Choose a WhisperJot speech engine
WhisperJot offers Jot Local for short utterances, Jot Local Pro for long-form accuracy, opt-in Jot Cloud, and Auto, which picks Local or Local Pro per utterance. Mac defaults to Jot Local; Windows and Linux default to Jot Local Pro.
What is the difference between Jot Local, Jot Local Pro, Jot Cloud, and Auto?
Jot Local is fast and suited to short utterances. Jot Local Pro is aimed at long-form accuracy. Auto chooses per utterance: short audio goes to Jot Local, long audio to Jot Local Pro. Jot Cloud is the opt-in cloud engine: it runs only while selected, needs internet and an active subscription, and downloads nothing.
Under the hood, Jot Local is Parakeet (macOS: multilingual v3; Windows and Linux: English-only v2). Jot Local Pro is the Whisper family. On macOS the default Jot Local Pro model is large-v3-turbo (1.5 GB). On Windows and Linux the default Jot Local Pro model is small.
Which engine is the default on each platform?
macOS defaults to Jot Local. Windows and Linux default to Jot Local Pro. You can switch anytime in Settings → Model → Engine or from the menu-bar engine picker. Changes apply without a restart of the whole app.
Meetings always transcribe on-device. The opt-in Jot Cloud engine is never used for meetings or for the wake word. If Jot Cloud is selected, meetings fall back to a cached local model.
Straight answers.
Which WhisperJot engine should I use for long dictation?
Use Jot Local Pro for long-form accuracy, or Auto, which sends long utterances to Jot Local Pro and short ones to Jot Local. Jot Local is the better default for brief commands. The opt-in Jot Cloud engine is a fit when you want no local model download and have internet plus an active subscription. Mac starts on Jot Local; Windows and Linux start on Jot Local Pro.
Is Jot Cloud on by default?
No. Jot Cloud is opt-in. First use shows a consent dialog, and the app remembers that consent. Canceling the dialog keeps the previous engine. Local engines stay on-device. You can switch back anytime from Settings → Model → Engine or the menu-bar picker. The Privacy pane shows On — Jot Cloud selected or Off — using local engines.
Can Auto use Jot Cloud?
No. Auto only routes between Jot Local and Jot Local Pro based on utterance length. The opt-in Jot Cloud engine is a separate choice you select yourself. Auto never uploads audio. If you want cloud transcription, select Jot Cloud explicitly, complete consent, and keep an internet connection and an active subscription.
Updated 2026-09-01
Keep reading.
Download and manage speech models
Local engines download a model on first use. Settings → Model shows Download Now and progress. Jot Local is about 500 MB …
Read article →Jot Cloud consent and switching back
Jot Cloud is an opt-in cloud engine. First use shows a consent dialog titled Jot Cloud sends audio to the cloud. Cancel …
Read article →Languages and non-English dictation
The language picker offers Auto-detect plus 15 languages. For non-English speech, use Jot Local Pro (multilingual) or opt-in Jot Cloud. Windows and …
Read article →Ready to dictate?
Download WhisperJot for Mac, Windows, or Linux and start with a hotkey.