3x Faster Than Typing
Speak 150+ words per minute vs 40 wpm typing. Finish tasks in a third of the time.
Voice Dictation for Engineering Managers
Capture 1-on-1 insights. Document incidents. Lead your team.
Notion
Example dictation
action items colon new paragraph one john to review q 4 budget by friday actually thursday two sarah to schedule client call three uh team to finalize roadmap
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Action items:
1. John to review Q4 budget by Thursday
2. Sarah to schedule client call
3. Team to finalize roadmap
Profile instructions
How it works
Your voice. Right where you work.
Hold Fn
Place your cursor in any app, then hold the Fn key.
Speak naturally
Say what you want to write. Ottex follows your saved writing rules.
Release. It’s written.
Your text appears right where your cursor is.
Works with your apps
Ottex works system-wide on macOS. Dictate directly into these apps and more.
And any other app that accepts text input. See all supported apps
Why Ottex works for engineering managers
Concrete benefits with real-world impact
Voice Corrections
Say 'scratch that' to delete mistakes, 'actually' to rephrase. Fix errors without stopping your flow or touching the keyboard.
Inline AI Commands
Transform text as you speak: 'Ottex start fix grammar Ottex end'. Edit, improve, translate—all by voice.
Precision Typing
Say 'new paragraph', 'open quote', 'em dash', 'ellipsis'. Full formatting control by voice.
Better Context, Better Results
Speaking naturally gives AI agents more context than typing. Describe your intent, explain edge cases, mention file names—your voice carries nuance that typing shortcuts.
Technical Term Accuracy
Cloud AI models excel at technical jargon, code terminology, and specialized vocabulary.
Custom Dictionary
Add names, technical terms, and jargon. Ottex transcribes them accurately every time.
Smart Snippets
Define custom text replacements and shortcuts. Say 'work signature' to expand your full email signature, or 'my address' for your contact info.
App-Specific Modes
Ottex detects which app you're in and adapts. Coding mode in Cursor, casual tone in Slack, professional in Gmail—automatic context switching.
Context Awareness
Optionally let AI see your screen for smarter responses. Reply to emails with full context, answer messages knowing the conversation history.
Global Shortcuts
Start recording with Option+D, use Push-to-Talk, or cancel with Esc. All shortcuts are fully configurable.
Works in Any App
System-wide on macOS—Ottex works wherever you can type. No app-specific integrations needed.
Filler Word Removal
Automatically removes filler words like 'um', 'uh', 'like', 'so' from your transcription. Get clean, professional text without verbal hesitations.
Works with AI Chatbots
Dictate prompts to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity—anywhere you type. Better prompts, better answers.
What you can do
Write Meeting Notes
Dictate meeting notes in real-time or right after. Capture action items, decisions, and key points while they're fresh in your mind.
Works with
Notion
Example dictation
action items colon new paragraph one john to review q 4 budget by friday actually thursday two sarah to schedule client call three uh team to finalize roadmap
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Action items:
1. John to review Q4 budget by Thursday
2. Sarah to schedule client call
3. Team to finalize roadmap
Profile instructions
Write Documentation
Dictate technical documentation, READMEs, or API docs. Speaking lets you explain context, edge cases, and examples naturally—better docs with less effort.
Works with
VS Code
Example dictation
so the authentication flow works like this colon new paragraph first the client sends credentials to the auth service second the auth service validates against the database and returns a JWT token third the client stores the token and includes it in subsequent requests new paragraph note colon we're using r s 2 5 6 for token signing
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
The authentication flow works like this:
1. The client sends credentials to the auth service
2. The auth service validates against the database and returns a JWT token
3. The client stores the token and includes it in subsequent requests
Note: We're using RS256 for token signing
Profile instructions
Write Candidate Feedback
Dictate interview feedback immediately after each call. Speaking lets you capture nuance and context that gets lost when typing quickly.
Text Editor
Example dictation
strong technical background um especially in system design explained tradeoffs really clearly new paragraph communication was great very collaborative new paragraph recommendation colon move to final round
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Strong technical background, especially in system design. Explained tradeoffs really clearly.
Communication was great, very collaborative.
Recommendation: move to final round.
Profile instructions
Reply to Work Messages
Reply to Slack messages 3x faster. Dictate casual updates, detailed explanations, or quick acknowledgments without switching context.
Slack
Example dictation
hey um thanks for the update on the API changes I'll uh review the PR today actually tomorrow morning since I'm still working on the database migration and I'll leave comments if I find anything also can you ping me when the tests are passing
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Hey, thanks for the update on the API changes! I'll review the PR tomorrow morning since I'm still working on the database migration. I'll leave comments if I find anything. Also, can you ping me when the tests are passing?
Profile instructions
Create Tickets & Tasks
Dictate Jira tickets, Linear issues, or Asana tasks. Speak the context, acceptance criteria, and details—then move on.
