GabbleThe Gabble blog
Notes on dictation speed, local speech models, what subscriptions really cost, and building Gabble in the open.
Introducing Gabble: free, local dictation for MacGabble is a free dictation app for Mac. Hold a key, talk, and the text is pasted into any app. Speech recognition runs on your Mac. No account needed.
Is dictation really 4x faster than typing?Is dictation 4x faster than typing? Measured numbers put speech at about 150 wpm and typing at 52 wpm. The honest multiple is roughly 3x, before edits.
What dictation subscriptions cost over three yearsDictation app pricing over three years: vendor list prices from October 2026 multiplied out, next to one-time licences and free local options on Mac.
Why your dictation app shouldn't need the cloudLocal dictation on a Mac keeps your voice on your machine. Open speech models now run on Apple Silicon, so cloud transcription is a choice, not a need.