Harker - Turn thoughts into text at the speed of speech
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A minimal speech-to-text widget that works locally on your Mac. Activate with a shortcut, speak anywhere you'd normally type, and watch your words appear instantly. Perfect for AI chats, emails, and any text field.
Replies
Harker
@mnlcpc Really appreciate the offline-only model. So many speech-to-text tools require cloud processing, which is a dealbreaker for sensitive work. Big respect for prioritizing local data privacy.
The problem I notice with local AI / ML applications is they are processing pretty slow. Would be nice to see some benchmarks (not sure how to visualize that when benchmarking audio tho lol).
Nice launch tho, super nice product, was just recently looking for alternatives on subscription-based apps like Wispr Flow.
Harker
@mxmzb Totally fair. Local AI can feel slow depending on the setup and model size. Harker gives you the option to download and choose the model that best fits your machine, so you can get the right tradeoff between speed and accuracy.
For English-only models, even the smaller ones are surprisingly precise and very fast on M1 or M2. With no loading screens or cloud roundtrips.
Running everything locally also means no server costs, which lets me offer Harker as a one-time purchase.
No subscriptions, the app is yours to use.
Benchmarking audio is tricky to show, but I’m thinking about adding a simple demo or side-by-side soon.
Thanks for checking it out, and yes, it’s built as a simpler, privacy focused, and no-subscription alternative to more complex tools like Wispr Flow
@mxmzb @mnlcpc you might want to take down your PH page with the launch discount code if you're not going to honor it.... PH50OFF is EXPIRED.
Harker
Hi @jep9 , sure the code is expired now, but was active DURING the launch :)
But if you want to try Harker, please send me a message
As someone who constantly jumps between emails, docs, and chat apps, Harker is a game-changer. I love that it works anywhere on macOS and doesn’t get in the way.
Have you thought about benchmarking this for accuracy against the built-in macOS voice recognition? That’s what I use today, and it’s built in and free, so that’s your basic competition.
Harker
Hey@jasonrdunn , very good point, thank you.
I actually developed Harker first for myself exactly as a substitution for the Mac built-in speech-to-text. I wanted something running locally and that can be calles with a simple shortcut, and that automatically paste the output in the selected textfield.
It depends a bit on what is the language you want to transcribe and on which model you pick, but in general, being based on whisper, the accuracy is way higher compared to the Mac built-in tool.
If you end up trying, please let me know how it goes. Thanks
Pokecut
Thank you for introducing this minimal speech-to-text widget! 🎙️✨ It’s awesome to have a local solution on Mac that lets me dictate anywhere I’d normally type. 🚀 Whether it’s for AI chats, emails, or any text field, this will definitely boost productivity and make typing so much easier. 💻🗣️ Love the instant transcription and shortcut activation! Keep up the great work! 👏😊
Just checked out Harker! 🚀 The idea of converting thoughts to text at speech speed is 🔥. The neural net must be using real-time ASR + NLP optimizations, maybe with a lightweight transformer model for low latency. The UI looks clean too - minimalist but functional. Excited to see the benchmarks!
So, you are using local/offline SLM?
Harker
@manu_goel2 yes, the speech to text model is embedded in the app.
@mnlcpc love it ... that's tech put to right use
Harker
Thank you @manu_goel2 , appreciate it
Will it run on any Mac OS? I have an old 2008 Macbook running 10.4 and a newer iMac 2020 running Monterey 12.7.6.
Harker
@anthony_sanna1 I'm sorry but Harker works on M-series processors only. I tried packaging the app for older Macs, but the local transcription is a bit too demanding for old hardwares, and it takes too long to make it worth it unfortunately.
How do I test the quality/speed and supported languages of the app before buying?
Harker
Hi @vladimir_vashnev ,
Harker is based on whisper, that is the same "engine" many speech-to-text software use nowadays, at least as a starting point.
The difference is that Harker runs locally, and you can pick exactly the model you want to use from the settings.
So the quality/speed depends mostly on the model you pick, and the hardwere you have. But it's fairly simple to adjust the settings to your needs.
If you end up trying, please let me know how it goes. Thanks
@vladimir_vashnev @mnlcpcI'm currently using Wispr Flow, and I love it, but it's a little expensive I'm not that keen on every word I say being sent to foreign datacenters. Do you offer a money back guarantee if I buy Harker and it doesn't meet my needs?
Harker
Yes @shane_doherty . Just get in touch with me in case. I'd love to hear your feedback, especially in comparison with your experience with Wispr Flow
@mnlcpc Thanks!
This minimal speech-to-text widget for Mac is a fantastic productivity tool! By activating with a shortcut, it allows you to speak anywhere you'd normally type and see your words appear instantly. Perfect for AI chats, emails, and any text field, I’m excited to see how it makes typing faster and more convenient—without needing to switch apps or tools!