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This is a TRANSCRIPTION provider. It converts your speech to text. For AI enhancement like grammar correction, see AI Enhancement Providers.

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Overview

Parakeet is NVIDIA’s state-of-the-art speech recognition model, optimized for Apple Silicon via CoreML. It achieves significantly better accuracy than Whisper while running locally on your Mac’s Neural Engine — no internet required. Key Benefits:
  • Best Accuracy — 6% word error rate (vs Whisper’s 7.4%)
  • 100% Private — Audio never leaves your Mac
  • Offline — Works without internet connection
  • Free — No API keys, no usage costs
  • Fast — Optimized for Apple Neural Engine

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Privacy & Security

Parakeet processes everything locally on your Mac:
  • Audio is captured and transcribed on-device
  • No data sent to cloud services
  • No internet connection required
  • No API keys or accounts needed
  • Perfect for sensitive or confidential content
Parakeet is ideal for anyone who wants the best transcription accuracy without compromising privacy.

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No API Key Required

Like WhisperKit, Parakeet requires no setup:
  1. Select Parakeet in Stenox Settings
  2. Download your preferred model
  3. Start dictating immediately
No registration, no API keys, no authentication.

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Available Models

ModelSizeSpeedAccuracyLanguages
Parakeet v2~2.5 GBVery FastBestEnglish only
Parakeet v3~2.5 GBVery FastBest25+ languages
Recommended: Parakeet v2 for English-only use. Parakeet v3 if you need multilingual support.

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Model Selection Guide

Best for:
  • English-only dictation
  • Highest accuracy available
  • Professional writing and technical content
NVIDIA’s TDT (Token-and-Duration Transducer) architecture provides state-of-the-art English transcription.
Best for:
  • Non-English languages (25+ supported)
  • Multilingual dictation
  • Same accuracy as v2 with language flexibility
Supports languages including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and more.

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Setup Instructions

1

Open Stenox Settings

Click the Stenox icon in your menu bar and select Settings.
2

Navigate to Models tab

Go to the Models tab in the Settings window.
3

Select Parakeet

Under Transcription Provider, select Parakeet from the dropdown.
4

Choose a model

Select your preferred model:
  • Parakeet v2 (recommended for English)
  • Parakeet v3 (multilingual)
5

Download the model

Click Download and wait for the model to download (~2.5 GB).The model is stored locally and optimized for CoreML on first use.
6

Start dictating

Once download completes, you can start using Parakeet immediately!

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Performance

Parakeet runs on your Mac’s Apple Neural Engine for fast, efficient processing:
  • Processing speed: ~190x real-time on Apple Silicon (M-series chips)
  • Typical latency: 2-3 seconds for 10 seconds of audio
  • First use: May take a minute to compile the CoreML model (one-time)
Apple Silicon required. Parakeet uses CoreML and the Apple Neural Engine, which are only available on M1 and later Macs.

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Storage Requirements

  • Model size: ~2.5 GB per model
  • Location: Managed by FluidAudio framework
You can delete models you’re not using to free up space via the Models tab in Settings.

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Parakeet vs WhisperKit

FeatureParakeetWhisperKit
AccuracyBest (6% WER)Good (7.4% WER)
SpeedVery FastFast
Model Size~2.5 GB142 MB - 483 MB
LanguagesEnglish + 25+100+
Intel MacNoYes
Neural EngineYes (CoreML)Yes (CoreML)
Choose Parakeet when you want the best accuracy and have an Apple Silicon Mac. Choose WhisperKit when you need smaller models, Intel Mac support, or 100+ language coverage.

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When to Use Parakeet

Best local accuracy

State-of-the-art transcription running entirely on your Mac.

Privacy is critical

Healthcare, legal, financial, or any sensitive content.

Working offline

Airplanes, remote locations, or unstable internet.

Professional use

High-accuracy transcription for professional writing and documentation.

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Troubleshooting

  • Check your internet connection
  • Ensure you have at least 3 GB of free disk space
  • Try downloading again — downloads support resuming
  • The CoreML model needs to compile on first use — this is a one-time process
  • Subsequent transcriptions will be much faster
  • You’ll see a “Compiling model” toast while this happens
  • For English, use Parakeet v2 (English-optimized)
  • For other languages, use Parakeet v3 and set language in Profile settings
  • Add terms to Vocabulary for custom replacements
  • Parakeet v2 generally handles technical terms well for English

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Next Steps

Add AI Enhancement

Use MLX (local) for completely private grammar correction and formatting.

Create Profiles

Set up different profiles for different use cases.

Compare with WhisperKit

See how WhisperKit compares for your needs.

Add Vocabulary

Add custom words and technical terms for better accuracy.