Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 8, 2026

Our Commitment

Speech Buddy is built with privacy as a foundational principle, not an afterthought. We believe your voice and your words belong to you — not to us, not to advertisers, and not to data brokers. This privacy policy explains exactly what data we collect (spoiler: almost none) and how Speech Buddy works to protect your privacy.

Data We Collect

Short answer: We collect no personal data.

Speech Buddy does not collect, store, transmit, or process any of your personal data, audio recordings, transcriptions, or usage information.

Specifically, Speech Buddy does not collect:

  • Audio recordings or voice data
  • Transcribed text or documents
  • Personal information (name, email, phone number, etc.)
  • Device identifiers or hardware information
  • Usage analytics or telemetry
  • Location data
  • Browsing history or app usage patterns
  • Cookies or tracking pixels (we have no servers to send them to)

How Speech Buddy Works

Speech Buddy is a fully offline, local application. Here's how your data flows:

  1. Audio Capture: When you activate speech-to-text, your microphone captures audio. This audio is processed entirely in memory on your Mac.
  2. Voice Activity Detection: A local AI model detects when you start and stop speaking. This runs on your CPU/GPU.
  3. Transcription: Your speech is converted to text using an AI model running locally on your device. No audio is sent to any server.
  4. Output: The transcribed text is copied to your clipboard and/or typed into your active application. The audio is then discarded from memory.

At no point in this process does any data leave your computer.

Network Connections

Speech Buddy makes network connections only in the following limited circumstances:

  • AI Model Download: On first launch, Speech Buddy downloads the AI model (~478 MB) required for speech recognition. This is a one-time download from our servers. We do not log or track this download beyond standard web server access logs.
  • Update Checks: Speech Buddy may periodically check for application updates. No personal data is transmitted during these checks.

After the initial model download, Speech Buddy works completely offline. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet — all speech-to-text functionality will continue to work.

Local Data Storage

Speech Buddy stores the following data locally on your Mac:

  • Application Settings: Your preferences (language, keyboard shortcuts, audio device selection, etc.) are stored locally in the app's data directory.
  • AI Model Files: The speech recognition model is stored locally after download.
  • Transcription History: If you have history enabled, transcriptions are stored in a local database on your Mac. This data never leaves your device and can be deleted at any time from within the app.

All local data can be completely removed by uninstalling the application and deleting its data directory at ~/Library/Application Support/com.speechbuddy.app/.

macOS Permissions

Speech Buddy requests the following macOS permissions:

  • Microphone Access: Required to capture your voice for transcription. Audio is processed locally and never transmitted.
  • Accessibility Access: Required to type transcribed text directly into your active application. This permission allows Speech Buddy to simulate keyboard input on your behalf.

These permissions can be revoked at any time through macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Third-Party Services

Speech Buddy does not integrate with or send data to any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Mixpanel, or any similar service.

Children's Privacy

Speech Buddy does not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13. Since we don't collect any personal data from any users, this applies universally.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Since Speech Buddy doesn't collect personal data, we have no way to notify you directly of changes — we recommend checking this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or Speech Buddy's privacy practices, please contact us at:

Email: support@speechbuddy.app