RoostTX icon
RoostTXTranscribe Audio
macOS
Drop audio. Get text. On-device transcription.
No internet. No uploads.
Nothing leaves your Mac.
Purchase in Mac App Store
RoostTX File View Help
RoostTX ⌘ wifi 9:41 AM

Why I made this.

For a few years now I have been using a voice recorder to document story and play ideas, as well as any other big thoughts I might be working through. Needing to transcribe them took me all over the internet, including AI-created pages where you uploaded audio- something I found frustrating and a tad worrisome.

I wanted to streamline the process without it breaking my bank account.

This app does two things: transcribe audio, and make subtitles. That is it. That is all. Knowing RoostTX in the menu bar taking up no space- waiting for my next bit of inspiration to be dropped into the black hole- gives me so much joy. Audio to text in no time. Now I am the one holding things up.

The RoostTX panel

Drag in. Walk away.

Click the menu-bar icon, drop your files into the panel, and RoostTX handles the rest. Individual files, whole folders, or a mix — it walks folders recursively and processes everything it finds.

A batch of files transcribing in progress in the RoostTX panel

Say it. We'll catch it.

Recording audio in the RoostTX panel

Got something on your mind? Just tap record in the panel, speak, and RoostTX saves the audio and the transcript to your folder when you stop. A live meter shows the level while you talk.

Long recordings are split into parts as they run, so a crash or a sleep can't cost you the whole session. The transcript is still assembled as one file, with continuous timecode.

Check out the settings: Recording Split length, and Keep Awake to stop idle sleep while recording.

Individual filesDrop any number of audio or video files at once
FoldersDrop a folder and the app finds every audio and video file inside, including subfolders
Spring-loaded iconDrag files directly to the menu-bar icon — hold for a moment and the panel springs open automatically
PinKeep the panel open while dragging from Finder with the pushpin in the title bar

Two files per transcription.

A finished timecoded transcript shown in RoostTX's Show Work window

Every transcribed file produces two outputs, written to your chosen folder automatically.

Plain text The spoken words, nothing else. ready to copy, edit, or search
Text with timecodePick your preferred timing and RoostTX will track

Subtitles? We can do that.

Select the SRT button in the title bar and done. RoostTX tracks the timecode when dialogue is spoken. Names, and formatted so you can immediately drop it into any video playback program.

A completed SRT subtitle file shown in RoostTX's Show Work window

Private by design.

Transcription runs entirely on-device using Apple's built-in speech engine. Your audio is never sent to Apple or anywhere else. No microphone permission required — the app reads files from disk only.

The first time you transcribe in a language, macOS may download a language model for that locale. That one-time download requires an internet connection; all subsequent transcriptions work offline.

A few things worth knowing.

The RoostTX main panel
Main panel
A single file transcribing in progress
Single file
RoostTX settings
Settings
RoostTX general settings
General settings
A batch of files transcribing in progress
Batch in progress
Recording audio in RoostTX
Recording
A timecoded transcript in Show Work
Timecode
A finished SRT file in Show Work
Subtitles

Questions.

What is RoostTX?
Your one stop shop transcription app. It sits in your computer's menu bar taking up no space, where it can't be lost. Lock it open when you need it.

Drop audio files (or a whole folder) onto it and RoostTX will transcribe into a helpful text file, or even subtitles. You can also switch to the Record tab and talk right into it. When finished, all your files sit nicely in the folder you have chosen.
What does it need to run?
macOS 26 or later. RoostTX uses Apple's on-device speech recognition, which doesn't exist on earlier versions of macOS — so it won't install on anything older.
Does my audio get uploaded anywhere?
No, not at all. Everything happens on your Mac. There's no account to set up, and nothing is sent to a server. The only time RoostTX touches the internet is a one-time download of Apple's speech model (see below) the first time you download.
Why is the first transcription slow?
The first time you use it, macOS downloads its on-device speech model. That happens once and needs an internet connection. Every transcription after that runs fully offline.
Why was my video file skipped
Some video containers from places like Blu-ray, AVCHD camcorders and a few others aren't readable by macOS's media frameworks even though they hold ordinary video. Because RoostTX can't open what macOS can’t, you will need to re-wrap those files into something else, like .mp4.
Where did my files go?
Your Downloads folder, unless you change it. Click the folder name at the bottom-left of the panel to choose somewhere else.
What files do I get?
A plain text transcript (.txt) and a timecoded version (_Timecode.txt) with a timestamp at intervals you can choose from the settings panel.

Have a video you need subtitles for? Switch on SRT and you get a single subtitle file (.srt) set with relevant timecode so you can drop it into any media player.
What language does it transcribe in?
Right now, the language your Mac is set to. RoostTX doesn't detect the language being spoken, so audio in a different language won't transcribe correctly. To transcribe another language right now, change your Mac's language in System Settings › General › Language & Region.
Why does it ask to use my microphone?
Only when you use Record. Dropping files never asks for access, or listen. That path doesn't touch the microphone at all.
My long recording turned into several audio files. Why?
Recordings are split into parts (every 30 minutes by default; you can change it in Settings). This is a safety net: if your Mac crashes or sleeps mid-recording, you keep everything up to that point instead of losing the whole session. The transcript is still one file, with continuous timecode running across all the parts.
Can I see the transcript without opening the file?
Turn on Show Work in Settings and a window opens with each finished transcript, with Copy and Save.
Have any more questions not answered here?
Email our support team with what you were doing and what happened, and if you can, the macOS version you're on. Screenshots help.