Dictation and transcription
Handy privacy rating
Free, open-source desktop app for push-to-talk dictation. Speech is transcribed offline on the device with local Whisper or Parakeet models and typed into the active text field.
Summary
Handy scores 87 out of 100 (grade B) on the dictation and transcription criteria. It meets 5 of 6 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, runs on the device and no training on recordings. It does not meet independent audit.
Score 87 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- Yes
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The app has no analytics or tracking telemetry, and the website has no analytics or tracking cookies.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Free and funded by donations; the policy states no advertising and no sale of personal information.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
Runs on the device Weight 3 of 3
Is speech converted to text on the device, without sending audio to a server?
Speech recognition models run on the device; audio is not sent to Handy servers.
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Yes
No training on recordings Weight 2 of 3
Are recordings and transcripts kept out of model training by default?
Transcription is local, so recordings are not sent to the maintainers for training.