Waffler
Less typing.
More waffling.
Voice-to-text that works in Slack
Press a hotkey, speak, release — your polished text is in the clipboard.
Visit on your Mac or PC to download Waffler.
Free & open source · Bring your own API key
👩💼
Hey, any updates with the client?
👨💻
Fn (Mac)
Ctrl+Win (Windows)
What you said
Works with everything
ChatGPT
Claude
Slack
Teams
VS Code
Gmail
Notion
Google Docs
Discord
WhatsApp
Cursor
Linear
Perplexity
X
iMessage
Telegram
0
words per minute
~40 average typing
~70 fast typing
From waffle to text in seconds
No setup wizards, no accounts, no learning curve.
Step 1
Hold your hotkey
Press your shortcut from any app. The waffle pops up — you're live.
Step 2
Speak naturally
Talk like you normally would. Ramble, pause, waffle — it's all good.
Step 3
Release — text is ready
Let go and your polished text lands in the clipboard. Paste anywhere.
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Waffler handles the hard parts so you can just talk.
Global Hotkey
Works from any app. No switching windows, no clicking — just press and talk.
→
OpenAI Whisper or Groq
Pick your transcription engine. Groq is lightning fast with a free tier. OpenAI is battle-tested.
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AI Cleanup
Filler words gone, grammar fixed. Your text reads like you typed it carefully — even when you didn't.
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Instant Clipboard
Transcribed text lands in your clipboard the moment you stop talking. Just paste.
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Local History
Every transcription saved and searchable on your machine. Nothing leaves your device.
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Mac + Windows
Native apps for both platforms. Download, add your key, done. No account needed.
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Your voice, your business
See exactly where your data goes.
Your voice
Stays on your device
Your provider
Your API key, your choice
Your clipboard
Paste anywhere
Your audio goes device → provider → clipboard. We're never in the middle.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Waffler.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account needed for Waffler. Download the app, add your API key, and you're ready to go.
Is it really free?
Yes — Waffler itself is completely free and open source (MIT licensed). You bring your own API key for the speech-to-text service. Groq offers a generous free tier that works great for everyday use, so you may not need to pay anything at all. If you prefer OpenAI or need higher usage limits, their rates are very affordable — roughly $0.006 per minute of audio.
Is my data private?
Waffler has no servers and no backend — it runs entirely on your machine. Audio is sent directly from your device to whichever API provider you choose (OpenAI or Groq) under your own API key. Waffler never sees or stores your audio. However, your chosen provider will process your audio under their own data policy — you're in control of which provider you use. See how each provider handles your data →
What's the difference between OpenAI and Groq?
Both work well. Groq is generally faster and has a free tier that's great for most users. OpenAI Whisper is more widely used and well-documented. You can add whichever API key you already have during setup — switching between them is easy.
Why does it warn about an unidentified developer / unsafe app?
Waffler builds are unsigned — code signing certificates cost money and this is a free indie project. On Windows, click "More Info" then "Run Anyway" to get past SmartScreen. On Mac, open System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click "Open Anyway" next to the Waffler message. This is normal for unsigned open-source software.
How do I get an API key?
It takes about 2 minutes. We recommend Groq — it's fast and has a generous free tier. Just sign up at console.groq.com, create a key, and paste it into Waffler. We have a full step-by-step guide at How to Get an API Key.
Mac or Windows?
Both are supported. Separate installers are available on the GitHub releases page at github.com/jbf-tars/waffler/releases.
Can I request a feature?
Absolutely! We build Waffler based on what users actually want. Head to our GitHub Discussions to suggest ideas, vote on others, or join the conversation.
Free. Fast. Private. Yours.
Open source voice-to-text with no account, no subscription, no data collection. Just download and start talking.
Free & open source · Mac + Windows · No account required