. HoldSay processes everything on-device — there is no cloud transcription server for your voice to pass through.

No — no sign-up and no login. HoldSay does verify your license (to prevent one license being used on more Macs than you paid for), but no audio or personal data is ever sent — your dictation, recordings and transcripts stay 100% on your Mac.

On your own Mac, as plain files you can open in Finder — nothing is uploaded to us or any third party. The library sits at ~/HoldSay Library by default. Move it anywhere you like under Settings → General → Local file library, and the Open button beside it takes you straight there.

Every note is mirrored into its own dated folder — Dictation/YYYY/MM/DD/ for hotkey dictations, Recordings/YYYY/MM/ for recordings — and each one holds the same set of plain files:

audio.wav · transcript.txt · speakers.txt · outline.md · meta.json

No database and no proprietary format, so your own scripts and AI agents can read your voice history directly.

HoldSay keeps all audio and transcripts on your Mac and sends nothing to the cloud. That removes the data-transfer and third-party-processing concerns at the heart of GDPR — which is exactly why privacy-sensitive users like journalists and lawyers reach for it.

No — HoldSay never charges a subscription. It's a one-time purchase: pay once and own it, with no monthly fee and no word or minute caps. Because the cost stops the moment you buy, over the long run it works out far cheaper than dictation apps that bill you every month. Buy HoldSay.

HoldSay is a one-time $69.99 per license, currently $39.99 as an early-bird price. One payment, no subscription, unlimited use. Download HoldSay.

Yes — every install includes a free 2-day trial of the full app, no card required. When it ends, unlock everything with a one-time purchase.

One license activates HoldSay on one Mac. You can buy 1, 2, or 3 licenses at checkout; for bulk or team orders, email support@holdsay.com. Switching to a new Mac? Email us and we'll move your license over.

HoldSay updates itself automatically in the background, so you stay on the latest version without lifting a finger.

Yes — HoldSay records without a bot. It captures your Mac's system audio together with your microphone, locally, so it transcribes both sides of a Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call without a bot ever appearing in the meeting.

Yes. Right-click an audio file in Finder, or drag it into HoldSay, and it's transcribed on-device.

Yes. HoldSay can identify speakers and label who said what — and, like everything else, it does this on your Mac.

Yes. Transcripts are fully editable in the app, with find-and-replace and undo. The text is yours — select and copy it into any app.

Yes. Hold your hotkey, speak, and release — the text lands wherever your cursor is, in any Mac app.

HoldSay transcribes 30 languages on-device, with no language locked behind a higher tier. Here's the full list, by region:

Yes. HoldSay works with built-in and external microphones, and it automatically avoids the Bluetooth phone-call mic mode that muffles AirPods — so your dictation stays clear.

Yes. Add names, jargon and brand terms to a custom dictionary (with CSV import) so HoldSay spells them right every time.

Yes. HoldSay's Polish removes filler words and fixes punctuation as a faithful reviser — it tidies how you said it without ever rewriting or summarizing what you meant.

HoldSay runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, on Apple Silicon Macs.

No. HoldSay requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) — its on-device engine is built for Apple Silicon, so it doesn't run on Intel Macs.

Yes. HoldSay can use Apple's on-device models to produce grounded meeting summaries — still fully on your Mac.