Voice-powered screen annotation
Hold Option to draw over what you see on your Mac and speak at the same time. Assist saves the annotated screenshot and can attach a local transcript to the capture.
Assist
Assist is a native macOS app for voice-powered screen annotation, full-screen screenshots, and local clipboard history, helping Mac users capture and reuse content from the notch.
Assist for Mac
Assist is a native macOS app that brings three workflows into the notch: voice-powered screen annotation, full-screen screenshots, and clipboard history. It is built for people who need to capture what they see, explain it aloud, and keep copied text ready to reuse without leaving their current app.
The app uses different shortcuts for different jobs. Hold Option to annotate and speak over the screen, use Control + Option for a clean screenshot, and rely on the local shelf to revisit recent screenshots, transcripts, and copied text. Assist also keeps the capture process local on the Mac, with transcription running on-device on supported Apple silicon Macs.
Core features
Full-screen screenshot capture
Press Control + Option for an immediate full-display screenshot without entering annotation mode. The capture is saved instantly for later reuse.
Post-capture editing
After a screenshot, a quick editor appears under the notch so you can crop to free or fixed ratios, blur private areas, or add a backdrop with padding, rounded corners, and shadow.
Local clipboard history
Assist keeps copied text beside screenshots in a local shelf, with filters for All, Text, and Images so you can find and reuse items quickly.
Local-first storage
Screenshots, copied text, history, and optional transcripts are stored locally on your Mac rather than in a cloud account.
Notch-based workflow
The app is designed for macOS notch access, so recent captures and clipboard items can be opened, filtered, copied, or dragged back into other apps from one place.
Common ways to use Assist
Explaining a screen with voice and markup
Annotate a UI, diagram, or issue on your screen while explaining it out loud, then save the image and transcript together for later reference or sharing.
Saving and refining screenshots
Capture a clean full-screen screenshot when you need a fast record of what is on the display, then copy, drag, crop, blur, or restyle it before using it elsewhere.
Reusing recent clipboard items
Keep copied text, screenshots, and recent captures in one local history so you can reopen items from the notch instead of hunting through separate app windows.
Working locally on-device
Use local transcription and stored screenshots when you want to keep sensitive material on your Mac rather than sending audio to a cloud service.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Combines annotation, screenshots, and clipboard history in one app.
- Keeps screenshots, copied text, transcripts, and history stored locally on the Mac.
- Supports voice transcription on-device instead of sending audio to the cloud.
- Includes a quick editor for cropping, blurring, and adding backdrops after capture.
- Uses simple keyboard shortcuts that separate annotation from standard screenshot capture.
Cons
- Optional voice transcription requires Apple silicon and a one-time Whisper model download.
- Screen Recording permission is required for screenshots, and Accessibility or Input Monitoring is needed for shortcut detection.
- The product page describes the app as local-first for one Mac, so it does not present team administration or multi-seat workflow features.
FAQ
What does Assist for Mac do?
Assist combines voice-powered screen annotation, full-screen screenshots, and local clipboard history in one Mac app. It also keeps recent screenshots, copied text, and optional transcripts ready to reuse from the notch.
How does voice-powered screen annotation work?
Hold Option anywhere on macOS, draw on the screen, and speak while you annotate. When you release Option, Assist saves the capture with an optional local transcript you can copy together with the image.
Does Assist send my voice recording to the cloud?
No. Voice transcription runs locally with WhisperKit on Apple silicon. Raw audio stays in memory only during transcription and is never saved; Assist stores only the resulting transcript and its status.
How do I take a full-screen screenshot?
Yes. Press Control + Option to capture the full display immediately. The screenshot is saved right away and appears in your history, where you can preview it, copy it, or drag it into another app.
Is Assist a subscription?
Assist is a one-time purchase for one Mac. The site states there is no subscription.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Mac productivity app
- Platform
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Device support
- One Mac license
- Pricing
- $20 one-time purchase
- Voice transcription
- Local on Apple silicon with WhisperKit
- Website
- assistapp.dev
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