Support

How can we help?

Kayit runs entirely on your Mac, so most questions are about getting set up and getting the most out of it. Browse the FAQ below, or send us a message and we'll get back to you.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kayit send my audio or transcripts to the cloud?

No. Kayit transcribes entirely on your Mac using on-device machine learning. Your audio, transcripts and quotes never leave your machine and are never uploaded to any server, account or third-party API.

Do I need an account or sign-in to use Kayit?

No. Kayit requires no account and no sign-in. There is nothing to log into and no personal information to provide.

What do I need to run Kayit?

Kayit runs on a Mac with Apple chip (M1 or later) running MacOS 15 (Tahoe) or later. An internet connection is required only on first launch to download the transcription model.

Why does Kayit need the internet on first launch?

On first launch Kayit downloads its speech-recognition model (roughly 800 MB) over HTTPS from Hugging Face. This is machine-learning model data, not your audio. After the one-time download, transcription works fully offline.

Does Kayit identify who is speaking?

Yes. Kayit performs automatic speaker separation on-device, labelling turns as "Speaker 1", "Speaker 2" and so on. You can rename each speaker, and the renaming applies across the whole transcript.

What formats can I export?

You can export a transcript as plain text, Markdown, CSV or SubRip subtitles (.srt), copy quotes with the fields you choose and save audio clips as M4A or WAV. Kayit also writes an open .transcript.json sidecar next to your audio so your work is portable and future-proof.

How is Kayit different from Otter.ai, Descript, Rev or Trint?

Those tools upload your audio to their servers to transcribe it. Kayit is built to never do that — all processing happens locally on your Mac, which protects confidential sources and interview material by design.

Is Kayit GDPR compliant?

Kayit is designed to make GDPR compliance straightforward. Because transcription runs entirely on your Mac, no personal data or recordings are ever transmitted to us or to any third party — there is no cloud processing, no data controller relationship and no cross-border data transfer to account for. Your recordings and transcripts stay under your sole control on your own device, so you decide how they are stored, retained and deleted.

Can I use Kayit with HIPAA-protected or confidential health information?

Kayit processes audio entirely on-device and never uploads recordings, transcripts or any content to a server, so no protected health information is shared with us. That local-only architecture avoids the third-party disclosure that normally requires a Business Associate Agreement. You remain responsible for securing your own Mac (disk encryption, access controls and device policies), but Kayit itself never becomes a party to your data.

Does using Kayit require a Data Processing Agreement or vendor security review?

Because Kayit never receives your audio or transcripts, we are not a data processor or sub-processor for your recordings — there is nothing for us to process on your behalf. This significantly simplifies vendor security reviews, DPAs and standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, CCPA and attorney-client or journalistic confidentiality: the data simply never leaves your machine.

Where is my data stored, and can anyone at Kayit access it?

Everything Kayit produces — audio, transcripts, speaker labels, quotes and the .transcript.json sidecar — is stored only in the locations you choose on your own Mac. No one at Kayit can access it, because it is never sent anywhere. Kayit has no analytics that capture your content, no telemetry of your recordings and no backend account tied to your transcripts.

How much does Kayit cost?

Kayit starts with a free trial. After that it is $9.99 per month, or $99 per year. There are no per-minute charges, no upload limits and no ads.

Troubleshooting quick hits

  • Stuck on first launch? The initial model download (~800 MB) needs a stable internet connection. Keep Kayit open and it will resume; after that, it works offline.
  • Transcription seems slow? The first run also warms up the on-device model. Later transcriptions are faster. Closing other heavy apps frees up the Neural Engine and memory.
  • Speakers not separating well? On the setup screen, set the exact number of speakers instead of Auto-detect for cleaner results, then use the Speakers panel to rename them.
  • Want to protect a recording? Keep your library folder out of iCloud, Dropbox or other syncing folders — Kayit will warn you if it detects one.