What is Hukum?
Hukum is a voice typing app for Mac, Windows and Linux: hold a key, speak, and your words appear wherever your cursor is. It runs offline by default, works with any speech model you choose, and you pay for it once.
Hukum · FAQ
Questions, answered plainly.
Everything people ask about Hukum: offline use, where your voice goes, which models it runs, Indian English, and what it costs.
Last updated 29 September 2026
The basics
How do I use Hukum?
Hold the shortcut, speak, and let go: your words are typed wherever your cursor is, in any app. The default shortcut is Option + Space on Mac and Ctrl + Space on Windows and Linux, and you can change it. Hold-to-talk is the default; a tap-to-start, tap-to-stop mode is also available.
Which computers does Hukum run on?
Hukum runs on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 10.15 or later), Windows (x64 and ARM64) and Linux (x64 and ARM64, as .deb, .rpm or AppImage). On Linux, install xdotool on X11 or wtype on Wayland for the most reliable typing. Hukum on Windows, Mac and Linux →
Does Hukum work in every app?
Hukum types into whichever text field has focus, so it works in email, chat, documents, browsers and code editors. On a Mac it needs the Accessibility permission to type into other apps. Password fields and apps that turn on secure input can block typing, by design.
Is there a dictation app that works on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Hukum does: the same app, with the same models and settings, on macOS, Windows and Linux (x64 and ARM64). The shortcut is Option + Space on Mac and Ctrl + Space on Windows and Linux. Hukum on Linux →
Privacy and offline use
Does Hukum work offline?
Yes. By default Hukum transcribes with a free speech model that runs on your own computer, so after a one-time model download (from 31 MB to about 1.5 GB, depending on the model) it needs no internet connection. Where your voice goes, mode by mode →
Does Hukum send my voice anywhere?
Not in offline mode: your audio is transcribed on your computer and never uploaded. If you choose a cloud model instead, your audio goes directly from your computer to that provider using your own API key; Hukum has no server in between. Hukum has no account and no analytics. Privacy in detail →
Do I need an account?
No. Hukum has no sign-up and no login. Cloud models use API keys you create with the provider yourself.
Models and languages
Which speech models does Hukum support?
Offline, on your computer: Parakeet (V2, V3), Whisper (Small, Medium, Turbo, Large), Moonshine, Canary, SenseVoice, GigaAM and Breeze ASR. In the cloud, with your own key: Sarvam Saaras v3, Deepgram Nova-3, Whisper on Groq, OpenAI Whisper and ElevenLabs Scribe. You can switch models at any time. Every model, with sizes and languages →
Does Hukum understand Indian English and Hinglish?
Yes, with Sarvam's Saaras v3, which runs in Sarvam's cloud with your own Sarvam key. In our side-by-side test on one Indian-English recording, Saaras kept every word, including “yaar”, “prepone” and “bas”, while Deepgram Nova-3 and Groq's Whisper turned them into other words. The full Indian-English test →
What languages does Hukum support?
It depends on the model you choose. Whisper models handle many languages, Parakeet V3 covers 25 European languages, Moonshine is English-only, and Sarvam's Saaras v3 covers Indian English, Hindi-English and Indian languages. Languages by model →
What is AI clean-up?
An optional step that sends the transcribed text, not your audio, to a language model you choose, to fix punctuation and remove filler words. It is off by default. Supported providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Cerebras, OpenRouter, Z.AI, AWS Bedrock, Apple Intelligence, Sarvam.
Can I run Whisper locally for dictation on Windows, Mac or Linux?
Yes. Hukum runs Whisper Small, Medium, Turbo and Large on your own computer, alongside NVIDIA's Parakeet, Moonshine and others. Pick one in settings; it downloads once and then works offline. Parakeet V3 is the recommended default because it is fast on an ordinary CPU. Which model to pick →
Can I use my own API key?
Yes. For cloud transcription, Hukum has presets for Sarvam Saaras v3, Deepgram Nova-3, Whisper on Groq, OpenAI Whisper and ElevenLabs Scribe; you paste your own key and the provider bills you directly. Keys are stored in Hukum's local settings file on your computer. What cloud transcription costs →
Pricing and availability
How much does cloud transcription cost?
You pay the provider, not Hukum. On each provider's public price list (checked 29 September 2026), an hour of audio costs about $0.04 with Whisper on Groq, $0.22 with ElevenLabs Scribe, $0.26 with Deepgram Nova-3, $0.36 with OpenAI Whisper, ₹30 with Sarvam Saaras v3. Offline models cost nothing. Pricing, with sources →
Is there a subscription?
No. Hukum will be a one-time purchase; the price will be announced at launch. Offline models cost nothing to run, and cloud models are billed by the provider directly to your own account. Pricing and cloud costs →
When can I get Hukum?
Hukum is in private beta. Join the waitlist and we will email you once, when it is ready to download.