Jira
Example dictation
um users are getting logged out unexpectedly after about 30 minutes of inactivity new paragraph steps to reproduce colon new paragraph one login to the app two leave it idle for 30 minutes three try to do anything new paragraph expected colon session should refresh silently new paragraph actual colon user gets kicked to login screen
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Users are getting logged out unexpectedly after about 30 minutes of inactivity.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Login to the app
2. Leave it idle for 30 minutes
3. Try to do anything
Expected: Session should refresh silently.
Actual: User gets kicked to login screen.
Profile instructions
Write Status Updates
Dictate standup updates, weekly reports, or project status. Speak what happened and what's next—done.
Works with
Slack
Example dictation
hey team so quick update um finally got the payment integration working took longer than expected because of some weird edge cases with refunds new paragraph today I'm gonna tackle the email notifications and hopefully wrap that up by end of day new paragraph no blockers just need to stay focused
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Hey team, quick update—finally got the payment integration working. Took longer than expected because of some weird edge cases with refunds.
Today I'm gonna tackle the email notifications and hopefully wrap that up by end of day.
No blockers, just need to stay focused.
Profile instructions
Respond to Emails
Dictate email responses with the right tone. Use context awareness to see the full thread, then speak your reply naturally.
Gmail
Example dictation
hi Jennifer thanks for reaching out um I'd be happy to schedule a call next week here's my calendar link best regards work signature
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for reaching out. I'd be happy to schedule a call next week.
Here's my calendar: https://cal.com/sarah/30min
Best regards,
Sarah Chen
Marketing Director, Finteq
Profile instructions
Capture Ideas Quickly
Speak ideas the moment they hit you. Use Ottex anywhere to capture thoughts, then refine them later.
Works with
Text Editor
Example dictation
oh okay so what if we flip the onboarding completely um instead of asking users to set up their workspace first we let them record something immediately like within 10 seconds of signing up they're already talking and seeing the magic actually no not 10 seconds make it the very first screen and then we save that as their first note so they have an aha moment before they even configure anything
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
What if we flip the onboarding completely? Instead of asking users to set up their workspace first, we let them record something immediately. Within the very first screen of signing up, they're already talking and seeing the magic. Then we save that as their first note—so they have an aha moment before they even configure anything.
Profile instructions
Prompt ChatGPT & Claude
Dictate prompts to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or any AI chatbot. Speaking naturally lets you give more context—better context means better results.
ChatGPT
Example dictation
can you help me understand um why the sky is blue like I know it has something to do with light but I'm kinda confused about why it's not violet since violet has an even shorter wavelength question mark explain it simply
Read this example aloud, or say something of your own.
Ottex outputs
Can you help me understand why the sky is blue? I know it has something to do with light but I'm confused about why it's not violet since violet has an even shorter wavelength. Explain it simply.
Profile instructions
Frequently asked questions
Is it private enough for sensitive 1-on-1 notes and performance reviews?
Yes. Use local Whisper models for 100% offline transcription—nothing leaves your Mac. For cloud transcription, BYOK means audio goes directly to your API provider using your key, not through Ottex servers. You choose the privacy level that fits your organization's requirements.
Can I use it during live 1-on-1s without it being awkward?
Yes. Push-to-Talk mode lets you capture specific moments without continuous recording. Tap your hotkey, speak a quick note, release. Your direct report sees you present and engaged, not typing on a laptop. Capture insights between topics rather than during sensitive moments.
Does it work with Notion, Confluence, Linear, and GitHub?
Yes, Ottex works system-wide on macOS—anywhere you can type. Document incidents in Confluence, update Linear tickets, comment on GitHub PRs, write 1-on-1 notes in Notion, draft reviews in Lattice. No special integrations needed.
How does it help with incident documentation?
Dictate timeline entries as events unfold: '2:47 PM, identified root cause, decision to rollback.' Capture decisions, reasoning, and who did what in real-time. When the incident ends, your post-mortem is 80% written. No reconstructing from Slack searches and memory.
Can I have different styles for Slack vs. documentation vs. reviews?
Yes. Ottex detects your active app and adjusts formatting and tone accordingly. Casual and direct for Slack, structured for Confluence, professional for Lattice or performance reviews. You control the style per app without manually adjusting each time.
How much does it cost for typical EM usage?
Free with local models (Whisper runs on your Mac). With BYOK, most engineering managers spend $2-4/month using Gemini 3 Flash or Groq. Compare that to enterprise meeting and transcription tools at $15-30/month per user. Heavy usage (daily 1-on-1s, frequent incidents) might hit $5-6/month.
Does it handle technical terms and service names?
Cloud models like Gemini 3 Flash handle technical vocabulary well. For your specific service names, internal tools, and team member names, add them to the custom dictionary once. 'PaymentGatewayV2', 'incident-commander', 'AuthService'—transcribed correctly every time.
Why is speaking better than typing for management documentation?
You've been speaking since age one—20+ years of practice. Speaking is automatic, effortless. Typing requires concentration, you make typos, break flow to fix them. For 1-on-1 notes, incident timelines, and performance reviews, speaking captures more detail faster while keeping you present in the moment rather than focused on your keyboard.
Lead with your voice. Document without friction.
Download free. Use local models for private 1-on-1 notes, or add your API key for cloud transcription.
Try for freeNo credit card required.