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FloWords

Local Models

FloWords includes powerful AI models that run entirely on your Mac. No internet connection required, no data sent to external servers.

Why Local Models?

Section titled “Why Local Models?”
  • 100% Privacy - Your voice never leaves your device
  • No Internet Required - Works offline, anywhere
  • No Subscription - Use unlimited, no per-minute fees
  • Fast Response - No network latency

Available Models

Section titled “Available Models”

FloWords includes three local transcription engines. All of them run on your Mac and are multilingual.

ModelEngineRAMSpeedAccuracyBest For
Whisper Turbo (default)OpenAI • Q5_0 (~547 MB)~2 GB~200-800 ms~7-8% WERGeneral use, best balance
Parakeet V3NVIDIA • INT8 (~640 MB)~2 GB~50-200 ms~6.34% WERMaximum speed, low latency
Apple SpeechNative macOS (no download)Minimal~100-500 ms~8% WERQuick drafts, no download

Downloading Models

Section titled “Downloading Models”
  1. Open the Intelligence section in FloWords
  2. Find the Best Models Available section
  3. Pick the model you want (Whisper Turbo, Parakeet V3, or Apple Speech)
  4. Click Download if it isn’t installed yet
  5. Select it as your active transcription engine

Model Performance by Mac

Section titled “Model Performance by Mac”
Section titled “Apple Silicon (Recommended)”
  • Hardware acceleration - models take advantage of the Apple chip
  • Performance - ~2-3x faster than Intel
  • Efficiency - minimal battery impact
  • Recommendation - all three models run great

Intel Macs

Section titled “Intel Macs”
  • Performance - slower than Apple Silicon
  • CPU usage - higher (the fan may spin up)
  • Recommendation - Parakeet V3 or Apple Speech for better speed

Model Configuration

Section titled “Model Configuration”

Language Settings

Section titled “Language Settings”
  1. Auto-Detect - the model automatically detects the language
  2. Specify Language - set a specific language for faster, more accurate results

To set your language:

  1. Go to Settings > Model
  2. Find Language dropdown
  3. Select your preferred language
  4. Or choose Auto for detection

Memory Management

Section titled “Memory Management”

FloWords monitors your system memory and warns you if you’re running low.

Low Memory Warnings

Section titled “Low Memory Warnings”

If you see memory warnings:

  1. Switch to a lighter model - Apple Speech uses no download and minimal memory
  2. Close other applications - Free up system memory
  3. Restart FloWords - Releases cached memory

Model Storage

Section titled “Model Storage”

Downloaded Whisper and Parakeet models are stored in:

~/Library/Application Support/com.prakashjoshipax.VoiceInk/models/

Apple Speech is not downloaded — it’s part of macOS.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Model Download Fails

Section titled “Model Download Fails”
  • Check your internet connection
  • Ensure you have enough disk space
  • Try Apple Speech (no download required)
  • Restart FloWords and try again

Transcription is Slow

Section titled “Transcription is Slow”
  • Switch to a faster model (Whisper Turbo → Parakeet V3)
  • Close other applications
  • Check Activity Monitor for memory pressure
  • Ensure your Mac isn’t thermally throttled

Poor Accuracy

Section titled “Poor Accuracy”
  • Switch to Whisper Turbo for higher accuracy
  • Set the correct language instead of auto-detect
  • Reduce background noise
  • Speak more clearly and at a steady pace
  • Add custom terms to your Dictionary

Model Won’t Load

Section titled “Model Won’t Load”
  • Restart FloWords
  • Re-download the model
  • Check console logs for errors
  • Free up system memory

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”