Kords for students and universities
Updated 12 October 2026
Kords is a free-to-start voice dictation app for Mac that students can use to draft essays and notes by speaking, and that is straightforward for a university to assess: on-device by default, no audio stored, made by a UK company, and signed and notarised by Apple.
For students
- Dictation for students: draft essays, notes and dissertations by voice.
- Dictation for dyslexia, RSI and accessibility.
- How to choose a dictation app.
Kords is free to download. On-device dictation is unlimited and needs no card, and you get about 2,000 Cloud words a week.
For universities and IT teams
The facts a technical or data protection review usually asks for:
| Kords | |
|---|---|
| Platform | macOS 14 or later, Mac only |
| Distribution | Direct download, signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple. Not packaged for managed deployment yet |
| Where speech is processed | On the Mac by default. Cloud mode is optional and off until a person switches it on |
| Audio and words | Never stored by us. In Cloud mode they are processed and discarded |
| Cloud processing | Our server is in the EU (Ireland), with speech and AI providers named in the privacy policy. Some are based in the United States |
| What it asks for | Microphone, Speech Recognition and Accessibility permissions |
| What it never does | Take screenshots, log keystrokes or read window titles or documents |
| Company | Launchcore Ltd, registered in the United Kingdom |
| Data protection | Privacy policy written under UK data protection law: read it here |
For disability and student support teams
Our guide to dictation for dyslexia, RSI and accessibility explains what Kords offers: hold-to-talk, a hands-free lock, mouse-button shortcuts and a personal dictionary.
Get in touch
Running a pilot, or have a question an IT or data protection team needs answered? Email [email protected].
Questions people ask
Is Kords suitable for use at a university?
Kords processes speech on the Mac by default, never stores audio or words, and is made by a UK company. The table on this page covers the usual review questions, and you can email us for anything else.
Can a university deploy Kords to many Macs?
Kords is a direct download and is not packaged for managed deployment yet. If your IT team wants to talk about group use, email us.
Does Kords record lectures?
No. It only listens while you hold your shortcut and turns your own speech into text. It is not a lecture transcriber.