Last updated: March 2026
Spkn is designed with privacy as a core principle. The app processes audio entirely on your Mac using local transcription engines. No audio data is ever transmitted to external servers for transcription purposes.
Spkn does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. There are no analytics, no tracking pixels, no usage telemetry, and no crash reporting that sends data externally. The app does not phone home.
All audio recording and transcription happens locally on your Mac. The three built-in transcription engines (Apple Speech, Whisper, and Parakeet ONNX) all run on-device. Your audio data never leaves your machine for transcription.
Spkn does not require you to create an account, sign in, or provide an email address. There is no user registration of any kind.
If you choose to use AI-powered modes (such as Clean up, Translate, or Summary), Spkn can send the transcribed text (not audio) to an AI provider of your choice. This is entirely optional and user-configured. You provide your own API keys, and you choose which provider to use. Spkn supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude CLI, and any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint (including local servers like Ollama).
When using cloud AI providers, the transcribed text is sent directly from your Mac to the provider's API. Spkn does not proxy, log, or store this data. Please refer to your chosen AI provider's privacy policy for information on how they handle data.
All app settings and configuration (including API keys) are stored locally on your Mac in standard macOS preferences. No data is synced to any cloud service.
If this privacy policy is updated, the changes will be reflected on this page with an updated date. The core commitment to local-first, privacy-respecting operation will not change.
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on the project's GitHub repository.