Voice dictation
for Figma.
Figma is a memory-hungry app — it's a real-time collaborative canvas running in your browser or as an Electron desktop client, and it doesn't apologize for the RAM. Pairing it with a dictation tool that loads 1-3 GB of Whisper into memory makes 16 GB Macs grind. Dictation tools that ship to the cloud also send your design comments and brief drafts to third parties. Dollop avoids both: free, on-device, 0 GB of RAM, with cleanup that handles design vocabulary.
Figma's text inputs (comments, FigJam stickies, the prototype editor) have their own quirks, and the app's memory pressure means dictation tool choice matters more here than in lighter apps.
Figma in the desktop app routinely uses 800 MB to 2 GB on its own — more if you have multiple files open. Adding a Whisper-based dictation tool with 700 MB to 3 GB of model on top is rough. Apple Foundation Models lives in the OS, so Dollop adds 0 GB.
Custom vocabulary for component names, design system tokens, and color names matters. Generic dictation will mangle "DM Sans" or "Auto Layout" or "Frame 4096." Dollop's vocabulary list keeps them intact.
Most design teams have standard comment patterns — "spacing should be 16px," "this should match the design token," "let's match the spec on Frame X." Dollop's snippets let you trigger these by name, faster than typing.
Figma has multiple text input modes. Dollop pastes wherever the cursor is — FigJam stickies, comment threads, prototype interaction labels, even the file rename field. No per-mode setup.
Most comparison pages list ten features. Three of them matter when you're actually switching.
- Where does the audio go?
- On-device means your voice and the transcript stay on the Mac you're typing on. Cloud means audio is uploaded, transcribed remotely, and the text is downloaded back — usually with no way to know which providers see it on the way through. This is load-bearing for anyone touching client work, regulated content, or proprietary information.
- How much RAM does it actually take?
- The forgotten metric. "On-device" doesn't mean "free" — Whisper-based tools load 700 MB to 3 GB into memory while running. If you already have Cursor, Chrome, Slack, and a Docker container open, that matters. Apple Foundation Models is the only path right now to real on-device dictation at 0 GB.
- How clean is the cleaned text?
- Raw transcription is a solved problem — Whisper, Parakeet, and Apple's models are all excellent. The differentiator is what happens after: filler removal, punctuation, formatting commands, tone-matching to the active app. A tuned dictation model beats a generic LLM polish step every time.
| Tool | RAM | Audio leaves Mac? | Pricing | Cleanup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dollop | 0 GB | Never | Free | Tuned LoRA |
| Superwhisper | ~1.5 GB | Optional | $249 once | Generic LLM |
| Voibe | ~700 MB | Never | $9.90/mo | Whisper + rules |
| VoiceInk | ~2 GB | Never | Free / open-source | Optional |
| MacWhisper | ~1–3 GB | Never | €64 once | File-based |
| LumeVoice | ~700 MB | Never | Subscription | Whisper |
| Apple Dictation | ~0 GB | Never (Ventura+) | Free (built-in) | None |
RAM figures are approximate, measured at idle with the smallest model loaded. Dollop uses Apple Foundation Models — the OS keeps the model warm independently of the app, so the app itself contributes 0 GB beyond the OS baseline.
Dollop
Dollop is the voice OS I built for the Mac. It does four things, all on-device, all free: dictation (clean text pasted at your cursor in any app), an AI chat overlay (multi-turn, optionally screen-aware) for asking questions or rewriting, Little Overlay (⌃ A — a tiny floating glass pill that hears your selection, sees your screen, and answers in place for the one-shot question that doesn’t need a chat thread), and Meeting Notes (record and transcribe lectures, calls, and meetings with summaries and action items, fully on-device). It runs on Apple Foundation Models, the on-device LLM Apple ships with macOS 26, and ships with a tuned cleanup adapter trained specifically for the way people actually speak. Because Apple already keeps the foundation model warm in the OS, Dollop contributes 0 GB to your RAM footprint. Your audio never leaves the Mac. Completely free.
- Four pillars in one app: dictation, AI chat, Little Overlay, Meeting Notes
- Only Mac dictation app on Apple Foundation Models
- 0 GB RAM cost, the OS hosts the model
- Tuned cleanup adapter, not a generic polish step
- Meeting Notes: record + transcribe + summarize on-device
- Per-app tone (Casual / Formal / Excited)
- Completely free, no subscription, no premium tier
- Apple Silicon + macOS 26 only, no Intel, no Windows
- Apple Intelligence must be enabled
- New product, smaller community than Wispr or Superwhisper
Apple Dictation
Built into macOS. Free, on-device. Works in Figma's text fields. No cleanup or per-app tone — but for raw thought capture into a comment, it's free and zero-setup.
Superwhisper
$249 one-time, ~1.5 GB RAM. Works in Figma. The RAM cost matters more here because Figma is already a memory-heavy app.
- $249 up front
- 1–3 GB RAM alongside Figma
- Generic LLM polish
Voibe
$9.90/month, on-device, sub-300ms latency. Lighter Whisper footprint than Superwhisper.
VoiceInk
Free, open-source, runs Whisper locally. Works in Figma. RAM cost still applies.
Wispr Flow
Cloud, $15/month. Ships your design comments and brief content to third-party AI providers. For agencies and in-house teams under NDA, that's a hard problem.
- Design content leaves your Mac
- $15/mo
- 2.7 Trustpilot
Hard requirement: Dollop runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 26 or later. Most Macs sold since 2021 qualify. If you're on Intel, that's the constraint to plan around.
What's the best dictation app for Figma on Mac?
Will dictation slow down Figma?
Can I dictate into FigJam stickies?
What does Dollop actually do?
How much does Dollop cost?
Does Dollop work without an internet connection?
Can Dollop record and transcribe meetings or lectures?
Will Dollop work on Intel Macs?
Can I dictate into Cursor, VS Code, Slack, and other apps?
How do I add design system tokens to my custom vocabulary?
Does Dollop work in the Figma desktop app vs. the browser?
For Figma dictation on Mac, Dollop is the right pick. Free, on-device, 0 GB of RAM, with cleanup that respects design vocabulary. Figma stays responsive; you write comments and briefs faster than you can type.
For agencies and in-house teams under NDA, on-device dictation is the only acceptable option for design comments — Dollop is the lightest of them.