If typing hurts, slows you down, or simply isn't an option — Neuron Flame is built to take the load off. Hands-free dictation in any app, custom dictionary that adapts to your spellings, and prompts that handle grammar so you can focus on the meaning.
Free · Open source · GPL-3.0 · 100% on-device by default
For knowledge workers with repetitive strain injury (RSI), dictation isn't a nice-to-have — it's how the work gets done. For dyslexic writers, voice-to-text drops the spelling and grammar barriers between thought and page. For people with low vision or motor differences, hands-free input opens up the Mac in ways the keyboard can't.
Neuron Flame isn't a clinical accessibility tool — Apple's Voice Control covers the full hands-free Mac control experience. But for the specific job of getting words from your mouth onto the screen, fast and accurately, in any app, Neuron Flame is one of the best tools we know of, free.
Push-to-talk on a hotkey you can hit with the side of your thumb means you can leave your wrists in a neutral position. Many users bind Neuron Flame to a foot pedal or to a single mechanical button via Karabiner-Elements / BetterTouchTool — keyboards become optional for stretches of writing.
Combined with AI enhancement, you can ramble loosely and let the prompt clean it up. If your meds or fatigue make you stumble more on certain days, the model handles it without forcing you to type corrections.
Dictation removes spelling from the production loop. You speak the word; Whisper or Parakeet transcribes it correctly. AI enhancement (with a "preserve voice, fix only spelling and grammar" prompt) handles the residual without rewriting your prose.
The custom dictionary doubles as a "words I always struggle with" cheat sheet — load it once, never have to think about those spellings again.
Neuron Flame's UI scales with macOS Display settings; the recorder pill at the top of the screen is high-contrast (white-on-black with brand-tinted halo). Live transcript preview is rendered in adjustable size. Combine with VoiceOver — the dashboard, settings, and history list are screen-reader friendly.
Hotkey choice is fully user-controlled. You can pick a single key, a chord, or even an external trigger. Neuron Flame's hold-and-release pattern can be remapped via macOS to a tap-and-tap if held-down keys are difficult.
Voice samples can carry a lot of sensitive context — medical, financial, personal. Neuron Flame's default is on-device processing: nothing leaves your Mac. If you turn on AI enhancement with a cloud LLM, that's an explicit opt-in. For maximally private workflows, use Ollama as your enhancement provider — fully local even for the cleanup pass.
Free, open-source, designed to disappear out of your way.
Download Neuron FlameWe don't have any clinical or insurance certifications. It's a free open-source tool — install it, try it, see if it helps. Many of the techniques used (push-to-talk, custom dictionary, on-device processing) line up with what accessibility users typically need.
Yes — pair the foot pedal with a tool like Karabiner-Elements (free) to send Neuron Flame's hotkey when the pedal is pressed. Most users land on Right Option as the hotkey because it's neutral on most external trigger devices.
Yes — they handle different jobs. Voice Control clicks buttons and opens apps; Neuron Flame transcribes speech into text. Many users run both.
Only as much as you tell it to. The default prompt fixes obvious grammar issues and removes filler words. For dyslexia-friendly use, we recommend a stricter prompt: 'fix spelling and grammar only, preserve every choice of word and sentence structure'.