Obsidian on Mac

Voice dictation for Obsidian on a Mac, kept as a real note

macOS Dictation types words where your cursor is, which is fine for a sentence. For a three-minute idea you want something else: say it, then get it back as a note with a title, a summary and the full transcript, waiting in your vault. SpeakPen does that from a browser tab on your Mac, or from your phone.

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Mac: any modern browser · iPhone (iOS 17+) · Android 8.1+ · Free plan included

macOS Dictation or SpeakPen?

They solve different problems. Pick the one that matches what you are about to say.

macOS Dictation: words at the cursor

Built into macOS and free. Start Dictation inside an Obsidian note and your words are typed into it. It is the right tool for a sentence or two. It does not keep the recording, write a summary or title the note, and you stay at the keyboard while you talk.

SpeakPen in your browser: a finished note

Open speakpen.app/app in Safari, Chrome or another modern browser and record. Each recording comes back with a title, a summary, a category and the full transcript, in any of 99 languages, detected automatically.

Or record on your phone

The same account works in the iPhone and Android apps, so an idea you record on a walk lands in the same vault as one you record at your desk.

What SpeakPen does not do

There is no native Mac app, and SpeakPen is not system-wide dictation: it does not type into Obsidian's editor or any other text field. Notes arrive in your vault as new Markdown files through the SpeakPen Sync plugin, which only brings notes in and never sends vault changes back.

How it works

From your Mac's microphone to your vault

Record in the browser

Sign up at speakpen.app, open the web app and allow microphone access.
Talk the idea through. On the free plan a recording can run up to 5 minutes.

AI writes the note

Transcription with automatic language detection across 99 languages.
A title, a summary and a category on top of the full transcript.

It lands in your vault

Install SpeakPen Sync from Obsidian's community plugins and paste an API token from the web app (Settings → Connections).
New notes arrive as Markdown with YAML frontmatter. Notes you have edited in Obsidian are left alone.

FAQ

Obsidian voice dictation on Mac FAQ

Can I use voice dictation in Obsidian on a Mac?

Yes, in two ways. macOS has Dictation built in: put the cursor in an Obsidian note, start Dictation, and your words are typed in. If you would rather talk an idea through and get a finished note back, record it with SpeakPen in your browser at speakpen.app/app, and the note syncs into your vault through the SpeakPen Sync plugin.

Is there a SpeakPen app for Mac?

No. On a Mac, SpeakPen runs in the browser. There are apps for iPhone (iOS 17+) and Android (8.1+), and all of them share the same account and the same notes.

How is this different from macOS Dictation?

Dictation turns speech into typed text in whichever field has focus, and that is all it does. SpeakPen keeps each recording as its own note with a title, a summary, a category and the full transcript, and syncs it into your vault as Markdown. It does not type into other apps.

Does Obsidian need to be open while I record?

No. You record in SpeakPen, and the SpeakPen Sync plugin brings new notes into your vault the next time Obsidian is open. Sync runs one way: changes you make in the vault are never sent back to SpeakPen.

How much does it cost?

The free plan includes 3 recordings a month, up to 5 minutes each. Pro is $9.90 a month for 60 recordings, up to 20 minutes each.