The walkthrough on this page covers 5 steps: 1. Download the Mac app 2. Install and grant permissions 3. Dictate with the fn key 4. Set a persona per app 5. Try hey kivi commands.

What are the limitations of kivi?

Mac only, and requires macOS 14 or later; no Windows, iOS or web version. Still in alpha, so stability and feature changes are likely. Pricing after the free alpha period is not stated.

kivi

Name: kivi
Author: kivi

Hold fn and talk: polished Hindi and English dictation on Mac

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Screenshot of kivi, Hold fn and talk: polished Hindi and English dictation on Mac

What is kivi?

Kivi is a Mac voice dictation app: hold fn, speak in Hindi, English or both, and polished text appears in any app. It also edits and drafts text by voice command. Free during alpha on macOS 14 or later.

Kivi is a voice dictation app for macOS that turns speech into cleaned-up text inside whatever application has focus. The user holds the fn key, speaks, and the result lands in Slack, Mail, Notes, Messages, Cursor, Terminal, Numbers or any other app. It handles Hindi, English, or a mix of both within a single sentence, which sets it apart from dictation tools built around one language at a time. The product goes beyond raw transcription. Filler words such as "um" are removed, spoken corrections like "friday no wait thursday" resolve to the final choice, numbers and times are formatted ("eight pm" becomes 8pm), and spoken punctuation or code terms ("user service dot ts", "dash m") come out as written syntax. A correction made to a name is remembered, so a later dictated message spells it correctly. Custom styles, which the site calls personas, change the output for each context: terse and exact for a developer editor, lowercase with slang and emoji for casual messaging, and heading-plus-bullets for status updates. A second mode is triggered by saying "hey kivi" while holding the key. Spoken commands can rewrite selected text in place (make it formal, title case and trim spaces, bold a number), draft a reply from what is visible on screen, answer a quick factual question into an empty field, or restructure rough notes into a one-page product requirements skeleton. Commands can be chained, so a message can be reshaped and then adjusted again. Kivi is aimed at people who write all day across many apps: developers, product and operations staff, and bilingual Indian-English speakers who code-switch. It is currently an alpha release, free to use, and requires macOS 14 or later. Against general-purpose dictation built into the operating system, it competes on context-aware formatting, mixed-language support and in-place editing. Buyers should treat it as an early product with a Mac-only footprint.

How do you use kivi?

1Download the Mac app
Open the kivi website on a Mac running macOS 14 or later and use the download button to get the installer.
2Install and grant permissions
Open the downloaded disk image and move kivi into Applications, then launch it and approve any system permissions it requests.
3Dictate with the fn key
Click into any text field, hold fn and speak in Hindi, English or both, then release to see polished text appear.
4Set a persona per app
Create a custom style, for example exact code terms for a developer editor or lowercase with slang for chat.
5Try hey kivi commands
Select text, hold the key and say hey kivi followed by an instruction such as make it formal or draft a quick reply.

Pros and cons

Pros

Works in any Mac app through a single hold-fn shortcut, with no copy and paste stepAI
Handles Hindi, English and mixed speech in the same sentenceAI
Cleans filler words, resolves self-corrections and formats numbers and code termsAI
Custom personas shape tone per app, such as terse for code or casual for chatAI
Voice commands rewrite, format or draft text in place after saying hey kiviAI

Cons

Mac only, and requires macOS 14 or later; no Windows, iOS or web versionAI
Still in alpha, so stability and feature changes are likelyAI
Pricing after the free alpha period is not statedAI
Language support appears limited to Hindi and English, with no other languages listedAI
Cleanup is automatic, so output can differ from what was literally said and needs reviewAI

How much does kivi cost?

Free trial

Kivi is free while in alpha for macOS 14 and later; no separate trial or time limit is described.

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Pricing

Free during the alpha period. No paid plan or post-alpha pricing is stated on the homepage.

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Integrations

Works system-wide on macOS rather than through formal integrations. The site demonstrates Slack, Mail, Notes, Messages, Reminders, Cursor, Terminal and Numbers.

Features

Hold-fn dictation in any Mac app, Hindi and English mixed speech, filler removal, self-correction handling, remembered name spellings, custom personas per app, and hey kivi voice commands to rewrite, format, draft replies, answer questions and restructure notes.

Frequently asked questions about kivi

How much does kivi cost?
Free during the alpha period. No paid plan or post-alpha pricing is stated on the homepage.
Does kivi offer a free trial?
Kivi is free while in alpha for macOS 14 and later; no separate trial or time limit is described.
How do you use kivi?
The walkthrough on this page covers 5 steps: 1. Download the Mac app 2. Install and grant permissions 3. Dictate with the fn key 4. Set a persona per app 5. Try hey kivi commands.
What platforms does kivi support?
kivi is available on MacOS.
What does kivi integrate with?
Works system-wide on macOS rather than through formal integrations. The site demonstrates Slack, Mail, Notes, Messages, Reminders, Cursor, Terminal and Numbers.
What are the limitations of kivi?
Mac only, and requires macOS 14 or later; no Windows, iOS or web version. Still in alpha, so stability and feature changes are likely. Pricing after the free alpha period is not stated.