Which AI providers can I bring a key for?

OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. You add your own key in WhisprDesk, and the optional AI cleanup request goes directly from your Mac to that provider.

Do I need an API key to use WhisprDesk?

No. Dictation and transcription run on-device and need no key. A key is only required for the optional AI cleanup step.

Who pays for the AI usage?

You do, at your provider's own rate, billed to your account. There is no markup from WhisprDesk, which is a one-time purchase with no subscription.

What is BYOK dictation?

BYOK dictation means “bring your own key”: the app does speech-to-text on your machine, and any optional AI step uses an API key you supply rather than a model the vendor resells to you. In WhisprDesk, dictation and transcription run on-device with Whisper or NVIDIA Parakeet, so they work without any key at all. When you want AI to clean up or reformat the text, you connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google key, and the request goes directly from your Mac to that provider on your account. The benefit is control: you pick the model, you see the cost on your own provider bill, and there is no markup or middle layer holding your data. It also means WhisprDesk needs no account of its own and collects no telemetry.

BYOK in plain terms

Many AI tools bundle a model and charge you for it, marking up the underlying API and routing your data through their servers. BYOK flips that: you bring an API key from a provider you already use, and the app talks to that provider directly on your behalf.

Which providers WhisprDesk supports

WhisprDesk works with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google for the optional AI cleanup step. You add your own key in the app, and requests go straight from your Mac to the provider you chose.

Do I need a key to dictate?

No. Dictation and transcription run on-device with Whisper or NVIDIA Parakeet and need no API key. A key is only for the optional step where an AI model cleans up or reformats the resulting text.

Why BYOK is cheaper and more private

Because there is no reseller markup, you pay your provider's own rate for any AI cleanup, and only for what you use. And because the call goes directly from your Mac to the provider, there is no middle layer storing your text. The dictation itself stays entirely on your device.

Frequently asked questions

Which AI providers can I bring a key for?: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. You add your own key in WhisprDesk, and the optional AI cleanup request goes directly from your Mac to that provider.
Do I need an API key to use WhisprDesk?: No. Dictation and transcription run on-device and need no key. A key is only required for the optional AI cleanup step.
Who pays for the AI usage?: You do, at your provider's own rate, billed to your account. There is no markup from WhisprDesk, which is a one-time purchase with no subscription.