FAQ
FAQ — offline speech-to-text for Windows & Linux
Does my audio really stay on my computer?
Yes. Recognition is done by a local process — VOSK, an open-source Kaldi build — on your CPU. The product contains no upload endpoint, no telemetry and no account. Unplug the network and it keeps working.
Which systems does it run on?
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, and Linux: Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 and Debian 12 and later, x64. There is no 32-bit build and no macOS build yet.
Why is an installer about 100 MB instead of 55 MB?
The portable executable is 55 MB. Each installer adds a small recognition model for its language, so that the first launch already works offline instead of downloading 30–50 MB first.
How accurate is it, really?
It depends on the language and the model, and we would rather not give you one number. A small model is good for notes and short sentences; a large model is noticeably better and takes one to two minutes to load. Pick the language, then switch the size in Settings.
Do I need a graphics card?
No. Recognition runs on the CPU. A small model needs about 0.3 GB of RAM and starts in seconds; a large one wants a few gigabytes and a minute of loading.
Is it really free?
Yes. No subscription, no payment, no ads. Recognition runs on your own machine with the VOSK engine and never sends your voice anywhere.
What happens to my recordings?
Nothing is recorded unless you ask for it. Transcripts are written to a text file, and the history database is a SQLite file in your user profile. Delete the app, delete the folder, and it is gone.
Windows warns about an unknown publisher.
The Windows binaries are not code signed yet. SmartScreen shows a warning on first run: choose “More info” → “Run anyway”. Each release on GitHub carries SHA-256 checksums.
Can I use it from the command line?
Yes. `VoxSpica.exe mic`, `VoxSpica.exe file meeting.mp3`, `VoxSpica.exe history --search "meeting"` — the CLI and the window share one settings file and one history database.