Murmurtale The short version
Cloud mode is the default because it's the most accurate, with light AI formatting for punctuation and dialogue in Fiction mode. It never rewrites your prose. On-device mode keeps your audio and text on your Mac, and you can switch to it any time.
Cloud mode (the default)
When you hold the key and speak, your audio streams over an encrypted connection through the Murmurtale backend for AI speech recognition in our cloud, which turns it into text. A second cloud transcription of each finished dictation is coming in 1.1.6. In Fiction mode, light AI formatting then places quotes, paragraph breaks for each new speaker, and italics for thoughts you tag (“she thought”) or mark out loud with “in italics”. Plain mode gets no AI formatting. Every formatting result is checked word for word against what you said, and any change to a word is rejected. It never rewrites your prose.
Cloud mode is what your cloud words are for: Pro includes 60,000 cloud words a month, and the free trial includes up to 20,000. If your cloud words run out, or the cloud is unavailable, Murmurtale keeps dictating on your Mac.
On-device mode
On-device mode transcribes on your Mac and formats with built-in rules, so your audio and text stay on your Mac and it works offline. It quotes dialogue where you say a tag ("she said", "he asked"), starts a new paragraph between tagged speakers, and italicizes thoughts you tag ("she thought") or mark out loud with "in italics". It's less accurate than cloud; Preferences shows a side-by-side comparison.
On-device dictation is unlimited on Pro. A free account gets 5,000 on-device words a month.
What cloud processing does with your content
Cloud mode uses third-party cloud AI providers for speech recognition. In Fiction mode, light AI formatting adds punctuation, quotation marks, paragraph breaks and italics. It never rewrites your prose. Plain mode and on-device mode get no AI formatting. A second cloud transcription of each finished dictation is coming in 1.1.6. What those providers receive is described in our Privacy Policy.
Choosing a mode
Use cloud for the best accuracy and, in Fiction mode, light AI formatting for punctuation and dialogue. Switch to on-device when you're offline or want everything about a session to stay on your Mac. You can change modes any time in Preferences; see Local vs cloud.