LazytypeThis page answers every common question about Lazytype, the voice-to-text app for Windows 10/11 and macOS 12+: setup and Groq keys, pricing (€25 once or €5/month), privacy and offline mode, languages and translation, and basic troubleshooting. The short version: hold a key, speak, release — clean text appears in under a second.
Jump to a section: Getting started · Pricing · Features · Languages & translation · Privacy & offline · Comparisons · Troubleshooting. For longer reads, see the features page and the pricing page.
Getting started & setup
What is Lazytype?
Lazytype is a voice-to-text dictation app for Windows and macOS. You hold one key (left Ctrl by default), speak, and let go — clean, punctuated text is typed into whatever app has focus: email, chat, documents, browsers, code editors. It runs Whisper large-v3-turbo on Groq and returns a short sentence in under a second, in 100+ languages.
How do I set up Lazytype?
Setup takes about two minutes. Install the app (Microsoft Store on Windows, .dmg on macOS) — a microphone icon appears in your system tray. Choose your plan: bring your own free Groq API key with the one-time license, or subscribe and let Lazytype handle transcription. Then hold the left Ctrl key, speak, and release — clean text is typed wherever your cursor is.
What API key do I need, and is it free?
The Personal plan uses a Groq API key for the default cloud engine. Creating one is free at console.groq.com/keys and Lazytype guides you through it in about two minutes. Groq's free tier is more than sufficient for most personal use. No OpenAI account is required, and Pro subscribers need no key at all.
Does Lazytype work on Windows?
Yes. Windows 10 and 11 are fully supported, and Lazytype is available from the Microsoft Store. This is a key advantage over tools like Superwhisper, which are macOS-only.
Does Lazytype work on macOS?
Yes — macOS 12+ is fully supported. Download the .dmg, drag it to Applications, and grant Accessibility, Input Monitoring and Microphone permission in System Settings once. Features are identical to the Windows version.
Which hotkeys can I use?
The default is hold-to-talk on left Ctrl. You can switch to Right Alt, Ctrl+Shift, F8–F10 and more than ten other combinations, and assign different behaviours (dictate, translate, command) to different keys via voice macros — all in the settings dashboard.
Pricing
How much does Lazytype cost?
The Personal plan is €25 one-time — you bring your own free Groq API key. The Pro plan is €5/month with transcription hosted by Lazytype, no key needed. Both include every feature, and both start with a free 14-day trial with no credit card required. Full details on the pricing page.
What's the difference between the two plans?
Personal is a one-time €25 license where you bring your own free Groq key, which takes about two minutes to set up. Pro is a €5/month subscription where Lazytype hosts the transcription, so there is no key and nothing to configure. Both include every feature and the full 14-day trial.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 14 days, all features, no payment method required to start. If Lazytype doesn't earn a place in your day, you simply stop.
Do I need a subscription?
No. The Personal plan is a one-time €25 purchase with your own free Groq API key. The €5/month Pro plan exists for people who prefer a managed service with no key to set up — it's optional. The reasoning behind one-time pricing is on the pay-once page.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. The Personal license includes a 14-day money-back guarantee on top of the free trial; the full policy is at lazytype.com/legal/refund/. Pro subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.
Do prices include VAT?
Yes, prices include VAT where applicable — €25 one-time or €5/month is what you actually pay at checkout.
Features
How fast is Lazytype?
Sub-second for short dictations. Lazytype runs OpenAI's Whisper large-v3-turbo on Groq at roughly 216 times real-time speed, so a three-second clip is transcribed in well under a second.
What is realtime preview?
A floating bar shows your words as you speak — chunk by chunk, before you release the key. You can catch a mistake mid-sentence and just keep speaking. When you let go, the final clean text types into your app. Toggle it on or off in the tray settings.
What are voice macros?
Voice macros let you assign different AI behaviours to different hotkeys. One key dictates clean text, another translates as you speak, and a third runs a command on the text you just wrote — like "make this shorter" or "make it formal". Everything is configurable in the settings dashboard.
