Open-source voice input.The native Mac app is a new build.

Openbroca Origin is the MIT-licensed voice input project for macOS, Windows, and Linux, created by Timothy Lau. The current Openbroca Mac app is a separate native application.

Relationship facts verified July 20, 2026

Origin was the first implementation of the idea: use speech recognition and text refinement to write across desktop apps. The current Mac app was written independently in Swift and has its own features and system requirements.

You can still use or contribute to Origin. Openbroca Origin remains free, open source, and maintained. Its MIT-licensed source is available for anyone who wants to learn from it, modify it, or use its cross-platform implementation.

Both projects aim to make voice input practical for everyday writing. They use different technology and support different platforms.

The name refers to Broca’s area is a language-related region in the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere, usually the left. An NCBI neuroanatomy overview describes its role as spanning language production and comprehension, while noting that speech depends on a wider network.

Broca’s best-known patient was Louis Victor Leborgne, whose case helped establish the study of language in the brain.

Open + Broca: the name reflects our interest in making spoken words easier to use in everyday writing.

Timothy Lau created and publishes Openbroca Origin as a personal open-source project. He is also the Founder of Openbroca. You can find him on X and LinkedIn.