Setup checklist

What you need for DirectScribe to work

DirectScribe is bring-your-own-vendor: you supply the transcription and intelligence, and DirectScribe ties them into your dictation workflow. Here is everything to have in place, start to finish. Set the vendor keys up first so your trial days aren't spent during signup.

3 required steps 1 optional ~15 minutes

  1. 1 · A DirectScribe subscription Required

    DirectScribe is CAD $39/month or $399/year, with a 7-day free trial — subscribe through the Mac App Store once DirectScribe is live there; Apple handles billing and the trial. See pricing for the full breakdown, or tell us if you'd like to know the moment it launches.

  2. 2 · A transcription vendor key — speech → text Required

    This turns your dictation into text. Pick one cloud transcription vendor, create an API key with them, and paste it into Settings → API Keys in the app:

    • Deepgram — recommended default (medical model, lowest cost, BAA on request).
    • ElevenLabs — comparable quality (BAA on enterprise plans only).
    • Cohere — high-quality transcription (confirm terms with Cohere).

    At launch, transcription always uses a cloud vendor you choose — see the cost breakdown (typically ~CAD $4–15/month at solo volume).

  3. 3 · An intelligence provider — text → your template Required

    This shapes the raw transcript into your note template. Choose one:

    • On-device with Apple Intelligence — no key, no cost, nothing to install: Apple's built-in model shapes the note on your Mac and the transcript never leaves the device. Requires macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled.
    • A cloud provider — Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI. Create an API key and paste it into Settings → Providers → Intelligence.
    • Or a local model with LM Studio — on-device via a loopback server, no API key or per-token cost; the transcript stays on your Mac.

    Every API key you enter is stored in the macOS Keychain, and you pay each vendor directly — no DirectScribe markup.

  4. 4 · Dropbox for templates across your Macs Optional

    If you work from more than one Mac — clinic, laptop, home — point DirectScribe's Template Sync (Settings → Sync) at a Dropbox folder so your templates follow you. It syncs your note templates and style guide only. Your recordings, transcripts, and saved notes are never synced — those stay on each Mac and delete on your retention schedule. If you use a single Mac, skip this step.

Where each step runs

Recording and your files stay on your Mac. Transcription always uses your chosen cloud vendor. Note-shaping uses your chosen vendor — or runs fully on your Mac with Apple Intelligence or LM Studio. Keys, templates, notes, and the transparency log live on your Mac; the only cross-machine copy is the optional Dropbox template sync above.

Get notified at launch See pricing