Comparison
Skald on Mac and Windows
Skald runs on both platforms with feature parity — same modes, same cleanup, same hotkey flow. Where there are differences, they're OS-driven — and we name them.
Short and honest
If your Mac is recent enough (macOS 13+), Skald runs natively in Swift and uses Apple's on-device speech recognition. On Windows 11, Skald runs natively in C# / WinUI 3 and uses the Windows System.Speech component. On both platforms, cloud STT is the fallback when local recognition isn't available. Functional scope is identical.
Side by side
| Skald (macOS) | Skald (Windows) | |
|---|---|---|
| Native implementation | Swift / AppKit | C# / WinUI 3 |
| Minimum OS | macOS 13 (Ventura) | Windows 11 (x64 + ARM64) |
| Default hotkey | Fn key (customisable) | Right Alt (customisable) |
| On-device STT | Apple Speech / SpeechAnalyzer | Windows System.Speech (SAPI) |
| Cloud STT fallback | Yes | Yes |
| Text-injection paths | AX-Direct → Pasteboard → Synthetic-Keys | UI Automation → Clipboard → Synthetic-Keys |
| Three modes (Dictate, Command, Brain-Dump) | Yes | Yes |
| App context awareness | Bundle ID, window title, browser URL, field role | App path, window title, browser URL, field role |
| Code signing | Apple Developer ID + Notarization | EV code signing (in progress) |
When each one fits
Use Skald when …
- You work on an Apple Silicon Mac — on-device STT runs fast on the Neural Engine.
- You use a lot of Mac-native apps (Mail, Notes, Safari) — AX-Direct injection lands reliably.
- You want the fastest available dictation flow on macOS.
Use Windows when …
- You work on Windows 11 (x64 or ARM64) — Skald is native, not a wrapper.
- You use UI Automation-friendly apps (Office, Edge, VS Code) — injection lands reliably.
- You want feature parity with the Mac version without being forced into the cloud.
Try Skald
Skald is in closed beta. Join the waitlist — we'll get in touch.