What is context-aware tone?
Lazytype reads which app is active and automatically adapts its clean-up style: Slack messages stay casual, Word documents get formal punctuation, code editors preserve technical terms. The detection happens locally and nothing about your windows is sent anywhere.
Which voice commands does Lazytype understand?
Say "scratch that" to delete the last dictation, and "new line" or "new paragraph" to format hands-free as you speak. Commands work inside normal dictation — there is no separate command mode.
What does AI clean-up do?
An optional AI pass removes filler words and stutters, fixes punctuation and capitalisation, and turns raw speech into text that reads like you typed it. It can be switched off when you want the literal transcript.
Does Lazytype show statistics?
Yes. The built-in statistics dashboard shows words dictated, characters typed and time saved, per session and cumulatively. It's one tray-click away.
Can I use Lazytype with ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools?
Yes. Lazytype pastes text into any app, so you can dictate prompts directly into ChatGPT, Claude, Notion AI, Copilot or any other AI interface — no window switching, no keyboard needed.
Languages & translation
Which languages does Lazytype handle?
More than 100, detected automatically — from Afrikaans to Yoruba. Accuracy is excellent in English and Dutch, and you can have your speech translated into another language as you dictate.
Does Lazytype translate while I speak?
Yes. Enable translation in the tray menu — or assign it to its own hotkey as a voice macro — then speak in one language and get text typed in another. It supports 100+ language pairs, and filler words are cleaned up in the same pass.
Which languages are most accurate?
English and Dutch have standout accuracy. The other 100+ supported languages use the same Whisper large-v3-turbo model, which is significantly more accurate than the older acoustic models in built-in dictation tools.
Privacy & offline
Is my audio private?
Audio is sent only to transcribe a clip and is not stored or reused. If you'd rather nothing leave your machine at all, switch to the built-in on-device engine and work fully offline.
Does Lazytype work offline?
Yes. Switch to the on-device engine (tray menu → Engine → Local) and no audio ever leaves your machine. It uses whisper.cpp locally and is included in every plan.
Is a history of my dictations stored anywhere?
Audio is never stored. A text history of your dictations is kept locally on your own machine, viewable in the settings dashboard, so you can retrieve something you dictated earlier. It stays on your device.
Comparisons
How is Lazytype different from Windows Speech Recognition or Apple Dictation?
Built-in dictation uses older acoustic models and often needs training. Lazytype uses Whisper large-v3-turbo — significantly more accurate, works in 100+ languages with no setup, and adds translation, AI clean-up, voice macros and realtime preview that built-in tools lack.
What is the best Wispr Flow alternative?
Lazytype is a strong Wispr Flow alternative: cheaper (€25 one-time vs roughly $14/month), works on Windows and macOS, includes an offline mode, and has features Wispr Flow lacks such as realtime preview, voice macros and context-aware tone. See the full Lazytype vs Wispr Flow comparison.
Troubleshooting basics
Nothing types when I release the key — what should I check?
Three things cover most cases. First, check that Lazytype is running — you should see the microphone icon in your system tray or menu bar. Second, make sure your cursor is in a text field, because Lazytype types wherever the focus is. Third, check microphone permission: on macOS also grant Accessibility and Input Monitoring in System Settings. Still stuck? Email support@lazytype.com.
Will hold-to-talk interfere with Ctrl+C and other shortcuts?
No. The hotkey is modifier-safe: dictation only starts on a sustained hold, so quick taps and chords like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Z keep working exactly as normal.
Do my settings survive app updates?
Yes. Since v1.8.2, all settings — hotkeys, macros, engine choice, language preferences, history — persist across updates. Configuration is stored in your user profile, separate from the app itself.
Which permissions does Lazytype need on macOS?
Three, granted once in System Settings: Microphone (to hear you), Accessibility (to type text into other apps) and Input Monitoring (to detect the hold-to-talk key). After that, the same hold-speak-release flow works everywhere.
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