Local is free. Full stop.
Every on-device model in Cue is now free, for everyone, with no account. Download the best model your Mac can run and dictate as much as you want. No meter, no time limits, no trial that runs out.
The reasoning is simple: on-device transcription runs on your hardware, so it costs us nothing. Charging for it would be charging you rent on your own Mac.
In Private Mode, nothing ever leaves your machine. Not audio, not text, not analytics about what you said. That is not a policy promise, it is how the app is built.
Cloud transcription is still there when you want maximum accuracy, and it is priced the same honest way: cents per use from a wallet you top up. No subscription. Ever.
Paste without touching your clipboard
Until now, every dictation app on macOS pasted the same way: put text on your clipboard, fake a Cmd+V. Your clipboard manager filled up with fragments of everything you ever said.
Cue now types text directly into the target app. Your clipboard stays exactly as you left it.
Cleanup by Apple Intelligence
On Macs with Apple Intelligence, Cue can now use it for the automatic cleanup pass. On-device, instant, and free, because it runs on your hardware too.
A better first five minutes
Onboarding got a full redesign. It is shorter, it explains the private/cloud choice honestly, and if you quit halfway it resumes where you left off instead of starting over.