Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 14, 2026

The Short Version

Your audio never leaves your Mac. All transcription and dictation runs locally on your device. MacParakeet collects anonymous usage statistics to improve the app -- no personal data, no transcription content, no audio. You can opt out anytime in Settings.

What We Never Collect

• Audio files -- Your recordings are processed entirely on your device
• Transcription content -- Your text output stays on your Mac
• Personal information -- No accounts, no login, no email required
• IP addresses -- Not stored by the app or our servers
• Device identifiers -- No fingerprinting, no persistent IDs across sessions
• File names or paths -- We don't know what files you transcribe

How MacParakeet Works

MacParakeet uses the Parakeet TDT model running locally on your Mac via Apple's Neural Engine (CoreML). When you transcribe audio:

1. Audio is loaded into memory on your Mac
2. The Parakeet model processes it locally using Apple Silicon
3. Transcription results are displayed in the app
4. Temporary files are deleted after processing

At no point does audio data leave your device.

App Telemetry

MacParakeet collects anonymous usage statistics to help improve the app — things like which features are used, how long transcriptions take, and which export formats are popular. None of this includes your content, your audio, or anything that could identify you.

Each session gets a random ID that resets when you relaunch — there is no way to track you across sessions. Telemetry is sent to infrastructure we own (a Cloudflare Worker), not a third-party analytics service.

You can opt out entirely in Settings. The app works identically with telemetry off.

Network Connections

MacParakeet does not send your audio or transcripts to any server. The app may use the network for the following:

• Model downloads -- Downloading the local speech model on first run (~6 GB)
• YouTube downloads -- Fetching audio from YouTube when you paste a URL (user-initiated only)
• Auto-updates -- Checking for new versions via Sparkle (checks an appcast XML file on our servers)
• License validation -- Reserved for future use; MacParakeet is free and open-source under GPL-3.0 and no license key is required
• Telemetry -- Anonymous usage statistics (see above; opt-out available)
• In-app feedback -- When you submit a bug report or feature request from the app (user-initiated only)

Optional Cloud AI Features

MacParakeet optionally supports cloud AI providers for transcript summaries and chat — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. These features require your own API key and are entirely opt-in.

When you use these features, only the transcript text is sent to your chosen provider — never the audio. MacParakeet doesn't proxy or relay this data through our servers; the connection goes directly from your Mac to your provider.

If you use Ollama, everything stays on your device. If you don't configure any provider, these features are simply unavailable and the app works fully offline.

Data Storage

MacParakeet stores data locally on your Mac:

• Settings -- Your preferences (hotkey, behavior)
• History -- Dictation and transcription history (can be disabled via Private Dictation Mode)
• Models -- Downloaded speech model for local transcription
• API keys -- If you configure a cloud AI provider, your API key is stored locally in your Mac's Keychain

All data is stored in standard macOS locations and can be deleted by removing the app.

Third Parties

MacParakeet does not share your data with third parties. The only external connections are ones you explicitly initiate — YouTube downloads and cloud AI requests (both using your own credentials).

Children's Privacy

MacParakeet does not collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

Website Analytics

The macparakeet.com website uses Umami, a privacy-friendly, open-source analytics tool. Umami does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, and does not track you across sites. We use it to understand which pages are visited and whether download buttons are clicked -- nothing more.

Changes to This Policy

If we update this privacy policy, we'll post the changes here and update the date at the top.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email us at [email protected].

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This privacy policy is intentionally straightforward because MacParakeet is designed to respect your privacy by default. Your audio stays on your Mac. Everything else is either anonymous, opt-in, or both.