VocalinuxVocalinux
GitHub

local Linux voice typing

Dictate locally.
In any app.

Hold Right Alt. Text lands in the focused window. Local engines by default.

Install Vocalinux View the source

No account. One install command.

X11 and WaylandNo telemetryAGPL-3.0
UbuntuFedoraDebianArchX11Waylandon-deviceopen sourceno accountsystem traywhisper.cppno telemetryUbuntuFedoraDebianArchX11Waylandon-deviceopen sourceno accountsystem traywhisper.cppno telemetryUbuntuFedoraDebianArchX11Waylandon-deviceopen sourceno accountsystem traywhisper.cppno telemetryUbuntuFedoraDebianArchX11Waylandon-deviceopen sourceno accountsystem traywhisper.cppno telemetry

A small loop that stays out of the way.

Vocalinux lives in the system tray, so dictation starts where your work already is.

hold / shortcut

Speak where you already type.

Hold Right Alt, or switch to toggle mode. The tray tells you when Vocalinux is listening, then text lands in the focused field.

model / path

Choose where the model runs.

On-device mode is the default: download a speech-to-text model and process here. If you want shared compute, point Remote API at a server you run.

insert / desktop

Keep working in any app.

Terminals, browsers, IDEs, and office apps on X11 or Wayland. Injection uses IBus when it is available, with clipboard fallback on unbridged compositors.

The engine is a setting, not a mystery.

Local engines process audio on this machine. Remote API is optional and only talks to a server you configure.

whisper.cpp

Default

C++ Whisper with Vulkan. Fast install, multi-vendor GPU.

  • About 1-2 min default setup
  • AMD / Intel / NVIDIA via Vulkan
  • Tiny model ~74MB

Whisper

Original OpenAI PyTorch path for NVIDIA CUDA workflows.

  • Same model family accuracy
  • CUDA when you already live in PyTorch
  • Larger install footprint

VOSK

Small footprint for older machines and tight RAM budgets.

  • CPU-friendly streaming
  • Models around ~40MB
  • Great on modest hardware

Remote API

Offload to a server you trust while keeping desktop injection local.

  • OpenAI-compatible endpoints
  • whisper.cpp server support
  • Local VAD still applies

Full engine comparison

A Linux app you can actually see working.

Tray, settings, and dictation into a real editor. These are product states, not a dashboard mock.

Vocalinux dictating into a text editor with the tray menu open
Dictation in the focused appHold the shortcut and text lands where you were already typing.
Vocalinux settings dialog showing speech engine options
Engine and model controlsPick whisper.cpp, Whisper, VOSK, or a Remote API you trust.
Vocalinux system tray icon and menu
Tray while you workStart, stop, settings, and logs without leaving the desktop.

See the screenshot gallery

Your voice has a path. We show you which one.

Vocalinux does not need a Voca cloud to transcribe. The important boundary is the engine you selected.

  1. MicrophoneYou hold the hotkey
  2. In-memory audioHeld for the recording
  3. Local speech engineRuns on this Linux machine
  4. Transcript at cursorWhere you were typing

Remote API is a separate stop. If you configure a server URL, audio travels to that host and the transcript comes back. Use a trusted LAN, a private encrypted network, or HTTPS.

What stays local

Default engines process audio on this machine. The installed app does not send usage telemetry.

What uses a network

Model and app downloads, plus any Remote API host you add. Nothing is sent to a Voca speech cloud.

What you can inspect

The application is open source under AGPL-3.0. Settings, engines, and the injection path are in the repository.

Install in one command.

The interactive installer detects hardware, lets you pick an engine, and wires the desktop app. Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Arch, and openSUSE.

install.sh --interactive
user@linux:~$ curl -fsSL \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux/main/install.sh \
  -o /tmp/vl.sh && \
bash /tmp/vl.sh --interactive

Then launch vocalinux.

No installer

AppImage

x86_64 or aarch64 from GitHub Releases. No root. Host text-injection tools are still required.

From source

Build it yourself

Clone the repo and run ./install.sh. The install guide has the full source path.

Ubuntu guide · Fedora guide · Arch guide · All distro notes

Uninstall

uninstall.sh
user@linux:~$ curl -fsSL \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux/main/uninstall.sh \
  -o /tmp/vul.sh && \
bash /tmp/vul.sh

Questions, answered.

Does Vocalinux work offline?
Local engines (whisper.cpp, Whisper, and VOSK) process speech on your machine. Remote API is optional and only talks to servers you configure. Offline details.
Does Vocalinux collect usage telemetry?
No. The installed app does not send usage telemetry, analytics events, or background usage pings.
Which Linux distributions are supported?
Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 39+, Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed, and most modern desktops on X11 or Wayland. Install guides.
How do I switch between speech engines?
Settings dialog or CLI: --engine whisper_cpp, whisper, vosk, or remote_api. Compare engines.
Can Vocalinux use a remote transcription server?
Yes. OpenAI-compatible Whisper servers and the whisper.cpp server endpoint under Settings → Advanced → Remote Server. Remote API guide.
What happens when I close my laptop lid?
v0.10.1+ recovers speech recognition and shortcuts after suspend/resume. Reliability notes.
Does Vocalinux preserve my keyboard layout?
Yes. v0.10.1+ keeps your XKB layout when activating IBus.
Is Vocalinux free?
Yes. Free and open source under AGPL-3.0, no premium tiers. About the project.

Same promise, other machines.

Vocalinux is part of VocaHQ. This site is about the Linux app.

LinuxYou are here

Vocalinux

System tray app with whisper.cpp, Vulkan, and local engines on Linux.

macOSBeta

VocaMac

Native macOS menu bar app. Offline voice-to-text with WhisperKit and CoreML.

WindowsDeveloper alpha

VocaWin

Unsigned Windows speech-to-text. SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher.

iPhone + AndroidPhone beta

VocaPhone

Android beta and iOS TestFlight. On-device first, gateway optional.

InfrastructureEarly

VocaGateway

Optional self-hosted speech-to-text on hardware you run. Not on-device.

Install and try a real dictation session.

Free and open source under AGPL-3.0. Local engines by default.

Install VocalinuxView the source

Then hold Right Alt and speak into the app already in front of you.