Rank #07 · Daily · Multimedia
Hex: Local-First Voice Dictation for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Hold the shortcut, speak, let go — Hex transcribes on your device and pastes into whatever app you're in.
What it does
Hex is a desktop dictation app (Rust) for macOS, Windows, and Linux:
- Hold a keyboard shortcut, speak, release; transcription pastes into the focused application.
- First run downloads a speech model; afterward the README states that nothing leaves your machine.
- Stable and Dev download channels (DMG / Windows installers / Linux executable, .deb, .rpm), plus Homebrew cask, AUR, an install script, and Nix.
- Experimental features live under Labs in the sidebar.
- Homepage: anoma.ly/hex.
Note: the project states it doesn't take pull requests; file issues for bugs or ideas.
Who it's for
People who want offline / local-first dictation across OSes without sending audio to a cloud STT API by default; writers and developers who prefer a hold-to-talk paste workflow over typing.
Stars / language / license
4,595 stars · Rust · MIT
Data verified: 2026-11-04 09:13 Asia/Shanghai (GitHub API get_repository + README get_file_contents)
Trending note: +410 stars today (Trending selection captured 09:12 Asia/Shanghai) — strong growth relative to a still-small star base.
Category tags
Multimedia · speech-to-text · dictation · local-first · Rust · desktop
How it differs from similar projects
Cloud voice APIs / OS dictation (Whisper API, Apple Dictation, Windows Voice Typing). Those often send audio off-device or are tied to one OS. Hex's pitch is cross-platform and local after the model download.
whisper.cpp / OpenAI Whisper CLI wrappers. Those are libraries or CLIs you wire yourself. Hex is a packaged hold-to-paste desktop product.
Other commercial local dictation apps. Similar category; Hex is open-source MIT with multi-OS installers. TidyHow hasn't compared WER or latency across products — no independent accuracy numbers here.