Handy
Press a key, talk and get plain text in the app you were already using. No cleanup magic, no invoice.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- MIT
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopone-click install
- Installation
- DMG, MSI, deb, rpm, or AppImage
- Operational Setup
- The first run needs microphone and text-injection permissions plus a model download; on Linux, automatic insertion may require xdotool, wtype, or dotool depending on the desktop.
- Where Your Data Lives
- History is stored in a local SQLite history.db database and recordings as local WAV files; configured cleanup providers receive the transcript sent to them.
- The Catch / Trade-off
- Handy is transcription-first and lacks Superwhisper's mature mode system and consistently polished context-aware cleanup.
Replaces 2 paid apps
up to $23.49/mo ($282/yr) in subscriptions
Handy FAQ
Common questions
Is Handy free and open source?+
Handy is an open-source tool licensed under MIT that runs on local. Press a key, talk and get plain text in the app you were already using. No cleanup magic, no invoice.
What paid software does Handy replace?+
Handy serves as a free replacement for 2 paid SaaS applications: Superwhisper, Wispr Flow, saving up to $23.49/month ($282/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Handy?+
Installation: DMG, MSI, deb, rpm, or AppImage. Setup notes: The first run needs microphone and text-injection permissions plus a model download; on Linux, automatic insertion may require xdotool, wtype, or dotool depending on the desktop.
What is the catch or trade-off with Handy?+
Handy is transcription-first and lacks Superwhisper's mature mode system and consistently polished context-aware cleanup.