Talk. It types.
Nothing leaves your PC.
Impulse is Windows dictation that runs its speech model on your own machine. Hold a key, speak, and the words land in whatever app you're in. No cloud, no account, no subscription. $29, once.
Windows 10/11 · dictation works fully offline · licence key by email in seconds
The whole product in one loop: hold Ctrl+Win, talk, let go. Filler words come out, punctuation goes in, and the text lands where your cursor is. Airplane mode stays on the entire time.
Your voice never
leaves your computer.
Cloud dictation apps upload your voice and answer the privacy question with compliance badges. Impulse answers it differently: your audio and your transcripts are never sent, so there is nothing of yours on a server to certify.
It works in airplane mode
That's not a marketing line, it's the demo. Turn your network off and dictate. A cloud app physically cannot pass this test.
Don't trust us. Watch the traffic.
Block Impulse in your firewall, or watch it with a network monitor while you talk. Dictation keeps working, and your voice never goes out, because the speech model is on your PC.
Every connection, listed
Day to day, just a licence check about once a day, plus anonymous usage counts if you opt in. Optional extras like contact import connect only when you turn them on. The privacy policy lists all of them. None carry your audio or text.
Privacy policy →Most people talk at 150 words a minute.
Almost nobody types that fast.
Emails, messages, notes mid-session, whole documents. If you'd rather say it than type it, Impulse is the shortest path from thought to text.
Works in every app
There's no Impulse window to paste out of. Hold the key and the text lands in whatever has focus: your email, your DAW, your browser, your terminal.
Hands-free mode
Tap Ctrl+Win+Alt once to record without holding anything. Tap again to stop.
Knows your hardware
Probes what your GPU can actually run instead of trusting spec sheets, picks the right model, and self-corrects if the fast path fails.
Works on a plane
A fallback model ships in the installer. Airplane mode on, wifi dead, tunnel: it keeps typing.
Learns your words
Add names, jargon, and snippets so "Ableton" never comes out as "abel tone" again.
Streaks and stats
Daily word counts, streaks, and achievements. Habits stick when you can see them.
Pay once. That's it.
Subscriptions make sense when someone else is paying for servers. Impulse runs on your computer, so there are no servers to pay for, and no reason to charge you every month.
One licence. No renewal. No account.
- Lifetime licence for up to 3 of your PCs
- Every future update, no upgrade fee
- Dictation runs fully offline
- Personal and commercial use
- Full refund if it does not work on your machine
Secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy · licence key arrives by email · or try the beta free first
Weighing a specific app? Impulse vs Wispr Flow, with sources. Questions before buying? Email [email protected] and you'll get an answer from the person who built it.
The fun part is
completely unnecessary.
Impulse counts every word you speak and turns it into streaks, daily records, and achievements. It has no practical purpose. It just makes you want to dictate again tomorrow, which turns out to be the whole game.
Level 24 Achieved
1,864 words spoken today.
Not sure yet? Try the beta.
While Impulse is in beta you can try the full app free. Drop your email and a licence key arrives immediately. If it earns a place in your day, buy it once and it's yours.
Join the Beta
Free during beta. No credit card required.
We'll only email your license key. No spam, ever.
Already have a beta key? Open the Windows beta download page.Preferred path: the single bootstrap installer. Fallback path: the split installer .exe plus every matching .bin file in the same folder.
Fair questions
Does it really work offline?+
Dictation does, completely. The speech model runs on your PC, so turn on airplane mode and try it. That is the one test a cloud app cannot pass. The only thing it needs a connection for is a quick licence check, about once a day when you are connected. Impulse keeps working for 3 days without one; after that, connect once and you are set again. How offline dictation on Windows works →
How many computers can I use it on?+
Up to 3 of your own PCs at once. A PC you stop using frees its spot after 30 days on its own, so a new laptop takes over without you doing anything. Need to move it sooner? Email [email protected].
What do I need to run it?+
A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC. The installer is about 400MB because the model comes with it. A GPU helps but is not required; Impulse checks what your hardware can do and picks the right model on its own.
Is my audio or text ever uploaded?+
No. Transcription happens on your CPU or GPU. The app checks your licence key, and sends anonymous usage counts only if you opt in. Optional features like contact import connect only when you turn them on, and none of these connections carry audio or text. Run a network monitor while you dictate and you can verify that yourself. Every connection the app can make →
Why is it a one-time purchase?+
Subscription dictation apps pay for cloud servers with your monthly fee. Impulse uses your computer, so the ongoing cost they charge for does not exist here.
What if it does not work on my machine?+
Full refund. Email [email protected] and it gets sorted. Hardware varies, and you should not pay for software that does not run for you.
Is it open source?+
No, the source is not published. What you can check yourself is what matters for an app that hears your voice: unplug your network and dictate, or watch its traffic while you talk. The privacy policy lists every connection it makes.
Something else? [email protected]
Own your dictation.
One payment. Yours forever. And your voice stays where it was spoken.
Get Impulse for $29